Start-ups Investment Report

It’s been a strong first few months for entrepreneurship in German-speaking Europe, with several investments made in highly promising start-ups—and WHU start-ups are no exception. “Today especially, in such turbulent times, Germany and all of Europe need a strong, independent start-up economy,” says Maximilian Eckel, Managing Director of the WHU Entrepreneurship Center. “But innovation itself is not enough. These new companies have to be able to grow. And that is why largescale funding rounds and international scaling are so important.” Some WHU start-ups, such as AMBOSS and Vytal, were considered strong players in the American market—showing that anything is possible when aspiring entrepreneurs secure the investments they need.

The first quarter of 2025 has revealed that many start-ups with connections to WHU are active in the field of sustainability. Some are working to prevent packaging waste, where others have found success with their novel recycling models. Additionally, the medical technology sector is booming, with more and more start-ups finding new ways to apply artificial intelligence to the field of healthcare.

The top of the year has already seen several successfully concluded venture capital rounds and some start-ups bought out by other companies. The following is an overview of all that has happened in WHU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem over the past few months.

January

- ScrapBees, founded by Thilo Hamm and Florian Kriependorf (both PTMTBA 2013), has set itself the mission of giving scrap metal a new lease on life. The company is revolutionizing metal recycling with its new mobile collection system and has recently secured €4M in an early funding round.

- hellgrün provides homeowners and companies easy access to renewable energy. The company was co-founded by Roman Steigertahl (MLB 2014) and has raised €500K in a seed funding round.

- Christian Saitner (PTMBA 2024) is the co-founder of ingarden, a start-up offering health-conscious end users smart microgreen growing kits. The company has secured €1.2M in a seed funding round.

- GP 9000 GmbH also concluded a successful seed funding round. The company, co-founded by Jaroslaw Postnikov (MSc 2012), offers solutions for operating online gaming sites and developing online games, as well as a consulting service for companies in this field. 

- Ultramarin, co-founded by Daniel Willmann (BSc 2012), is using artificial intelligence to revolutionize how one makes investment decisions. The company has successfully secured early-stage venturing capital.

- Henrik Piroth (BSc 2017) is the co-founder of B2B-catering service heycater!, which strives to further expand throughout Europe. The company recently concluded a successful late-stage venture capital funding round.

- Analyx, co-founded by Sascha Stürze (Doctorate 2012), is dedicated to optimizing marketing budgets, using analysis software to predict consumer behavior. The company has been purchased by Analytic Partners.

- admi supports municipal offices in planning and executing their energy policies. The company was co-founded by Freddi Lange (BSc 2021) and has now concluded a successful pre-seed funding round.

February

- Akribion Therapeutrics, co-founded by Lukas Linnig (EMBA 2022), has secured €8M in a seed funding round. The start-up is developing a new form of cancer treatment based on CRISPR methodologies.

- eleQtron has recently secured financial support totaling €2.5M. The company, co-founded by Jan Henrik Leisse (MBA 2006), is developing modern quantum computers with revolutionary processing power.

- Floy is working to bolster Germany’s healthcare system through its holistic and AI-based support, thereby preventing a number of illnesses. The company was co-founded by Leander Maerkisch (BSc 2020) and Benedikt Schneider (BSc 2021) and has recently secured €3.6M in a seed funding round.

- ClaroAI helps customers optimize their AI-based apps, rendering them easier to use and safer for today’s companies—and enabling them to run up to 30-times faster. The company, co-founded by Till Westermann (MSc 2023), recently secured €650K in a seed funding round.

- Konstantin Kurz (Msc 2018) is the founder of BioThrust, which has recently secured an undisclosed sum of funding. The company develops custom bioreactor solutions that allow for bubble-free gas transfer.

- Noah Labs, co-founded by Dr. Leonhard Riehle (BSc 2013), is advancing AI-supported diagnostics for cardiovascular diseases. The company has now secured additional funding.

- Remedium, founded by Robert Lindenstreich (MSc 2018) and Florian Kania (BSc 2016), concluded a successful venture capital round. The company offers its assistance in property inheritance cases, helping all parties reach an amicable agreement outside of court.

March

- Founded by Benedikt Hochkirchen (Diplom 2007), healthcare-focused AMBOSS has secured €240M in a venture capital funding round. The start-up provides medical professionals with new digital tools, thereby defining how medical knowledge is imparted, accessed, and applied.

- Specter Automation, founded by Emanuel Groh, Oliver Eischet, and Niklas Beese (all BSC 2018), has concluded a successful seed funding round. The company is revolutionizing construction management with its digital, AI-supported work processes.

- C1 Green Chemicals AG’s Carbon One platform assists companies with their efforts to reduce carbon emissions in their production and transport streams through the adoption of greenly sourced methanol. The start-up, founded by Christian Vollmann (Diplom 2002), has secured an additional €5M in funding after having already raised €15M in an early-stage venture capital round.

- Founded by Philipp Hövelmann and Valentin Neumann (both BSc 2015), Cortea AI automatizes compliance processes through artificial intelligence, helping corporate teams complete crucial tasks more swiftly. The company has now secured €3.1M during a seed funding round. 

- Vytal is focused on sustainable, reusable packing solutions for the food services industry. Co-founded by Dr. Tim Breker (BSc 2009), the company has raised €8M during an early-stage venture capital round.

- Aktio, co-founded by Laurent Barbezieux (MSc 2009), has been purchased by Apave, an international group with over 150 years’ experience in managing technical, ecological, digital, and human risk. The company is now expanding its portfolio with its expertise in carbon footprinting and the reduction of carbon emissions.tgegründet wurde, ergänzt deren Portfolio nun mit seiner Expertise in den Bereichen Kohlenstoffbilanzierung und Dekarbonisierung.