Sarah B. Söding

🔎 Market Insights Venture Capital for climate tech: Have we reached the turning point? Two recent reports by the German Startup Association (Startup-Verband) and Bitkom reviewing H1 2024 show that fundraising in Germany remains challenging. However, climate tech related topics are on top of the agenda. The findings also show that startups struggle to achieve prominence in the broader market or create an impact. Despite this unused potentials we already see positive signals in Q3. According to KfW VC investments in German startups have been surpassing the benchmark of 2 bln EUR in Q3 – first time since more than a year ago. 💵 Fundraising is still challenging: More than half of the start-ups think that fundraising is difficult to realize. As we have highlighted already prior to this: Early stage founders should plan with longer gaps between Series A and Series B. 🤝 An increasing number of start-ups claim that the possibility for cooperation with the established economy is very poor. According to German Startup Association, only 37.5% perceive the link between the two as good. With Future Energy Ventures we have specialized to matchmake startups with corporate partners – arranging 44 partnerships for the startups in our first fund. 💡 In a challenging VC environment climate tech related business models have good chances to raise capital (compared to other verticals): Experts interviewed by German Startup Association estimate that among the health and the educational sector, energy (37,2%), industry (33,8%) and mobility (30,5%) are the most promising sectors for future innovation. Most of our portfolio business are in energy, industry or mobility! 🌱 The German Startup Association emphasizes that founders are primarily driven by social and ecological impact. Almost half of them identify as social entrepreneurs (45.6%). An increasing number of German start-ups identify with the green economy (48.1%), as reported by the German Startup Association. At Future Energy Ventures we go one step further and monitor the ESG impact of our portfolio businesses via a specific model per half year! 🌎 The huge challenge remains an environment of uncertainty, which is shaped by the huge macro-economic developments such as global wars and conflicts, interest rates and the upcoming US election The good news: Founders navigating their teams through these times may be well-positioned for growth once uncertainty passes. We must foster cooperation between emerging start-ups and the corporate economy to create impact! 🚀 #climatetch #startups #marketinsight #fev4climate

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What are your thoughts for the German startup ecosystem in 2025? In my latest contribution to Business Punk, I shared some of my post November 6th thoughts on the topic [Link in Comments]. Here are my key takeaways: 🇺🇸 🛑 🇨🇳 The new #US administration will drive deregulation to strengthen its tech sector against #China's dominance. #Europe should closely monitor its global impact. 🇩🇪 📂 🤯 The German ecosystem faces structural challenges: #overregulation, a risk-averse culture, and a €30bn #fundinggap drive German success stories get capital outside the EU. 🚀 🧑‍💻 📈 Despite challenges, 2025 holds immense opportunities for German #entrepreneurs. The #earlystage ecosystem has shown resilience even during recessions, while emerging AI hubs like #Heilbronn, #Karlsruhe, and #Heidelberg are on a promising path forward. Personally, I think the transition towards #green economies and #cities has additional potential for the next generation of hidden champions made in Germany. #startup #politics #elections #innovation #tech

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KfW-Report: Health-Start-ups erhalten besonders viel Kapital https://buff.ly/4e3ptl1 Health start-ups are receiving substantial funding, according to a KfW report, highlighting their growing appeal to investors. This trend underscores the sector's potential for innovation and societal impact. As the demand for advanced healthcare solutions rises, investors are increasingly drawn to the promising prospects these start-ups offer. The report suggests that this influx of capital is crucial for fostering new technologies and improving healthcare delivery. #HealthStartups #InnovationInHealthcare

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Ep.17 Drop #20Angel 🎙 The one & only Philipp Moehring, Co-Founder of Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company, joined me in the hot seat for a rare public appearance 🔥 👉 Introducing Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company FUND III ✍ 👉 Higher valuations = higher expectations 💣 👉 Giving Founders the freedom to be extreme 🤪 👉 Your access gives you your price 💰 Some Founder References on Philipp: dennis müller (Amie): "More than most, pmoe is a cheerleader. The journey is already hard enough, some VC's make it harder by sending unsolicited articles with "seen this?". He's the opposite. always fun to brainstorm ideas with him. Differentiated intros relative to others." David Budde (trawa): “He‘s been a great sparring partner and has a ton of experience. I remember, the night before our Pre-Seed closing, we found a minor but important error in our cap table. Unsure what to do, we called Phil late that evening for guidance. To me, it‘s super important to know that I can reach my investors, if it actually matters, and that they‘ll be able to help! + he’s just a really nice guy.” Milos Rusic (deepset): “Phil is amazing! He was actively involved in assembling each of our funding rounds - even in the first round where he committed before we had settled for a lead investor. He actively helped to construct our favourite setup of lead investors for that initial round. He knows everyone and his support is not limited to great intros - he really helps founders to assess and identify which investor could be a right fit for them. 100% reliable, massive value for every company. What they do is really unique.” This was a special one to do, hope you enjoy 🍿 https://lnkd.in/gTRT_SmJ 20VC, #AngelInvesting, #technology, #podcast, #entrepreneurship, #VC, #Founder, #Investing

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DeepTech in Germany: World-Class Research, Weak Sales – Why Our Startups Struggle Germany’s startup scene is buzzing with innovation, especially in DeepTech – our home turf. Our country excels in research and engineering, delivering groundbreaking technologies that could lead global markets. Yet, despite all this potential, something critical is holding us back: Sales. I recently attended a gathering of 20 DeepTech startups. Many of the founders I’ve known for years, and their technologies are impressive – no copycats here, just pure innovation. But one thing was glaringly obvious: none of them had a strong sales strategy. Here’s what I observed: 1️⃣ Founders, often with backgrounds in engineering or research, were running sales themselves – without the expertise or network needed to succeed. 2️⃣ Some relied on outdated advice from Business Angels who didn’t understand modern business models and unintentionally hindered progress. 3️⃣ Many had pilot customers and awards but no real go-to-market plan or sustained customer success. This isn’t just a one-off issue. It’s a systemic problem for German startups. The Sales Gap: Why We’re Falling Behind Globally successful startups invest heavily in sales from the start. Look at these examples: • The Samwer Brothers built their empire on exceptional sales, even with copycat models. • Cisco’s founders handed over operations early to seasoned sales experts. • eBay hired a top-tier CEO to drive growth. • Facebook brought in Sheryl Sandberg to supercharge monetization. • And Amazon? Its genius isn’t just in tech – it’s in its sales model. What do these stories have in common? Sales was a priority. Strong sales teams are not optional; they’re essential. DeepTech in Germany: The Opportunity and the Obstacle Germany leads in engineering and DeepTech research. This is our strength, and our innovations are world-class. But without professional sales strategies, we won’t succeed globally – no matter how much growth funding we secure. The Real Challenge: Mindset Many DeepTech founders in Germany have a mindset problem. They come from research or engineering backgrounds and believe they need to control every aspect of their startup – including sales. But this is a mistake. Sales is a specialized discipline, and world-class startups know when to bring in the experts. To bridge the gap, we need founders who understand that technology alone isn’t enough. Sales is the bridge between the lab and the market. Conclusion: Sales is the Key to Global Success Germany has everything it takes to dominate DeepTech: top-tier research, excellent engineering, and innovative founders. But without a strong focus on sales, we’ll remain in the shadow of countries like the US, France, and the UK. Invest in sales. Let go of the “I’ll do it myself” mentality. Build a team that understands the market and can execute. Technology is the foundation, but sales is the lever that turns great ideas into global success stories.

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𝗜𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗖? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Michael Treskow from Eight Roads Ventures said recently on #startupland powered by deutsche-startups.de that we're already playing in the big leagues. But are we? Let's dive into some numbers. Germany's venture capital scene is booming, but how do we compare globally? 1. In 2022, Germany attracted €11.3 billion in VC investments. Impressive, right? 2. Yet, the US still leads with €150 billion. The gap is significant. 3. But here's a twist: Germany is closing the distance fast. Growth rates are higher than many expect. So, what's behind this momentum? → A strong startup ecosystem that fosters innovation. → Government initiatives supporting tech ventures. → A cultural shift towards embracing entrepreneurship. But challenges remain. The focus is now on creating an inclusive environment where diverse voices, especially from the HR sector, can thrive. To truly lead, we must leverage untapped potential, like the 50+ generation and women in STEM. Germany's VC landscape is evolving, and the future looks promising. Yet, we must continue pushing boundaries to maintain our upward trajectory. What are your thoughts on Germany's VC potential? Are we ready to lead globally?

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How do I actually get proper money as a founder? I spoke about this in the Für-Gründer.de Podcast with editor Elena Todeva. What financing options are there? How do I find the VC that really suits me? When should I bootstrap? Which financing has which consequences in the end? My personal tip for founders: Do some real networking, exchange ideas with other founders, get tips and advice from everywhere, be brave, talk to experienced founders and ask really deep questions and learn always from the experiences of others. Please listen and feel free to write me feedback. https://lnkd.in/de_ZmdZq

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🤔 𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸? 🧬💊💉👩‍⚕️🧪🩻 This has been our topic at today‘s panel discussion at the invest.austria conference 2024. Together with my co-panelists Sophie Ehrlich (from EIT Health), Christian Bouda (from bloomblisser.com) and our moderator Markus Wanko (from xista) we‘ve been elaborating on: ✅ The various healthcare verticals and respective risk profiles ✅ Public vs. Private Funding and the need for a closer collaboration between these two ✅ Brining start-ups and SMEs closer to each other to accelerate innovation ✅ Current PE and VC environment ✅ Healthcare deal activity and outlook going forward Conclusion on the initial question: 𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸! 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵?! 1️⃣ „𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛“ - it is our „duty“ to allocate capital and to invest into our own health through supporting innovation and the relevant infrastructure 2️⃣ Healthcare investing is „𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘“ driven investing -> less emotions, more facts 3️⃣ Healthcare is only at the very beginning of it‘s innovative disruption and the convergence between disciplines (e.g. life sciences and (deep) tech) will turbocharge this upcoming disruption -> 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 => 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗨𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Besides that, there have been great discussions and stimulating thoughts, mainly around the political environment and the „𝗗𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗙𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗦“ concept = TOPIC OF THE DAY And we also saw insightful discussions on the foodtech, space investing markets, discussions on the democratization of the investment industry and - since we‘re in #vienna - the CEE investment environment. Thanks Daniela Haunstein, Nikolaus "Niki" Futter, Arnaud Béasse for organizing. Fantastic event 👏 Ps.: the #privateequity asset class still remains a little underrepresented in Austria. 🇦🇹 Room to improve ↗️ PPs.: It‘s been a pleasure meeting and catching up with fantastic people like Bernadette Ules, Csanad Daniel, Niklas Pichler, Patrik Cesky, Rudolf Kinsky, Heinz Brasic, Floyd Plettenberg, Stephan Freudl, Florentina Spindler, Karl Lankmayr, Tim Lammar, Zuzana Jahodníková, Michael Hähnle, Christian Bacher, Günter Leonhartsberger, Johannes Cech, Marko Mitrovic … #healthcaredeals #mergersandacquisitions cc: VINC - Healthcare Advisory, ISP HEALTHCARE GmbH

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🚀 We from seed + speed Ventures have made a new investment! I am happy that seed + speed Ventures is now on board at Calvin Risk. The Swiss startup has received $4 Mio in #seedfunding to make #enterprise #AI more trustworthy! 🚀 seed + speed Ventures invested in this round together with JOIN CAPITAL in Calvin Risk to help companies deploy AI safely and manage risks through automated testing and quantitative risk assessment. As an ETH Zürich spin-off, they have developed a unique, quantitative approach to AI risk management that is rapidly gaining traction among global financial institutions and the C-suite across industries. With regulations like the #EUAIAct introducing strict requirements for AI systems, the need for reliable AI governance has never been greater. Calvin Risk’s combination of academic and industry expertise positions them at the forefront of AI risk management We look forward to be working with Julian Riebartsch and Syang Zhou and their whole Calvin Risk team! Congrats to seed+speed's Isabelle Thierfelder on closing the deal! Isabelle Thierfelder Carsten Maschmeyer Daniel Steffen Isabell Gollmer Andreas de Greiff Marco Döring Petra Kurschat Stefanie Mercedes Kindt Maria von der Lieck

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Obviously still some room to grow for the German & EU-VC/Startup-Ecosystem! Important sidenote: Whereas these charts look "bad" at first sight and should motivate all of us to further improve the German and EU-system, let's not forget that "less capital in the market" also correlates a lot with "attractive investment terms for the ones that are investing" - so likely investing in German/EU startups / grownups and funds will continue to provide a more attractive return than standing with 100 peers in a long queue in a potentially exagerated US/Chinese-funding round (and e.g. the FoF EIF-data from Bjorn Tremmerie et al seems to prove that assumption). (Ulrike Hinrichs; Verena Pausder; Christoph J. Stresing; Anna Christmann; Anna Alex; David Wortmann; Thomas Jarzombek; Holger Clemens Hinz, CEFA ...)

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Reading tip for all startup founders with fundraising plans in DACH: Investoren Report 2024 by Startup Insider. This report provides valuable insights into the venture capital landscape, and is a must-read for anyone looking to secure funding. Plus, it includes bonus material from IRIS on the latest developments in our ecosystem. Get your copy here: https://lnkd.in/dU-5AMPz #startups #founders #VC #LP #fundraising

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🔸 🔶 🔸 AI is going vertical 🔸 🔶 🔸 In a new guest article for Gründerszene / Business Insider I talk about how vertical AI is revolutionizing the work environment: After genAI took the world by storm it has rapidly commoditized. To train an advanced LLM costs hundreds of millions of $$$. But the usage of LLMs has become commonplace. Now the AI world is turning vertical: How can genAI solutions successfully be deployed within industry verticals? Not on the surface but solving some of the tough industrial challenges in a substantially new way, driving an increase in productivity by a factor of 2-5? That has become a core area of interest for AI in 2024. Vertical AI is already making inroads into a number of core industries such as consulting, finance and healthcare but is also being used in less obvious sectors such as wind energy generation or sports. Over time it is likely to affect our work environment across all sectors. And - unlike earlier automatizations - it is going to affect mostly white collar rather than blue collar work. Welcome to a new and lasting technological disruption. Gründerszene, the leading online magazine for the startup scene in Germany (operated by Business Insider), got interested in the subject and has featured an article on the subject this week. Take a look at the online article following the link below (in German): https://lnkd.in/ecJcUwHK (the Gründerszene article as a pdf: https://lnkd.in/eimBKSQP)

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Hey all you #startups and #scaleups, you #sme and #mittelstand companies. Have you done great work adopting to #ai, optimized your #funnel or worked on your #bottomline? If yes, then get nominated for the A-Awards, presented by Startup Insider and Project A!

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Today our portfolio company, atmio, the operating system revolutionizing methane emission management, led by Matthias Schmittmann, Marius Krüger and Fabian Ihl announced their successful €5.1M Seed round led by Notion Capital, with participation from SquareOne Venture Capital, HCVC and Robin Capital 🚀 We could not be more proud of your achievements thus far and are eager to continue the joint journey of helping natural gas companies abate an additional 1 Billion tonnes of CO2 emissions 🌍 Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is responsible for a significant portion of global warming, with 60% of global methane emissions stemming from human activity and a third from the energy sector. Traditionally, methane leak detection has been manual, slow, and focused on immediate safety risks, often overlooking smaller but environmentally impactful leaks. atmio aims to change this with a comprehensive system for effortless detection, logging, and repair of methane leaks, ensuring precise and regular reporting 🌿 #venturecapital #sustainability #climatetech

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A milestone worth celebrating! Five years ago, our Index Ventures team launched #NotOptional alongside more than 500 CEOs and founders to improve stock options and conditions for employee ownership at European startups. A lot has changed since we started in 2019: The most celebrated win so far goes to Germany 🇩🇪, one of the biggest economies in the world that used to have one of the worst stock options policy in Europe. Last year, the German Parliament voted to turn their failing policy into one of the best in the world. 10 other countries also updated their stock options legislation: the UK 🇬🇧, Portugal 🇵🇹, France 🇫🇷, Austria 🇦🇹, Czechia 🇨🇿, Spain 🇪🇸, Latvia 🇱🇻, Lithuania 🇱🇹, Greece 🇬🇷, and the Netherlands 🇳🇱. 7 countries now have policies that match or exceed the US: Germany, France, Portugal, the UK, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Only one, Estonia 🇪🇪, already had a policy better than the US in 2019. That includes Europe’s three largest economies and the largest VC hubs. There’s still a long way to go for some countries. Finland 🇫🇮, Switzerland 🇨🇭 and Norway 🇳🇴 have the worst policies, followed by the Netherlands (even with updated legislation already), Belgium 🇧🇪 and Denmark 🇩🇰. These are countries with strong tech credentials where the tech innovation flywheel is being hampered. With the help of European entrepreneurs everywhere, we will keep pushing until every single European country’s options policy is at least as attractive as the US! There is no reason why they can’t be. We are also working on taking it to the next level: standardization at the EU level through a single corporate entity. The “EU Inc.” initiative launched earlier this month and builds on the success of #NotOptional at Andreas Klinger European Accelerationism. Thankfully, the challenges European startups face are more in the spotlight than ever because of Mario Draghi’s report to the European Commission in September, which emphasized that innovative startups should have the opportunity to adopt a new EU-wide legal statute. Already, the European Commission has established a Stock Options Working Group, the European Securities and Markets Authority has urged the Commission to consider a dedicated EU-wide framework for ESOPs, and commission president Ursula von der Leyen appointed the first-ever commissioner for startups. Every improvement makes it easier for startups to attract and retain talent and makes it more likely that the next tech giant will come out of Europe. To everyone involved in this fight, congratulations on five years of progress. Now let’s keep going!

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"Investing in top VC funds is like getting into Berghain." 🚀 Key Takeaways from the 2024 VC Report for DACH 👇 ✅Germany saw $6.9 billion VC funding in 2023, led by sectors like #robotics and #climate tech. ✅Despite a global downturn, the #DACH region VC market remained resilient. ✅#Cleantech and #AI received significant attention, notably through major funding rounds like Atlas Agro and Aleph Alpha. ✅IPOs may re-emerge in 2024, offering potential exits. The report provides detailed insights and trends for navigating Germany in 2024 successfully. 📈 🌐 For a deeper dive into these insights check out the full Report by Startup Insider: https://lnkd.in/gE-EgjFv #Tech #Investment #VC #Startup #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Germany #Austria #Switzerland #StartupInsider sparksense

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🚨 Red Alert for Germany’s Startup Ecosystem: A 30% Drop in Active Investors – How Can We Keep the Innovation Engine Running? A recent article from Handelsblatt (link in comments) points out that early-stage startups are especially at risk during this downturn since they depend on venture capital to scale. The expanding funding gap will further stifle growth in areas where innovation is most needed. Yet, within this challenge lies opportunity: 🌱 Resilient Sectors Lead the Way Sectors like #GreenTech and #AI are still drawing investment, showing their potential to drive innovation. These industries highlight where Germany can have the most significant impact. 🏠 Family Offices as Growth Catalysts As traditional investors pull back, family offices can step up. By leveraging patient capital, they can empower promising startups and lay the foundation for long-term success. 🤝 Venture Clienting as a Key to Co-Innovation Strategic partnerships between startups and established businesses bridge the funding gap. These alliances not only drive digital transformation but also deliver mutual value and foster innovation. At D11Z. Ventures, we believe Germany’s competitive edge depends on collaboration. That's why we invest in high-potential startups and create co-innovation opportunities with family offices and industry leaders. Together, we're fostering an ecosystem that drives innovation and supports long-term growth. 🚀 💬 How can family offices and industry leaders support the next wave of startup innovation? Share your ideas below! #D11ZVentures #Innovation #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #InnovationLeadership #FamilyOffices #CoInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence

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📰 My Cofounder is featured in two leading newspapers this morning!👏👏 My cofounder at Footprint Technologies, Carolin Kleinert, gave two interviews for #Sueddeutsche and #Tagesspiegel about a recent study of Startup-Verband that investigated the socio demographic background of #startup founders. It clearly proofs founders typically are originating from families with academic backgrounds or from parents who are entrepreneurs themselves. The majority - but not all of them. Carolin is a great example of this minority who also made it without academic parents or without entrepreneurial role-models within their core families. I am sharing a similar family background, both of my parents do neither have an academic education, nor are they entrepreneurs themselves. It is possible, but it needs more visibility and sharing of such positive examples, so that more and more #Arbeiterkinder are considering becoming entrepreneurs as a career option. This would be a benefit for themselves as well as for our society and economy! For that reason I am celebrating the two articles about Carolin's personal story! 😍 👏 👉 Please check the articles and share them! 🙏

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