What happens when Germany creates its second decacorn and the EU drops €10B to scale startups? This month’s news episode breaks it all down — from funding explosions in deep tech to the future of biotech, fintech innovation, and defense AI. The DACH startup scene has never been this hot.

What You'll Learn

• Why Helsing dethroned Celonis to become Germany’s top-valued startup

Startup Scene Pulse

We highlight the rise of Swiss innovation, Austrian startups, and eco innovation models across the region. Explore how corporate growth meets AI-driven defense tech, how digital transformation strategy shapes cloud infrastructure, and what growth investing looks like in 2025.

If you're a founder aiming for vision planning, an investor tracking vc investment trends, or just love hearing execution stories from unicorn builders, this episode is your new go-to.

Now it is up to you!

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This episode is perfect for listeners searching phrases like:

• “Best startup podcast 2025”

Startups in the DACH region are heating up — from AI unicorns to VC mega-funds. In this monthly startup news roundup, we unpack the most important trends in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland’s tech ecosystem.

Learn how Parloa became Germany’s second unicorn of the year, how Quantum Systems secured €160M to dominate aerial AI, and how the EIB’s €70B initiative is reshaping venture capital in Europe. We also dive into Lyft’s FreeNow acquisition, biotech patent wars, the MiCA crypto license, and regulatory risks like the EU Data Act.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• What Parloa’s unicorn status reveals about AI-native SaaS

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🔗 Dive Deeper and Be Ahead Of The Curve!

• DACH Startup Ecosystem 2025: The Ultimate Hub
  

Why do Europe’s startups scale slower than their U.S. counterparts? In this raw, revealing episode, Andy Goldstein uncovers what’s really holding back the European venture capital scene—and what we can do about it.

• How investor education can radically improve VC decision-making

Andy Goldstein, Managing Director Europe at VU Venture Partners and Co-Founder of the German Accelerator, is a serial entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and innovation catalyst. With decades of experience across the U.S. and Europe, he’s reshaping how VCs invest—and how startups scale.

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Guest Name: Andy Goldstein, Managing Director Europe, VU Venture Partners

Relevant Resources:

• VU Venture Partners

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Introduction to Andy’s journey from IBM to VC

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What does it really take for a green tech startup to secure venture funding in 2025? In this episode, we uncover what makes VCs say yes—and what founders consistently get wrong.

• How DACH green tech startups are redefining sustainability with scalable business models

Wolfgang Krause, Managing Partner at Hi Inov, shares exclusive insights from the 2025 Green Tech Software Mapping. He’s an expert in climate tech investment strategy, known for identifying scalable software ventures with deep vertical focus and strong ESG execution.

With regulatory pressure mounting and climate urgency at an all-time high, Wolfgang explains why economic viability beats greenwashing—and how real innovation means operationalizing sustainability across value chains.

Love what you’re hearing? Follow Startuprad.io, subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review. Sharing is scaling—help founders, VCs, and executives learn from this deep dive into the future of green tech.

Guest Name: Wolfgang Krause, Managing Partner at Hi Inov

Relevant Resources:

• Hi Inov Website – https://www.hiinov.com/

In April 2025, DACH startups raised over €1.3 billion—while one of Europe’s top fintechs spiraled into crisis. This isn’t just another news roundup. This is your investor-grade, startup-founder-relevant, executive-level briefing from the DACH region’s leading podcast.

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What You'll Learn:

• The real story behind Trade Republic’s outages and financial trust issues

Guest Spotlight:

We Love to Hear from You:

Host: Jörn Menninger, Editor-in-Chief at Startuprad.io

• Amboss Funding: Silicon Canals

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro + Sponsor

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Did Germany just promise an innovation revolution — while forgetting its startups? In today’s episode, we break down the 2025 SPD-CDU Coalition Agreement and its real implications for founders, investors, and the startup ecosystem.

• Why startups, venture capital, and growth companies are almost invisible in Germany’s national agenda

Hosted by Joe Menninger, founder of Startuprad.io — one of Europe’s Top 3 startup podcasts and a trusted voice for tech founders and venture capitalists in DACH.

Joe unpacks critical policies, realistic outcomes, and strategic advice for anyone navigating Germany’s innovation economy.

Are you scaling a startup, funding innovation, or betting on Europe's tech future?

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Share this episode with founders, investors, and policymakers who need to hear the unfiltered reality.

Host: Joe Menninger, Founder of Startuprad.io

Blog Post:

Relevant Resources:

• Blog Post: Germany Startup Policy 2025: Strategies for Founders & Investors

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Welcome & Context

Are you a founder, investor, scaleup exec, or tech enthusiast looking to decode Europe's billion-euro startup engines? You’ve landed in the right place. Startuprad.io brings you the ultimate Unicorn Tracker for Spring 2025, offering you front-row insight into the most dynamic startups and scaleups across the DACH region—Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

🎯 Prefer the full analysis, data, and links? Dive deeper here:

⏱️ [00:02:20] What is DACH?

⏱️ [00:03:30] Quantum Systems & New Unicorns

⏱️ [00:04:20] Logistics Titans: Forto & Sennder

⏱️ [00:05:53] Mobility Mavericks: Flix, Tier, Volocopter

⏱️ [00:06:40] AI & Defense Tech: Agile Robots & Helsing

⏱️ [00:07:30] Consumer Tech Giants: Check24 & AutoDoc

⏱️ [00:09:10] Biotech’s Highs & Heartbreaks

⏱️ [00:10:10] Climate Tech’s Gold Rush

⏱️ [00:12:30] Fintech & Insurtech Battles

⏱️ [00:14:00] SaaS & Enterprise Software

⏱️ [00:24:55] The Unicorn Graveyard

This is your unfair advantage in understanding how the DACH region creates, scales, and sometimes loses billion-dollar startups. Whether you're:

• 🚀 A founder looking for inspiration

...you’ll walk away with actionable insights, real stories, and trend-defining strategies.

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📌 Full Show Notes + Transcript + Links:

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Discover how AI is transforming the financial services industry!

• The AI-Powered Bank: From chatbot to C-suite—how AI is redefining customer service, credit, and even organizational structure.

👉 Download the banking and fintech strategy 2025 cheat sheet here: https://docsend.com/view/qywh6bwwuapnjkre

🎙️ Guest: Paolo Sironi — Fintech author, IBM researcher, and host of The Banker's Bookshelf

💬 Key Quotes

• “Every banker must be an AI risk manager.” – Paolo Sironi

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro

🤝 Sponsor

📢 Call to Action

• ✅ Subscribe to Startuprad.io so you never miss insights from global fintech leaders.

🧭 Also Check Out

• 🎙️ Fintech Review 2024: Navigating Trends and Innovations in Startups

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Introduction

Dive into the DACH region's startup scene! This episode covers the latest trends in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, recorded with Chris Fahrenbach in New York City.

Key Highlights

• Fintech Evolution: Coorsair's IDNow acquisition (€300M) and the stablecoin surge to $226B highlight fintech's dynamism.

Fintech: A Sector in Motion

Fintech sees Coorsair's IDNow acquisition and stablecoin growth. The ECB's digital Euro plans are also significant.

Venture Capital: Navigating the Landscape

Toma Bravo's fund shows investor confidence, but "zombie VC" and insolvencies pose challenges.

AI and Technology: Innovation

Germany's AI research faces implementation hurdles. Volocopter and BioMed demonstrate other tech advancements.

Startup Ecosystem: Challenges and Successes

Funding for companies like Tectile contrasts with layoffs and insolvencies. Acquisitions continue.

Regional Highlights

• Germany: Strong AI research, but application lags.

Conclusion

The DACH startup scene is dynamic, with innovation and challenges across sectors.

Call to Action

Subscribe to our podcast for DACH startup updates! Share your thoughts below.

The music used in our intro is "MF-297 : First Hero" licensed from Musicfox.com: https://www.musicfox.com/detailsuche/?searchtext=297&submit=search

All rights reserved - Startuprad.io™

🚀 Big news from the DACH startup world! Finn raises €1B for car subscriptions, Cherry Ventures launches a €500M AI fund, but Lilium faces insolvency.

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🤯 Finn raises €1 BILLION for car subscriptions! But is it all good news? Lilium crashes back to earth with its second insolvency.  

We unpack the hottest DACH startup stories:

• VC gold rush: Cherry Ventures' new €500M AI fund

🚀 Don't get left behind! Subscribe now for your weekly dose of DACH startup action.

The music used in our intro is "MF-297 : First Hero" licensed from Musicfox.com: https://www.musicfox.com/detailsuche/?searchtext=297&submit=search