This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Automate your startup’s security and compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more.

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.

🚀 This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Automate your SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR compliance in weeks, not months. Learn more at vanta.com/startupradio

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

🚀 This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Automate your security and compliance — and save $1,000 when you sign up at vanta.com/startupradio.

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?

Follow Startuprad.io, subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!

Give us feedback: https://forms.gle/SrcGUpycu26fvMFE9

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.

👉 Vanta automates security and compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more), helping you stay audit-ready with less stress and zero spreadsheets.

📌 Full Show Notes + Transcript + Links:

🎧 Subscribe to Startuprad.io wherever you get your podcasts

💬 Leave a review or share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

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

Sponsor Section

👉 Vanta automates security and compliance, save 1.000 US$ with us by signing up with this link: vanta.com/startupradio

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.

👉 Vanta automates security and compliance, save 1.000 US$ with us by signing up with this link: vanta.com/startupradio 

🤯 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 

Introducing Latanya Sweeney on AI, trust, and privacy from Possible.

Follow the show: Possible

How does the rise of AI impact our sense of what’s true? How can humans maintain a degree of individual privacy and unlock the benefits of AI while mitigating potential harms? In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with data privacy pioneer Latanya Sweeney, Professor of Government and Technology at Harvard; former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; and founder of Harvard’s Public Interest Tech Lab and Data Privacy Lab. They discuss the future of privacy protection, technocracy vs. democracy, teaching in the age of AI, governance, content moderation, and more. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  

Topics:

0:55 - Episode introduction

3:05 - Lessons from Latanya's grandparents

4:30 - Latanya's early days at MIT

5:38 - Re-identification and Governor William Weld example

10:50 - Historical arc of AI

12:24 - The Third Industrial Revolution

15:11 - Technocracy vs. democracy 

18:38 - Making technological literacy a federal priority

21:03 - Divisiveness in AI 

26:20 - Exploring humanity's "cultural dream" of AI

27:17 - Midroll ad break

27:49 - What will it take to build trust in AI at scale?

31:11 - Inflection's Pi lists key elements for a tech-conscious social contract

32:04 - Latanya responds to Pi and talks LLM truth-telling

34:20 - The best of public interest technology

37:02 - Improving content moderation

43:24 - Democratizing public interest technology

44:24 - Feedback and improvements for LinkedIn

47:53 - What does AI mean for education?

49:35 - Insights from Latanya's Harvard students

51:08 - Rapid-fire questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

🚀 Tune in to Startuprad.io for an exclusive look into the dynamic world of German, Austrian, and Swiss startups! 🚀

This episode is jam-packed with the latest news and insights from the DACH startup ecosystem. We'll explore the hottest trends, major acquisitions, and exciting funding rounds that are shaping the future of innovation in the region.

Our Sponsor Vanta

Here's what you'll discover:

🔥 Acquisition Frenzy:

• Creative Dock Group acquires NFrontier: We'll break down Creative Dock Group's strategic acquisition of NFrontier, a Berlin-based hardware innovation company, and discuss how this move is bolstering their hardware development expertise.

💰 Funding Fireworks:

• Klukotopia Secures Multimillion-Dollar Funding: We'll explore how Berlin-based life science company Klukotopia is revolutionizing diabetes management with its innovative solutions, thanks to a significant funding round.

🚀 Industry Trends:

• Life Science is Booming: We'll analyze the factors driving the growth of life science startups in Austria and highlight some of the most promising companies in this sector.

This episode is perfect for:

• Aspiring entrepreneurs seeking inspiration and guidance.

Don't miss out on this exciting episode! Hit that play button and subscribe to Startuprad.io for more insights into the world of startups.

uivM8GSkHAlzpD34z7M4

Introducing Greg Beato on superagency, AI, and the cognitive industrial revolution from Possible.

Follow the show: Possible

In an age of increasingly ubiquitous AI, how do we maintain control of our lives and successfully plot our own destinies? In this episode, Reid is in the hotseat alongside writer Greg Beato, discussing this and more in the context of their new book, Superagency. Greg is a seasoned journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, The Washington Post, Reason, Spin, and Slate, to name a few. He and Reid delve into what could possibly go right with our AI future; the cognitive industrial revolution; and the difference between AI Doomers, Gloomers, Zoomers, and Bloomers. Plus, Reid’s AI avatar makes a cameo to join for a few rounds of the game “Overrated/Underrated.” 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

For more on Superagency, check out superagency.ai. 

Topics:

2:04 - Overrated/Underrated Round I

5:02 - Why Reid chose Greg as his co-author

6:01 - Why Greg wanted to write this book

8:19 - Why Reid chose this book topic at this particular time

11:21 - How the rise of AI is similar to the rise of social media

16:36 - Agency, superagency, and AI

19:59 - Overrated/Underrated Round II

23:28 - Defining AI Doomers, Gloomers, Zoomers, and Bloomers

28:46 - How AI amplifies agency

32:16 - How ChatGPT shifted people’s relationship with AI

37:21 - Choosing AI vs. AI being baked into technologies 

39:28 - Speed and scale in the current AI moment

44:37 - How innovation and safety can coexist

48:49 - Rapid-fire Questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].