Sebastian Schaefer

Start-ups in Europe: a light at the end of the tunnel - finally!    This article by Nadine Schimroszik in Handelsblatt gives reason for hope for the tech ecosystem, as it summarises a development that has been tentatively emerging for some time: The number of new #start-ups in Germany is growing again, by 17 per cent, as shown by a comparison of the first quarter of 2024 with the same quarter of the previous year.   💡It is particularly interesting to see that most investments are being made in AI. An unmistakable sign that they continue to be a driver of innovation for the German startup ecosystem.   We recently came to a similar conclusion with my team, as part of our analysis of the German startup landscape. Our conclusion: more and more funding are being mobilised for ♻️ #Greentech business ideas that are based on AI-based technologies and have a positive impact on our planet. More info on our research at IRIS can be found in Startup Insider`s Investors Report 2024: https://lnkd.in/dU-5AMPz More info on Nadine’s insightful article here: https://lnkd.in/depicwGA

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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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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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Three biggest learnings from a fundraising journey. Shared by Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital at EUVC 1/ Have a time box with a deadline attached. Have a defined horizon & create a clear plan. Have some urgency to get things done at some point. Execute very transparently and reliably. 2/ Stick to your narrative. But don't do it blindly. Tweak it when necessary. Adapt it. Don't let yourself be surprised by major changes. Keep focusing on delivering according to your strategy & plan. 3/ Fundraising is a marathon with many sprints. There are moments when you'll ask yourself - Why do I do this? Is it gonna work out? But don't get too negative during the down phases. Adapting and pivoting is part of our job. As it is for the founder of a company. How about you? What fundraising lessons have you learned? Join the conversation. 🔽 #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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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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Last week, WEPA Ventures partnered with WEPA Stiftung and WHU Institut für Familienunternehmen und Mittelstand for a unique gathering. We invited a selected group of family entrepreneurs, family officers, founders, VCs, and business angels to our office in Düsseldorf to discuss startup investments by family businesses and family offices. With every participant bringing valuable practical experience, the atmosphere was highly engaging and trustful. Alongside keynotes and panel discussions, we had lively debates that covered a wide range of topics. Here are my three key takeaways: 💡 Multiple Approaches to Investing: Most participants shared more than one approach to startup investments that is currently actively pursued by their organization. While there is certainly a bias due to the preselection of attendees, this signals a growing maturity of VC investments by family businesses and family offices in Germany. Notably, around 50% of participants manage more than 10 investments in their current role, which underlines this perspective. 💡Direct Involvement of Entrepreneurial Families: The discussions reaffirmed the critical role of direct family involvement. Ideally, entrepreneurial families are crafting investment setups that are attractive to both founders and VC co-investors, while maintaining the trust of their family peers or core organizations. Combining execution speed with the value brought by industrial networks or core business capabilities is key to being a valued investor in the early-stage VC ecosystem. 💡Feedback on Keynote about my PhD Research: The initial findings from my PhD research received positive feedback from other practitioners. You might say, "Didn’t you interview them in the first place?" True, but stepping away from interviewer role allowed me to share what I had derived from the research, and it was rewarding to hear that the abstraction and models resonated well. To everyone who participated and supported—you know who you are—thank you so much for the insightful discussions and your valuable input! We’ll continue to foster these exchanges. I’m also more than eager to hear more perspectives on this topic. If you’re interested in a chat, please feel free to reach out!

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Always asked myself, if I can be happy …always? As an entrepreneur you are in the natural habit of optimizing all aspects of a project so why don’t optimize your life? After many years of learning about what makes us happy, I think it is only a transient state. But maybe we can feel even better … when we are in Flow! Flow is the state of consciousness in which we forget space and time, are maximally happy, motivated and efficient. In this state, we feel our best and achieve the most. What do we need to achieve this flow? Why is it so important for founders and managers? I talk about this in the podcast with editor Elena Todeva Listen in and share your best flow moments. #flow #flowmoment #success #performance #motivation #alignment #leadership #newwork #startup #vc #entrepreneurship

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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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We are thrilled to publish the WHU Founder Report Q2 2024! This is the eighth edition of the Founder Report, giving an overview of all WHU start-ups that secured a funding round from April to June. One of the highlights of this report is an in-depth interview with Julia Kost, WHU alumna and co-founder of Via Physio, where she shares how they are revolutionizing physiotherapy in Germany. Additionally, we feature Sebastian Seifert, who founded viafintech immediately after completing his bachelor's degree at WHU. He discusses his journey from building a payment system to scaling his business into an international success. Explore these exclusive interviews and much more in this edition of the WHU Founder Report! The report is a collaboration between the WHU Entrepreneurship Center and confluentes e. V. – The student's consultancy at WHU. The WHU Entrepreneurship Center, which is kindly supported by In Praxi - WHU Alumni Association, provided the underlying data of this report. confluentes e.V. was responsible for creating the layout and curating the content. Together, we show the activeness of the WHU start-up ecosystem. Stay tuned for more insights, and enjoy reading! 💙 🦉 Thank you to everyone who participated in the creation of this report! Jan Henrik Leisse, Max Renneberg, Luis Felipe Carvalho, David Budde, Dr. Tim Breker, Caesar van Heyningen, Dr. Anna Hocker, Miriam Mertens, Arne Wolfewicz, Roman Steigertahl, Maximilian Eckel, Dries Faems, Jonathan Fischer, Ben Litzinger, Charlotte Kopp, Olga Bartels, Johannes L. Niemöller, Mats K., Moritz Habetha, Luis Brune, Leonard Wölk, Julius de Gruyter, Daniel Kourie #WHUFounderReport #confluentes #entrepreneurship #mywhu

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Currently preparing our trend report for corporate partners and alumni startups and found a very interesting, really remarkable statistic from BVK Bundesverband Beteiligungskapital. According to this, 80% of the funds raised in the (German) #venturecapital and #privateequity industry in 2023 came from the public sector (e.g. European Investment Fund (EIF), KfW Capital , Sächsische Aufbaubank - Förderbank - or NRW.BANK etc.). Remarkable in an industry that sees itself at the core of capitalism and the free market economy. So I took a closer look: - the investment volume of the public sector was even >20% down from 2022 and on the level of previous years - so it was no intented takeover by the public sector 😉 and not a result of overarching political initiatives - the true reason (at least according to BVK) is that corporates invested only 1% of the year before. Considering the current pessimism, often bad statistical economic data and uncertainty of markets, this seams very reasonable. It shows that an economic downturn has substantial, not obvious side-effects only visibile in long-term - also Family Offices, banks and institutional fund of funds invested significantly less than in the last 7 years - what is threatening as well is that neither insurances nor pension funds are even visible investors according to this statistics. Although these both would be the highest leverage for the whole PE/VC industry and although politicians want to give them more incentives for years now. Actually, I hope there is also some effect that not all data for 2023 is available yet and there will be some more positive updates in that charts. Attila Dahmann would you expect any changes ? Source: https://lnkd.in/gWT3S9JF

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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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Next week, it’s time once again for our Investor Committee Meeting #14 🚀 ______ At COREangels Big Data & AI Europe, we actively scout the best European startups, providing our investors access to top-tier opportunities. Five to six times a year, we present three standout startups at our Investment Committee Meetings, where we recently discovered, for example, Horizon. Horizon is an innovative marketing-tech startup that empowers clients by predicting market success with painted door tests for innovation, product and consumer insight teams tackling the problem of not knowing enough about what customers want and if they really will purchase. Founded in 2021, they’re on a mission to become a leader in their field by providing accurate purchase-intent data from real consumers in a highly automated way. We’re proud to count ourselves among their investors now and can’t wait to explore more promising opportunities at next week’s meeting. ______ If you’re a qualified investor, some seats are left for joining our exclusive network and gaining access to Europe’s top AI and Big Data startups. For more details, reach out to me directly. The angel ticket for the portfolio starts at 75,000 CHF. Want to participate as a guest and potential investor next Wednesday, November 20, at 18:30 CET in Zurich or online? Please send me a PM by Monday evening, November 18. COREangels Big Data & AI Europe COREangels Daniel Putsche Pascal Stämpfli, CFA Samira Courti Sebastian Heinz Daniel Parisi Lutz Nagy Carsten Schäfer Jochen (Josh) Eckert Stephan Rathgeber Florian Haberler Sara Feiz Henry Piney Jakob Kaiser Jana Myers Sophia Burns Hanno Hartmann

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🔎 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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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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👏 Get yourself a CFO ASAP, it will solve a lot of your e-commerce problems👏 🙌 We introduce Matthias Walter Eser is CEO of ESER CAPITAL Vermögensverwaltung GmbH, based in Munich. He and his team support 7- and 8-figure growth companies in all financial challenges and, as part of CFO as a Service, support ambitious growth companies in the economic realization of their goals. From the nuanced strategies of investment banking to the successful completion of an exit - your success in the world of corporate finance is our top priority. Your goal is our mission: together we will guide you through every phase and ensure that your financial transactions are not only successful, but also seamless and efficient. This episode is a must-watch if you want to learn about taxation for e-commerce, expanding to new markets, finding a good CFO and the ever-changing buyer behavior.👀 Curious to learn more about their entrepreneurial insights? Tune in to our latest episode, available on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Google Podcasts! 🎧

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How to measure success in restructuring key business units, functions or transformations? By Thomas Kessler Managing Partner at Integration Success GmbH and Atlantic M&A Partners | Pioneer in AI and M&A Integrations | I was recently pinged by Sofoklis Yiannacou, FCCA with a very interesting question following one of my posts: "How do you measure restructuring of key business units or functions or transformation?" My answer: Measuring the restructuring or transformation of key business units or functions requires a comprehensive approach that combines quantitative and qualitative metrics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: + Financial metrics (e.g., revenue growth, cost positions), + Operational efficiency measures (e.g., productivity rates, process efficiency and technological, service, and product differentiators), + Customer-related metrics (e.g., satisfaction scores, retention rates) provide a quantitative foundation. These are complemented by project-specific KPIs that track milestones, budget adherence, and timeline compliance. A perfect tool to drive performance in transformation is the GE 9Box Matrix. Maybe long forgotten and yet still tremendously powerful to drive success in transformations. My answer also has to highlight - the importance of the human-centric aspects - of restructuring! This involves explaining the changed purpose and ensuring people buy-in to the picture painted for the joint future. The success of your new strategic direction can be measured by tracking employee metrics like engagement scores, turnover rates, and time-to-hire for new positions. Additionally, qualitative assessments through surveys and interviews can gauge employee sentiment, cultural alignment, and adoption of new processes or technologies. Leadership effectiveness in guiding the transformation, fostering open communication, and addressing employee concerns is another vital human-centric factor to evaluate. Leadership effectiveness is also achieved if the leadership team is fully aware of its strengths, motives and desires. The use of psychometric tools like motivationfinder.com, and https://lnkd.in/giRU__bs have been tremendously helpful for my clients when used in transformation projects. By balancing hard metrics with these human-centric approaches, measuring the success of organizations is one approach that has proven to be massively helpful in the restructuring or transformation process. They help to measure, progress and adjust the course taken all while making informed decisions and adjustments to ensure success. What is your point of view on measuring success in restructuring key business units, functions or transformations?

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🚀 Meet me at HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds #FamilyDay in Berlin next week! 🚀 Looking forward to meet exciting startups and fellow investors! Join me and let's talk #logtech! #FD24 #networking

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Gründer: Zahl der Start-up-Insolvenzen steigt auf Rekordhoch https://buff.ly/3Y8hwa8 The number of start-up insolvencies has reached a record high, indicating a challenging environment for new businesses. Factors contributing to this trend could include economic instability, lack of funding, or insufficient market demand. It's crucial for entrepreneurs to carefully plan and manage their finances to navigate these risks successfully. According to recent reports, the rise in start-up insolvencies underscores the importance of resilience and adaptability in the business world. #startups #insolvencies

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The venture capital industry is experiencing a comeback: Over 500 funding rounds of two million dollars or more were closed by European startups in the first quarter of 2024, according to Dealroom. This represents an increase from 24 percent (Q4, 2021) to 43 percent (Q1, 2024) in Series A funding rounds. The crucial question is, how do founders manage to quickly move from the seed phase to Series A in today’s highly competitive landscape? The essential tools for this can now be found in a new book, titled “Series A Blueprint: A Guide for Seed-Stage Founders“ written by my amazing colleagues from XAnge in collaboration with HV Capital, Carta Zendesk, Amazon Web Services (AWS), torq.partners and featuring tips from dozens of experienced founders. https://lnkd.in/dzx622hB

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