#StartupsToWatch
The large, multi-million dollar startup world is home to many up-and-coming (young) companies that deserve much more attention. These include emerging startups such as ClearOps, Elephant and LawX.
In the past few weeks, a number of startups, scaleups and grownups have again collected double-digit or even triple-digit million sums. At the same time, many younger companies are also managing to raise their first mid-seven-figure sums.
Unfortunately, this often goes unnoticed because the grownups, soonicorns and unicorns attract all the media attention. Time to change this, because the companies that are moving forward are, in the best case scenario, the scaleups and grownups of tomorrow. And you should know them!
7 aspiring (young) startups
ClearOps
ClearOps from Munich, founded in 2020 by William Barkawi, positions itself as an “AI platform for industrial service and spare parts processes”. In this way, the company enables, among other things, “intelligent spare parts planning, predictive service processes and real-time coordination across global service networks”. More about ClearOps
Clera
The German-American startup Clera (San Francisco, Berlin), founded in 2025 by Alexander Farr, Sebastian Scott and Daniel Wintermeyer, places applicants directly with companies. “Instead of applying through ATS systems, candidates receive a selection of highly relevant, warm contacts. There is no active sourcing on the company side,” says the concept. More about Clera
Elephant
Elephant Company from Berlin, founded by Maurice Zomorrodi, Niklas Dehio and Melchior Schramm, is developing “an AI-supported platform with which companies can pass on knowledge, processes and training content to operational teams – for example in production, logistics or technical field service”. More about Elephant Company
LawX
The Berlin LegalTech LawX, founded in 2024 by Norman Koschmieder, Sara Brinkmann and Torben Rabe, is developing an AI-supported operating system for legal work. “LawX is addressing a structural crisis in the legal market: increasing demand is met by a shortage of skilled workers and outdated software structures,” says the team. The company currently has 1 million Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). More about LawX
NanoStruct
The Würzburg DeepTech startup NanoStruct, founded by Henriette Maaß, Enno Schatz and Kai Leibfried, develops nanostructured sensor chips for the identification of dangerous germs in food. More about NanoStruct
Pacifico Biolabs
Pacifico Biolabs from Berlin, founded in 2022 by Washington Logrono and Zac Austin, relies on a fermentation process for seafood substitutes. “Specializing in the cultivation of microorganisms, Pacifico Biolabs is at the forefront of developing ‘whole-muscle’ structures as sustainable and nutritious alternatives to traditional fish products,” it says about the concept. More about Pacifico Biolabs
Qurie
The Freiburg startup Qurie, founded in 2026 by Christian Vogel and Kilian Bartholomé as a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, develops “electrocaloric cooling systems that do not require a compressor, no refrigerant and no pressure build-up”. More about Qurie
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