+++ Ona +++ OpenAI +++ ClimateTech +++ 20VC +++ Vsquared Ventures +++ Logicc +++

What’s up New? In ours #StartupTicker we provide a compact overview of the most important startup news of the day (Friday June 12th).

#STARTUPLAND

STARTUPLAND: Founders. VCs. Visionaries

+++ Our fourth STARTUPLAND Conference will take place on March 10, 2027 at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. A fascinating journey into the startup scene awaits you again – with lectures from successful founders, educational interviews and pitches that inspire. More about STARTUPLAND

#STARTUPTICKER

Ona
+++ Mega exit in Kiel? The American ChatGPT developer OpenAI snaps up the Kiel-based AI company Ona, formerly known as Gitpod. The purchase price is not yet known. According to Gründerszene, it is one of the largest German startup exits in recent years. As part of the acquisition, the entire Ona team will move to OpenAI and strengthen the company’s Codex team. According to the company, more than 5 million people now use the Codex AI platform every week. With Ona, founded in 2020 by Sven Efftinge, Moritz Eysholdt and Jan Köhnlein, developers can implement their projects quickly. The startup offers its users a ready-to-use development environment in the browser – at the push of a button. Investors such as General Catalyst, Speedinvest, Crane Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures US, MongoDB Ventures and Shopify founder Tobi Lütke have invested around 30 million euros in the company in recent years. Things are currently going particularly well in the AI ​​segment for the Viennese early-stage investor Speedinvest: After the sale of Emmi AI to Mistral AI, the next high-profile exit is now coming with Ona. Speedinvest once again demonstrates a good instinct for young AI companies. What is notable about the Ona takeover is that OpenAI is not relying on another AI application company, but rather is specifically purchasing infrastructure for developers. (founder scene) More about Ona

ClimateTech
+++ New reality in the green segment! After the GreenTech and ClimateTech boom of recent years, the market is beginning to reorganize itself. Last took over Carbonfact the Berlin ClimateTech Vaayu, Planted merged with Code Gaiathe American energy software provider Stem swallowed the Viennese ClimateTech Raicoon and the English sustainability company Diginex Berlin-based ClimateTech took over Plan A. At the same time, however, the setbacks are increasing. This is what the Hamburg recycling startup will be like Cirplus liquidated after more than seven years. The Landshut startup Centurionwhich develops software for heating network operators, slipped into bankruptcy in the spring. There is a lot to be said for a new phase in the GreenTech and ClimateTech segment. After years with numerous start-ups, generous financing rounds, several billion-dollar valuations and, above all, a large number of similar solutions, the focus is now on size, sales power and scaling. The GreenTech Monitor 2026 also shows that the environment is changing. There are now 2,903 GreenTech startups in Germany. However, only 312 new companies were created last year. Political uncertainty and a more difficult investment climate are cited as reasons. The golden times for GreenTechs are definitely over for now. More about ClimateTech

20VC
+++ InvestorsToWatch! With 20VC the British podcaster said Harry Stebbings has built up one of the most exciting early-stage investors in Europe over the past few years. The Londoner first became known for his podcast The Twenty Minute VCwhich ultimately gave rise to the venture capital company 20VC. The investor, who now has more than $600 million, invests between $500,000 and $5 million in the seed phase and between $5 and 25 million in the Series A. The financier’s best-known investments include: Remotely, Poolside, Sorare, Lovable, Linktree and Tripledot Studios – all later billion-dollar companies. 20VC is now also active in Germany. The investor’s portfolio includes, among other things allO, Alloy, Buena, Comstruct, Handy, Lio, Peec AI, Slay, Taxdoo, Xentral and ZeKju. The financier has also recently joined in Austria fonio.ai on board. Given the hit rate so far, a look at new 20VC investments should be particularly worthwhile in the future. More about 20VC

Vsquared Ventures
+++ London calling! The Munich DeepTech investor Vsquared Ventures opens a location in London. The financier, founded in 2020 by Benedikt von Schoeler, Thomas Oehl and Amiram Roth-Deblon, is now one of the most important DeepTech investors in Europe. It wasn’t until 2024 that the venture capitalist collected 214 million euros for his second fund. In total, Vsquared now manages around 450 million euros. The investor’s portfolio includes companies such as: Isar Aerospace, Neura Robotics, IQM, Cylib, CustomCells and The Exploration Company. By expanding to London, the investor is responding to the growing importance of future topics such as AI, robotics, quantum computing, space travel and energy. “Ten years ago we still had to explain why DeepTech is important. Today, AI, robotics, quantum computing, energy and semiconductors are at the center of the European economic agenda,” the team shares on Linkedin. By moving to London, Vsquared is building a bridge between German engineering and British growth capital. (Linkedin, Sifted) More about Vsquared Ventures

Logicc
+++ Rapid growth! The Hamburg AI startup Logicc is currently growing at an impressive pace. Founder Emil Woermann reports on Linkedin that the company has now reached $2 million in ARR. It took the team another 6.5 months to get their first million recurring sales, and the second one came in less than two months. In an interview with deutsche-startups, co-founder Jacob Leffers reported in April that Logicc had already acquired around 1,800 customers and was aiming to increase sales tenfold within a year. The startup is developing a platform that gives companies data protection-compliant access to leading AI models. “Regulated companies are tired of the trade-off between cutting-edge AI and compliance,” writes Woermann. The development also fits in with a larger trend: solutions that help companies deal with regulatory requirements are currently experiencing a real boom (Linkedin) More about Logicc

Venture capital
+++ More and more 2014 soccer world champions are investing in startups. While Mario Götze is one of the most active startup investors among Germany’s ex-professionals, others like Lukas Podolski or Julian Draxler are more focused on building their own companies. More in our overview: World champion footballers who invest in startups

Sally
+++ “Sally is an app that gives your clothes a second life,” says founder Paolo Coda. “In the long term, we see the greatest potential in the B2B sector: brands can use Sally as a SaaS solution to offer their customers after-sales services,” the Cologne native continues. More about Sally

#JOBS

Baker Tilly
+++ Our job of the day! Baker Tilly is looking for a Digital Marketing Manager Website, Content & Email Marketing (m/f/d). As Baker Tilly, we are represented in 147 countries with 50,400 experts in the areas of audit & advisory, tax, legal and consulting. In Germany, we are one of the leading partnership-managed consulting companies with 1,740 colleagues spread across 10 locations.