#StartupTicker
+++ #StartupTicker +++ AI startup Parloa is now valued at 3 billion +++ Fitness unicorn EGYM slips under the umbrella of Playlist +++ Streaming startup Idagio is saved +++ Crypto exchange Bitpanda is pushing its way onto the stock exchange +++ The funding gap to the USA is growing +++
What’s up New? In ours #StartupTicker we provide a compact overview of the most important startup news of the day (Friday, January 16th).
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Parloa
+++ Speed, speed, speed! The Berlin AI unicorn Parloa raises another $350 million. The valuation rises to $3 billion. Durable Capital Partners, Altimeter Capital and General Catalyst as well as EQT Ventures, RPT Capital, Senovo and Mosaic Ventures invested a significant $120 million in the company as recently as May 2025. As part of the investment round, the company was valued at more than $1 billion for the first time and thus achieved the coveted unicorn status. Now, as expected, the next round of investments follows. General Catalyst in particular is getting involved. Parloa, founded in 2017 by Malte Kosub and Stefan Ostwald as Future of Voice, is a “conversational AI platform” that automates customer service. A total of around $570 million has already flowed into the company, which is also financially supported by the two soccer world champions Mario Götze and Bastian Schweinsteiger. With Black Forest Labs (Freiburg), n8n (Berlin), DeepL (Cologne) and Parloa, there are currently four AI startups in this country with unicorn status (valuation: $1 billion or more). Only Black Forest Labs (3.25 billion) is currently valued higher than Parloa. More about Parloa
EGYM – Playlist
+++ Mega merger in the fitness segment! The Munich fitness unicorn EGYM and the American fitness and wellness unicorn Playlist (Mindbody, Booker and ClassPass) are merging. The joint company is valued at $7.5 billion. EGYM was probably valued at 2.5 billion as a result of the merger – see Handelsblatt. The fitness empire will also receive an additional $785 million in capital. EGYM, founded in 2010 by Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer and Florian Sauter, has been digitizing the fitness world for years. One focus now is eGym Wellpass, a “subscription-based health and wellness solutions for companies”. EGYM’s most important competitor is the Berlin company Urban Sports Club (USC), which has been part of the well-being unicorn Wellhub (formerly known as Gympass) since last year. Wellhub put $600 million (cash and shares) on the table for USC. The consolidation in the hyped fitness segment is therefore still in full swing. More about EGYM
Bitpanda
+++ IPO time! The Austrian crypto exchange Bitpanda has been toying with an IPO for a long time. Now there is an exciting update! As Bloomberg reports, the company wants to go public in the first half of 2026 – in Frankfurt am Main. The Viennese company is aiming for a valuation of between 4 and 5 billion euros. (Bloomberg) More about Bitpanda
Idagio
+++ Rescue! The insolvent Berlin music startup Idagio, a “streaming app for classical music,” can continue. “After the insolvency proceedings have been completed, the Berlin music entrepreneur Ki Soo Lee and his business partner Jim Chang from Singapore are taking over the company,” reports nmz. The company, founded in 2015 by Till Janczukowicz and Christoph Lange (both no longer on board), had already cost almost 35 million euros by the end of 2022 (more recent figures are not available). In 2021, the English investor Lansdowne Partners, which is primarily backed by Steven Heinz, took over the majority in Idagio. The streaming service was previously financially supported by Tengelmann Ventures (TEV), btov Partners and Macquarie. In the summer of 2025, the company slipped into insolvency (self-administration). (nmz) More about Idagio
Funding gap
+++ 2025 marked a clear shift towards AI and defense tech. Why capital flows more selectively, the funding gap with the USA is growing and 2026 is likely to bring more exit pressure. More guest article from Julian Riedlbauer (Drake Star)
Cologne
+++ The Cologne startup ecosystem was once again at its best in 2025. Numerous new startups have emerged in Cologne again. In addition, a number of young and aspiring companies were able to raise millions. More at StartupsToWatch
What else happened recently? That’s always in the #StartupTicker
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