#StartupTicker
+++ #StartupTicker +++ Really good news! Startup boom despite economic downturn +++ AI startup Mercura is profitable after one year +++ Funding landscape: The market appears cautious, but not closed +++ Be sure to note: United Manufacturing Hub +++
What’s up New? In ours #StartupTicker we provide a compact overview of the most important startup news of the day (Friday, January 9th).
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Startups
+++ Times of crisis are definitely founding times! “2025 was a record year for new startups in Germany: a new high was reached with 3,568 newly founded startups – an increase of 29% compared to 2024 and even more than in the previous record year of 2021” – this is shown by the new report “Next Generation – New startups in Germany”, which was published by the Startup Association and startupdetector. Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony in particular ensure a particular dynamic for new start-ups. “Munich is clearly in first place when it comes to start-ups per capita – in previous years the differences in the top group were significantly smaller than in 2025,” says the report. But “research-related locations” such as Aachen, Potsdam and Heidelberg are also still doing well. By far the most new start-ups are in the software segment, followed by medicine and food. Food in particular is surprising. The segment has recently been more noticeable due to bankruptcies. But the number of bankruptcies also fell in 2025. At the end of the day, the important finding remains: the general mood in the German startup scene is still much worse than the actual figures show. (Next Generation, PDF) More about Next Generation
Mercura
+++ Worth reading! “Mercura AI is just a year old, but already has over 50 customers, sales of over two million dollars and is profitable” – reports Handelsblatt. A pretty rapid climb! The Munich startup, founded in 2024 by Lukas Bock, Stefan Zheng and Sean Sdahl, is developing an “AI-based operating system for manufacturers and specialist wholesalers in industries such as building materials, electrical engineering and building technology (HVAC)”. The American investor TQ Ventures, SignalFire, Y Combinator as well as business angels such as Bastian Nominacher, Tao Tao and Lukas Deutsch are investing $2.1 million in Mercura. (Handesblatt) More about Mercura
Funding landscape
+++ Conversations between startups and investors show that the market appears cautious, but not closed. Capital could flow selectively in 2026 – in an ecosystem where technology, application and industry are connected. More in the guest article by Kolja Heskamp
United Manufacturing Hub
+++ “Industrial AI can only be scaled if factories have a reliable, universal database,” says Andreas Winter-Extra, partner at KOMPAS VC. That’s why the Danish investor has now invested in the Cologne startup United Manufacturing Hub (UMH). More about UMH
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