European Startup Pulse – European Startups, VC & Funding

Europe doesn't lack venture capital. It lacks the architecture to move it from innovation to scale. Inside the institutional mechanism behind the European scale-up gap — fund-size math, the Series B cliff, KfW Venture Capital Barometer data, and why the Capital Markets Union is the keystone reform everything else depends on. The third episode of The European Scale-Up Question, Startuprad.io's flag...

Europe's startup ecosystem has largely solved the early-stage problem. Seed funding exists. Series A funding is increasingly available. Startup formation continues to improve across Germany and Europe. The real challenge begins later. In this episode of Startuprad.io, Jörn "Joe" Menninger examines the structural financing constraints that create Europe's scale-up gap and explores why the continent...

EU Inc. is a proposed European startup incorporation framework designed to reduce legal fragmentation across EU member states. According to Nikolaus D. Bayer from Business Angels Deutschland, fragmented legal systems increase investor friction, reduce cross-border capital allocation efficiency, and create operational overhead for founders scaling internationally. Knowledge Hub: https://www.startup...

Why do European startups scale slower than their US counterparts? In this solo Startuprad.io analysis, Jörn Menninger examines the operational infrastructure behind Europe’s scale-up gap: regulatory fragmentation, cross-border legal complexity, GDPR implementation lessons, the 28th Regime proposal, and the hidden friction compounding across European startup expansion. Related episode with Thomas J...

This Startuprad.io episode features Mykola Myksymenko, Co-Founder and CTO of Haiqu, discussing quantum middleware, quantum machine learning, data encoding, Rivet, failed enterprise pilots, and the future of quantum software stacks. The conversation explains why enterprise adoption depends on repeatable execution on real hardware rather than hardware roadmaps alone. Guest Micro-Bio Featuring Mykola...

This episode analyzes the execution bottleneck in enterprise quantum computing. Mykola Myksymenko of Haiqu argues that the missing software stack, not just hardware maturity, determines whether current systems can produce useful outcomes. The conversation focuses on noise, middleware, hybrid workflows, and why early experimentation may matter strategically even before broad production utility exis...

Germany is building a layered innovation system that separates venture formation from ecosystem coordination. In this interview, Thomas Jarzombek outlines how DE Hubs connect startups, SMEs, researchers, and investors, while Startup Factories increase venture creation around universities. The conversation also addresses private-capital discipline, hidden-champion economics, and the role of AI in G...

Europe produces startups, research, and deep-tech companies, yet too few become global technology leaders. This episode examines the structural reasons why: capital allocation, fund depth, late-stage financing weakness, relocation incentives, and policy asymmetry. The question is no longer whether the gap exists, but whether Europe’s system was designed to produce something different. In this epis...

In April 2025, DACH startups raised over €1.3 billion—while one of Europe’s top fintechs spiraled into crisis. This isn’t just another news roundup. This is your investor-grade, startup-founder-relevant, executive-level briefing from the DACH region’s leading podcast. 🚀 This episode is brought to you by Vanta . Automate your SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR compliance in weeks, not months. Learn more a...

🚀 Big news from the DACH startup world! Finn raises €1B for car subscriptions, Cherry Ventures launches a €500M AI fund, but Lilium faces insolvency. 👉 Vanta automates security and compliance, save 1.000 US$ with us by signing up with this link: vanta.com/startupradio   🤯 Finn raises €1 BILLION for car subscriptions! But is it all good news? Lilium crashes back to earth with its second ins...

🚀 Tune in to Startuprad.io for an exclusive look into the dynamic world of German, Austrian, and Swiss startups! 🚀 This episode is jam-packed with the latest news and insights from the DACH startup ecosystem. We'll explore the hottest trends, major acquisitions, and exciting funding rounds that are shaping the future of innovation in the region. Our Sponsor Vanta Make compliance simple—get $1,00...

Lower your Costs of ISO 27.001 and SOC 2 Compliance by up to 85% [with our Partner Vanta] Achieving ISO 27001 or SOC 2 compliance can unlock major growth for your company and build customer trust, but this process can be time-intensive and costly. Vanta automates compliance, getting you audit-ready quickly and saving you up to 85% of associated costs. And Vanta scales with your business, helping y...

Interested in Working with us? Have a look here: https://www.passionfroot.me/startupradio Executive Summary In this episode of Startuprad.io, host Jörn "Joe" Menninger and guest Thomas Kösters of DEEP Ecosystems explore the rise of spinoff companies, mainly from academic institutions. They discuss the significant impact of public investment in high-tech and hardware sectors, the challenges of tech...

Dear Esteemed Listeners, As the holiday season wraps us in its joyful embrace, I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has been a part of our incredible journey here at Startuprad.io. This time of year is not just about the twinkling lights and merry melodies; it's about cherishing connections, celebrating accomplishments, and embracing the spiri...

Executive Summary In this episode of Startuprad.io, host Jörn "Joe" Menninger and guest Thomas Kösters, MD at DEEP Ecosystems, discuss the potential of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as a hidden gem for AI startups. They highlight the region's strong economic leaders and growing AI scene in cities like Warsaw, Bucharest, and Prague. While CEE is not heavily represented in AI startup locations, i...

Executive Summary This is the one-year anniversary episode of our cooperation with DEEP Ecosystems in our Sub-Podcast European Startup Pulse. In this episode of Startuprad.io, host Jörn “Joe” Menninger and guest Thomas Kösters discuss recent developments in the European startup scene. They explore the growing preference of founders to stay in Europe and the prominence of certain European cities, s...

Executive Summary Are you looking to create an innovative startup hub? Learn how Munich became a global center for deep tech and find out what your city can do to create its own thriving ecosystem with UnternehmerTUM in the center. This is part two of a series within our Sub-Podcast European Startup Pulse with DEEP Ecosystems. In part one we saw Odense in Denmark, becoming a global powerhouse in r...

Executive Summary Learn the secrets of how to create an effective startup ecosystem with Thomas' insights from DEEP Ecosystems. Discover what made Odense, Denmark such a successful start-up hub, and find out more in our blog post. This interview is part one of a series of two videos, where we discuss Munich in part two. There is much more to learn in the presentation we link to in our blog. Subscr...

Executive Summary We are back with quarterly cooperation with DEEP Ecosystems research from Munich. Today we talk about a few highlights of their extensive 2022 report. Our current impression is that the VC market could start a new cycle from the lows of Q4 2022. We already see a new uptick in seed investments in Barcelona, London, Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm. Also, London is losing some of its e...

Executive Summary The kfw surveys each quarter around 450 investors for this barometer, so it is one of the broadest and most reliable indicators of the current mood of private market investors in Europe's largest economy. In this episode, we have Dr. Fritzi Köhler-Geib, the chief economist of kfw, as a guest. She introduces us to the barometer that has 3 main components: business climate, (curren...

The Network of European Startup Hubs 101 (Podcast) You have it all wrong. Europe is not full of competing startup hubs. They are increasingly forming a network for startups. The startups start at one knot in the network (frequently a university), move on to an accelerator, and end up in one of Europe's top 12 fundraising hubs to raise funds, sometimes becoming a unicorn. On their way, the startups...

Highlights Startups in Europe raises 28.2 bn US$ in Q1 2022, the 2nd highest quarterly number on record. ⇒ Is this a lagging indicator! Related: CB Insights wrote just a few days ago: https://news.crunchbase.com/news/eu-funding-slows-europe-investment-startups-russia-ukraine/   But the seed funnel for startup investments is declining.  Hot sectors are currently · Fintech · Deeptech · Health · AI &...

This is the official kick-off of the cooperation between DEEP Ecosystems and Startuprad.io, originally published on March 10th, 2022. “The main message is that 2021 was an exceptional year. 2021 saw an 150% growth of startup investments in Europe”Thomas Kösters – Managing Director DEEP Ecosystems Media Partnership This is just the kick-off for our cooperation with the DEEP Ecosystem and we will br...

This is the first podcast cooperation of DEEP Ecosystems (with their product Startup Heatmap Europe) and Startuprad.io, before we started our cooperation. The podcast was originally published on May 6th, 2021.  "When we started 5 years ago, London and Berlin were unreachable, getting 60% of the votes. Now they are between 30% and 40%." Thomas Köster, President Startup Heatmap Europe Subscribe Here...