Munich Startup: What kind of career path have you had so far?
Ruth Bosse: I have been active in local politics for 18 years, hold a Master's degree in Mathematics and Business Administration, and also earned a doctorate in political climate protection measures. Before founding Ark Climate I was a project manager at McKinsey. There, I advised cities on climate protection and adaptation. Among other things, we developed the 2022 climate roadmap for the city of Stuttgart.
Munich Startup: What motivated you to start the company?
Ruth Bosse: I want to contribute to ensuring that we finally make better political decisions that can be implemented more quickly and are more understandable for citizens – especially on such an important issue as climate protection. I also hope that this will strengthen our democracy.
On the other hand, I want to create a place where outstanding people can not only make a real difference, but also develop personally – and enjoy working together.
Entrepreneurial path and financing
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to have known before starting your first business?
Ruth Bosse: When I first started my business, I believed I had to prove to myself that I could do it. As a result, I often worked longer than necessary and questioned my decisions and my intuition too much. Today, I approach things with more confidence and security—and am gradually developing my own entrepreneurial style.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Ruth Bosse: One year after our founding We already have 16 municipalities among our customers, and we have generated revenue of €500,000. At the end of 2024, we also completed a pre-seed round of €1 million. This round is led by climate tech venture capitalist Satgana, along with other VCs and business angels with extensive experience in government tech and climate tech.
We also benefit from funding programs such as the EXIST start-up grant. Another boost was the award of the BMWK's "Digital Innovation" start-up prize, presented by former Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.
What thinking outside the box brings
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Ruth Bosse: For me, the best ideas arise from shared exchange – in conversations with my team, with clients, people from politics and climate protection, but also outside of that: through shared sports or art.
It was precisely this out-of-the-box thinking that contributed greatly to the vision behind Ark: Originally conceived as a tool for municipal climate protection management, it quickly became clear that outdated software is not a niche problem, but affects administrations fundamentally – across all political fields of action.
This gave rise to the idea of making Ark much more: The Ark Operating System is intended to create a digital operating system for modern administrations – data-driven, efficient, and citizen-centric. The goal is not only to better plan and implement decisions, but also to motivate people to vote more democratically.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Ruth Bosse: What's particularly important to me about working at Ark is that everyone has a lot of responsibility and works independently. To keep track of everything, three tools are particularly helpful:
- Asana: It helps me prioritize clearly and pursue the right tasks at the right time. It helps me stay focused and move forward quickly—especially important when I have a high level of personal responsibility and tight deadlines.
- Notion: Our central knowledge and content tool. It enables structured yet flexible collaboration – whether for internal guidelines, product documentation, or customer texts.
- ChatGPT: I use it daily for quick input, for sparring on content, initial research, or to structure ideas and texts.
Ruth Bosse: Personal Perspectives
Munich Startup: Your top tip on pitching?
Ruth Bosse: Truly understanding where the other person is at the moment. What's currently on their mind? What personal interests, reservations, or questions might be at stake? It's important to remain realistic: We're deeply involved in the topic, while the other person often isn't. Those investing their own money are right to ask critical questions. And if the other person has just come out of an intensive meeting, it's probably best to give them space at the beginning rather than jumping right in.
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Ruth Bosse: We're currently seeing a lot of movement in the public sector, in administration, politics, and government modernization: Digitalization is gaining momentum – a good example is the newly created Digital Ministry. More and more opportunities are also being created for startups, for example, by raising contract award thresholds. At the same time, climate protection is and remains one of the central social and political issues of today. In this respect, we, as a climate and government technology startup, are already in the right place.
Through our involvement in local politics, we were able to identify these developments early on and consider them – thus capitalizing on the momentum before this GovTech wave, like the one we're currently seeing in the US, really got going here. Now is exactly the right time to move forward with digital, solution-oriented approaches together with the public sector.
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Ruth Bosse: I find women's health incredibly relevant and would like to make a difference in this area. It's astonishing how little research goes into women's health. Although we make up 50 percent of the population, we are often considered a niche. For many conditions like endometriosis, PMS, or severe period pain, there is hardly any solid knowledge—and even fewer effective solutions.
More focus on problem orientation
Munich Startup: In your opinion, what could be improved at the Munich startup location?
Ruth Bosse: Munich is fundamentally a very good location for starting a business – the scene is large, well-connected, and attracts many motivated young professionals interested in startups. What I believe should be brought even more into focus is problem-orientation: I often get the impression that some people are more concerned with "founding a startup" than with actually solving a concrete, relevant problem. If we encourage more founders to think from the perspective of the problem, significantly more effective solutions could emerge.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Ruth Bosse: My grandfather. He founded his own company in 1983, selling newspaper printing machines worldwide. Sadly, he died when I was a small child. I would have loved to ask him what it was like to start a company back when no one had heard the term "startup"—and to have learned a few things from him.
