You can find the episode reviewing the first half of 2023 and all other episodes of our podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Breaker, Overcast, Castbox, Podcast Addict and Anchor.
We begin this episode with a look back at the investments Munich startups raised in the first half of this year. We look at the number of rounds, the total amount, and developments over the past few years. We also take a glimpse into a possible future.
Four special startups in the podcast
Starting at minute 8:20, we will introduce you to four startups that have particularly stuck in the editors' minds. We begin with ProteggThe startup uses waste materials from egg production, such as the membrane and shell of chicken eggs, to create new raw materials. These include an alternative to commercial lime and a new bioplastic. The startup is thus fully committed to the circular economy, and in an area where the waste materials had previously found no other use. Protegg was founded in 2022 by Fabian Hütter and Markus Johanning, and the startup aims to complete its first round of financing early next year.
It is not about raw materials, but about energy Energyminer (from minute 13:30). The startup has developed a new type of hydroelectric power plant called Energyfish. This device is anchored in the riverbed and can thus generate energy without the need to interfere with the natural environment with dams. A protective frame around the Energyfish ensures that no fish or other animals can get into it. One of the devices is designed to produce an average of 15 megawatt hours of electricity per year. A swarm of 100 Energyfish could thus supply up to 470 households with electricity – and save up to 2,300 tons of CO2, according to Energyminer. An initial pilot plant of the startup, founded in 2021, can be viewed in the Auer Mühlbach stream at the Kraemer'sche Kunstmühle (art mill).
Metaverse and direct account-to-account payments
From minute 16:35 we talk about the Metaverse and the startup Atopia. The company is working on a platform that allows users to virtually visit museums, galleries, attractions, and cultural events via a virtual reality app or browser. This will give more people access to cultural institutions and events. Atopia's customers are the cultural institutions themselves, who want to reach end customers with the help of the startup. Founded in 2022, Atopia currently has over 15 renowned partners. These include the Kunsthalle Mannheim, Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Berliner Festspiele, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, and the Gropius Bau. In the long term, the startup aims to become one of the top 10 entertainment platforms in the field of extended reality, thus becoming the Netflix of virtual cultural experiences.
The last startup we present in this episode is called Ivy (from minute 20:10). The fintech's API enables companies to accept direct account-to-account payments through their bank. This eliminates the service fees that merchants would normally have to pay to various service providers for transactions – a saving that they can pass directly on to their customers with the startup's solution. Founded only in 2021, the startup is already active in the EMEA region, Southeast Asia, and the USA. The Latin American market is expected to follow soon. Ivy also attracted particular attention with its financing rounds. Only a few weeks passed between the seed round of €7 million and the Series A of €18.5 million.
The venture capital investor Heartfelt
As always, we present another investor in this episode. This time it's about Heartfelt, a VC with a rich history. Founded in Berlin in 2013 as the Axel Springer Plug & Play Accelerator, it transformed into APX in 2018 when Porsche joined the venture. At the beginning of this year, APX decided to stop investing in new startups and instead focus exclusively on supporting its existing portfolio. Heartfelt is now handling new investments. We reveal more about the VC's background, its employees, and plans starting at minute 23:40.
