Diving into Germany’s Venture Capital landscape in 2020

We are pleased to publish the second edition of our German Venture Capital report and hope you will enjoy reading it. 2019 was a year where Germany has really played to its strengths and cemented its position as one of the European leaders in tech venture capital, and we are more excited than ever about the development of this ecosystem.

Our report unpacks the current progress and outlook for the German ecosystem using our ecosystem model to highlight Germany’s unique positioning in an increasingly global playing field for startups.

So what did we find?

• Germany had a record year in VC funding reaching $5.7bn with 49% yoy growth, the second best funded country in Europe
• Germany leverages its global industrial leadership to retain its place as the top destination for European mobility VC investment in 2019, reaching $1.3bn in funding, representing 26% of total funding. Its corporate strengths also drive investments in fintech and B2B software, representing 23% and 20% of total funding, respectively
• Corporate Venture Capital plays a key role and participates in 58% of the total funding, the highest level worldwide. Next47 (Siemens), IFB Hamburg, Bosch are some of the most active German CVCs. As LPs (investors in VCs), corporates represent 28% of total German VC funds raised, the highest level in Europe, further boosting the local ecosystem

In addition to sharing our excitement about Germany and expressing our belief that the ecosystem is stronger than ever we look at robust business networks, the continued government support via entities such as KfW and the vibrant founder community.

White Star Capital has made landmark investments in Germany and seen many of the findings play out with our portfolio companies. Tier has raised Series B in 2019 led by international investors such as Mubadala, Goodwater and ourselves, while Clark has benefited from a large domestic market and expertise insurance. We look forward to many more investments in the country!

Please have a read and share widely!

If you have any questions or feedback on our report, please email RegionalReports@WhiteStarCapital.com

About White Star Capital

White Star Capital is a global multi-stage technology investment platform that invests in exceptional entrepreneurs building ambitious, international businesses. Operating out of New York, London, Paris, Montreal, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, our presence, perspective, and people enable us to partner closely with our Founders to help them scale internationally from Series A onwards. Notable investments include Dollar Shave Club, Freshly, Tier, Meero and Clark among others.

Find out more about how we venture beyond at www.whitestarcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.