More and more companies in Germany are failing to find successors. According to KfW, around 231,000 mid-market companies are planning to shut down by the end of 2025 – that is 67,500 more than in the previous year. Jobs, regional value creation, and innovative capacity are at stake.
To cushion this development, UnternehmerTUM is expanding its offering to include entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). The approach: founders acquire existing companies, develop them further, and secure their future.
Closing the succession gap in the mid-market
Christian Mohr, Chief Customer Officer of UnternehmerTUM, explains:
“The significant succession gap in German companies is one of the greatest challenges for our economy, which requires new solutions and innovative approaches. Accordingly, the topic of external business succession is becoming increasingly important. With ETA, UnternehmerTUM is closing a strategic gap in its portfolio – with a comprehensive offering from education to implementation. With our strong international network (…), we want to sustainably support companies in their transformation and thus contribute to a Germany of entrepreneurs.”
The figures underscore the urgency: according to the Institute for Mid-Market Research Bonn, over 190,000 companies with more than 2.5 million employees nationwide are slated for succession by 2026. In Bavaria alone, according to the Bavarian State Ministry, this affects 36,500 businesses with 618,000 employees. Many owners are over 60 years old, but only just under half have found a concrete succession solution so far. If the succession fails, this threatens not only business closures but also losses for regional ecosystems.
New opportunities for founders
UnternehmerTUM’s new offering is aimed at talent who see company acquisition as an alternative to starting a new business. The ETA Hub promotes knowledge transfer, networks succession companies with investors, and builds bridges between business, science, and politics.
Partners include Novastone Partners, Deutsche Bank WM, and Tengelmann Growth Partners. With this network, UnternehmerTUM wants to generate new growth momentum. For the Munich startup scene, this opens up a new form of entrepreneurship that could strengthen Bavaria’s economic location in the long term.
