News & Podcast

What’s moving the Munich startup scene right now? From new technologies and big plans to personal insights and upcoming events: Our photo gallery highlights the topics, minds, and developments that got people talking this week.

Ambition, mission, resilience: Balderton investor Lena Hinkelmann explains what wins her over and why she has to pitch to the most exciting startups herself.

Munich-based HR tech startup Ahron has closed a €2.2 million funding round led by Cusp Capital, with participation from super angels and experienced HR business angels, including former Mercedes-Benz HR Director Sabine Kohleisen.

From AI research at Stanford to an energy startup: Leonie Wagner oversees the tech side at Furo. The physicist and robotics expert talks with us about intelligent battery storage, customers as a source of ideas, and why she returned to Munich for the energy transition.

German startups have already raised eight billion euros by September, and 83 percent plan to hire new staff. However, the Startup Monitor 2026 also shows: There is still room for improvement when it comes to scaling, tech sovereignty, and collaborating with established companies.

Which startups should be on your radar right now? In our photo gallery, get an overview of all the promising young companies we featured in September.

More international, more optimistic, and lots of AI: Bits & Pretzels 2026 puts people center stage while showcasing the topics truly driving the startup scene.

Munich Startup and the Munich Technology Center MTZ have jointly awarded the “Munich Startup Special Prize” for the first time. Naxon Robotics was recognized as the best Munich startup at Bits & Pretzels 2026, receiving the prize worth 5,000 euros.

Clero aims to bring Munich locals together for shared hobbies. On Pitch & People, founder Tjard Püschel talks about his idea and a setback before launch.

Seven startups, up to 90 seconds, and one task: explain their business model as precisely as possible. For a special edition of our videocast Pitch & People at Bits & Pretzels 2026, we brought founders from AI, defense tech, compliance, recovery, and rescue tech in front of the camera.

Bavarian energy startup Reverion has closed a Series B financing round of approximately 150 million euros ($175 million) to build, among other things, a new megafactory in Germany with an annual production capacity of 250 megawatts.

Zählerfreunde’s journey began in Munich’s Werksviertel. Now things come full circle as the cleantech startup partners with the quarter’s energy service provider Werkkraft.