News & Podcast

Female founders are still significantly underrepresented in the startup ecosystem. Why is that? And what needs to change? Pia Lexa from Media Lab Bayern and Susanne Traugott from the Women Startup initiative at UnternehmerTUM speak with Munich Startup about this.

More than 500 guests from the Munich startup scene gathered at the summer party of the Munich Technology Center (MTZ). Together with Baystartup, the MTZ invited guests to mark the end of the season – with networking, startup pitches, and the awarding of the winner of the Bavarian semi-final of the Female Founders Cup.

Local energy concepts for commercial properties: Valerie Laubsch co-founded the startup Moverloop in 2024 with Jonas Nöhl. The company combines solar power, battery storage, and grid electricity into an economical energy supply that benefits both property owners and businesses. In the interview, the former Microsoft employee discusses why you shouldn’t wait for the perfect moment to found a company, why a functioning business model is more important than fast fundraising, and why the energy sector offers enormous potential.

The Women Startup Award 2026 is once again looking for early-stage tech founders from Bavaria. Applications are open until June 15. Prize money, coaching, and strong networks await.

In total, 60 women-led deeptech startups from Europe are being sought by the EU-funded Scale’her program for a nine-month accelerator and mentoring program. The application deadline is May 31, 2026.

EIT Food launches EWA Advance, a program for female founders of agrifood startups in the growth phase. Munich startups can also apply and receive support with scaling, funding, and partnerships.

In our interview series “Women in Tech”, we portray founders from the Munich startup scene. We talk with them about what they wish they had known before their first founding, how they financed their companies, and what motivated them to found. For International Women’s Day, we present five of these female founders once again. You can find many more female founders and investors in our “Women in Tech” category.

With EXIST-Women, the federal government supports aspiring female founders in the phase before business formation. Again this year. Applications are still possible until 15 February.

Attention female founders: Apply by February 26, 2026 for a pitch slot at Female Funding ’26, the matching event for startups and investors in Munich.

Finches translates agricultural reality into decision-relevant metrics: The Munich startup helps buyers identify risks like climate extremes, price volatility, or geopolitical disruptions early and convert them into stable procurement strategies. The founders Catharina van Delden and Stefanie Seisenberger Glenn rely on data-based co-creation. First published on: October 10, 2025

According to the Women Entrepreneurship Monitor 2024/25, the founding rate for women in Germany is reaching record highs. The gender gap in founding is narrowing significantly – new trends are also emerging in innovation, sustainability, and investment.

Munich’s startup scene is growing rapidly: a market value of 164 billion euros and rising investments characterize the ecosystem. Yet despite this success, women in founding teams remain significantly underrepresented. This is shown by a current analysis by Dealroom and Munich Startup.