Climate change and, most recently, Russia's invasion of Ukraine have plunged energy policy in crisis. In order to become independent of Russian oil and gas, numerous countries are currently putting their energy and climate policies on the test bench. Alternatives are needed. Times have never been more promising for founders in the energy sector. As the energy system undergoes a far-reaching transformation, new digital solutions, technologies and innovative business models are needed. In this article, we introduce you to upcoming energy startups from Germany.

Never before has so much venture capital flowed into startups as in the past year. 2021 was a record year with mega deals and new unicorns. For the first time ever, European startups raised over $100 billion. This represented a 115% increase in the funding amount from 2020. Currently, VC funding receives the most attention in the media. For young startups, it seems to be the best way of funding. However, there are more alternatives to the classic VC money. As part of the 13th edition of the HHL SpinLab Investors Day, Damian Polok (Silicon Valley Bank), Isabella Hermann-Schön (Round2 Capital), Paul Becker (re:cap) and Patrick Walsh (uncapped) came together in Leipzig to discuss venture capital alternatives. This panel dives into the questions whether the alternatives are in conflict with the VC world, what factors to be aware of when it comes to financing and how the diffrent options work. 

After an injury, many patients need physiotherapeutic care. For this, they usually visit an ambulant practice several times a week. However, independent training at home is just as important for the success of the therapy. There are usually no guided exercises for this and if there are, the instructions are often difficult to understand and not very motivating. 

Do you want getting inspired by other founders, learn new skills, and meet potential new partners or investors? Startup events are a very important venue for entrepreneurs to meet new people and boost their own business. We put together the perfect list for you, presenting the top events of 2022 you shouldn't miss!

Victoria Engelhardt entered the entrepreneurial world with a mission: to provide reliable support to women during their pregnancy. With that, Keleya was born. Almost every pregnant woman has to deal with different physical complaints during pregnancy, such as morning sickness or back pain. Many questions arise with the first child and this can be very overwhelming. When looking for solutions, as well as for questions about the right diet or exercise, for example, women tend to be confused rather than being really helped. Back then, solutions for pregnant women only offer one-size-fits-all content or are offline (e.g. birth preparation classes) and hence inflexible or often booked up.

Recent studies such as the Female Founders Report and German Startup Monitor clearly showed that the startup landscape is mainly white and male. Only 18 % of founders in Germany are women. Just five percent of these female startup founders received more than one million euros in funding, compared to 30 percent of men. Unfortunately, a lot of VC firms seem to be run with a "boys club" mentality, resulting in unconscious biases and systemic inequalities. As part of the 12th edition of the HHL SpinLab Investors Day, Bettine Schmitz (Auxxo), Dagmar Bottenbruch (Segenia), Petra Sokolová (Inven Capital) and Duc Quyen Tran (Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures) came together to discuss why more diversity in venture capital is needed. Dr. Tanja Emmerling (Hightech Gründerfonds) presented in her keynote: “Diversity -so what?!” Essentials for your Diversity Playbook: how diversity can be implemented in venture capital

Our cities are growing. Along with them, our current problems and challenges are increasing: Population growth, pollution, resource shortages, infrastructure bottlenecks. These challenges are slowly reducing the quality of life in the city. Therefore, we need more efficient ways to increase the quality of life for city citizens. Concepts are needed to distribute existing resources more effectively and to develop new ways to produce these resources in the city. The keyword is smart city. Smart City aims to offer citizens efficient, fast and innovative services and infrastructures. The stars of this new age are startups with innovative business models. In this blog article, we introduce you to 10 promising smart city startups that are shaping the city of tomorrow.

The e-health segment has been considered one of the up-and-coming topics in the startup scene for years. Digital transformation in the healthcare system is one of the major future issues of our time. The consequences of skills shortage, urbanization as well as demographic change require a modernization of the healthcare system. Digital technologies mean innovation and progress  for sustainable basic medical care and an improved quality of life.