Startups in Berlino: ecosystem, companies and strengths
Germany's creative and tech hub, known for its vibrant culture and a strong concentration of international talent.
Why Berlino matters in the European startup ecosystem
Berlin is Germany's leading startup hub and one of Europe's most important. With over 3,000 VC-backed startups — including unicorns N26, Trade Republic, GetYourGuide, Contentful and Mambu — the city excels in fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI and climate tech. The ecosystem has been built around a unique density of serial founders, international operators and early-stage funds (HV Capital, Project A, Cherry Ventures, Point Nine). Compared to London or Paris, Berlin offers lower operating costs and fast access to European technical talent, with three key universities (TU Berlin, HU Berlin, FU Berlin) continuously feeding the ecosystem with spin-offs and research.
Why it works
- Density of capital and startups
- Strong attraction of European talent
- Continuous renewal across verticals
Historical growth
Berlin transitioned from Europe's consumer internet capital to a multi-sector hub with strong weight in fintech, AI and climate. It remains Germany's leading startup ecosystem for critical mass and international visibility.
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Almetra
The AI that turns cameras above production lines into an operational intelligence system for factories.
Bliq.ai
Bliq.ai develops driverless technology for software-defined vehicles, with remote supervision and a European r
Elephant Company
The Berlin AI platform bringing contextual micro-learning and operational communication to frontline workers.
N26
Mobile bank founded in Berlin in 2013 with 8+ million customers across Europe: offers checking accounts, debit
NextGO Epi
NextGO Epi produces gallium oxide epitaxial wafers for next-generation power semiconductors.
Orbitalis
European deep tech startup specializing in satellite infrastructure—systems and components for next-generation
Osapiens
German ESG and compliance software leader simplifying and automating corporate sustainability reporting
Packmatic
Logistics automation platform optimizing warehouse operations, packaging, and fulfillment for e-commerce busin
Parloa
AI agents for enterprise customer service: automating call centres and customer support for large companies wi
PeopleFlow
Berlin-based HR tech startup (2020) that streamlines international hiring without opening local entities, auto
Pixel Photonics
Single-photon detectors enabling quantum computing and secure quantum communication
Strengths of Berlino
- Germany's largest startup hub
- High density of founders and operators
- Very strong international brand
- Seed and Series A are among the strongest in continental Europe. Larger rounds often require international leads, but the local capital base remains very broad.
- Demand comes from fintech, energy, e-commerce and enterprise software. Many large German corporates use Berlin as an open innovation antenna.
Weaknesses and limitations
- Late-stage still heavily cross-border
- Very competitive talent market
- Less industrial depth than Munich
Key startups in Berlino
AMBOSS
AMBOSS is a medtech startup founded in Berlin in 2012 (launched in 2014) that offers a digital medical knowledge platform. It provides learning resources for medical students and evidence-based decision support for doctors, with up-to-date algorithms and clinical guidelines. In 2019 it raised €30M in a Series B round, serving thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide to improve clinical decisions.
Agile Robots
Develops AI-powered robotic arms for warehouse automation and sorting, reducing labor costs and increasing efficiency.
Agora Innovation
the platform for real-time engagement for meaningful human connections. people interact more deeply when they see, hear, and engage with each other. with Agora, you can embed vivid voice and video in any application, on any device, anywhere.
Almetra
Almetra mounts AI cameras above production lines to turn video into operational data - cycle times, output, utilisation - without IT integration, with customers including Bosch, Siemens Energy, ABB and Aumovio.
Autodoc
Autodoc is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $2B. It operates in auto parts ecommerce by building online marketplace for automotive spare parts.
Berlin Brands Group
Berlin Brands Group is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $1B. It operates in ecommerce aggregator by building ecommerce brand aggregator and consumer-goods operator.
Betterfront
All-in-one software for fundraising, donor management, and campaign coordination.
Bliq.ai
Berlin/Tallinn startup upgrading software-defined vehicles with sensor and compute stacks to enable driverless operations.
Celestia
Founded in Berlin in 2019 by Mustafa Al‑Bassam and colleagues, Celestia develops a modular blockchain providing consensus and data availability for rollups and dApps. Having raised over $200 million and reaching a $1 billion valuation after its $55 million Series A/B round in October 2022, Celestia is pioneering a new paradigm in crypto.
Choco
Choco is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $1.2B. It operates in restaurant supply by building digital ordering network for restaurants and suppliers.
Cloover
Berlin-based startup connecting solar, battery, heat pump and EV charger installers with instant financing for end customers. Described as the "Shopify of renewable energy".
Contentful
Headless CMS enabling teams to manage content once and publish across websites, apps, and channels without coding.
Datarade
Simple platform to find and compare data sources for easy discovery and evaluation of providers.
EGYM
Intelligent fitness solutions and apps for gyms, enabling personalized workouts and member engagement.
Elephant Company
Elephant Company is an AI-powered platform for training and connecting frontline workers, combining Field App, an AI assistant, AI Coursebuilder and Elephant Hub. Founded in Berlin in 2022, it raised over €5M in 2026 led by EnBW New Ventures and Wepa.
Enpal
Enpal is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $2B. It operates in renewable energy by building residential solar, storage and heat-pump platform.
Filestage
Streamlining review and approval processes for teams to collaborate efficiently and make faster decisions.
Flink
Quick-commerce app delivering groceries in 15 minutes from dark stores in major European cities.
Forto
Digital freight platform automating booking, planning, and execution of shipments for SMEs and enterprises across Europe.
GetYourGuide
GetYourGuide is a European mobility and logistics platform with a public unicorn valuation.
GlassDollar
Platform enabling corporate innovators to find and source new technologies from the startup ecosystem.
Gorillas
Ultra-fast grocery delivery service operating from micro-fulfillment centers.
HepaRegeniX
Innovative regenerative medicine solutions aimed at curing liver disease and improving patient outcomes.
INERATEC
The fastest way to obtain zero CO2 emissions e-fuels.
INVITRIS
Biotechnology company focused on advancing research and development in life sciences and medical technology.
Infarm
Infarm is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $1B. It operates in vertical farming by building vertical farming company for modular indoor agriculture.
Interloom
German startup founded in 2023. Develops AI infrastructure for agentic workflows and memory management. $16.5M seed in 2026.
Mambu
SaaS platform for banks and fintech to rapidly deploy digital banking services and manage accounts.
N26
Mobile bank founded in Berlin in 2013 with 8+ million customers across Europe: offers checking accounts, debit cards, investments, and insurance entirely through an app.
Nesto
AI-powered workforce management platform for hospitality.
NextGO Epi
A Berlin spin-off of the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung commercialising materials for high-voltage power electronics.
OneFootball
OneFootball is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $1B. It operates in sports media by building football media platform and fan app.
Orbitalis
European deep tech startup specializing in satellite infrastructure—systems and components for next-generation low-earth orbit constellations supporting global connectivity.
Osapiens
German ESG and compliance software leader simplifying and automating corporate sustainability reporting. Became a unicorn in 2026.
Packmatic
Logistics automation platform optimizing warehouse operations, packaging, and fulfillment for e-commerce businesses.
Parloa
Berlin-based startup building autonomous AI agents for enterprise customer service. Clients include Allianz, SAP, Booking.com. $3B valuation after $350M Series D in January 2026.
PeopleFlow
Berlin-based HR tech startup (2020) that streamlines international hiring without opening local entities, automating contracts, compliance, and cross-border payroll.
Pixel Photonics
Pixel Photonics develops WI-SNSPDs — waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors — enabling quantum computing, secure quantum communication, advanced LiDAR and microscopy. The Münster-based deep-tech startup is commercializing next-generation photon detection technology, having raised €13.5M in 2026.
Primogene
Primogene produces complex biomolecules through sustainable enzymatic processes for nutrition, personal care and pharmaceutical raw materials.
Qontigo
Created in 2019 by Deutsche Börse’s merger of STOXX, DAX and Axioma, Qontigo is headquartered in Eschborn and provides global indices and analytics platforms for asset managers and issuers. Backed by General Atlantic and Deutsche Börse, it has been valued at around $4 billion.
Raisin
Raisin is a German fintech platform founded in 2012 (operational since 2013) in Berlin that connects savers with high-yield banking products. It has intermediated over €13 billion in deposits for partner banks such as Commerzbank and N26. The company has raised over $200M in funding and offers its savings and investment services across several European countries and the US.
Razor Group
Digital commerce platform helping retail merchants across Europe build and manage online stores with integrated payments.
Reonic
Energy platform for distributed renewable resources management, aggregation, and optimization across multiple sites.
SOPAT
In-line optical image analysis technology that quantitatively characterises multiphase particulate systems for process monitoring in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
SPREAD AI
SPREAD AI creates Product Twins for industrial manufacturing, connecting structured and unstructured data across the entire product lifecycle for automotive, aerospace and heavy industry.
SellerX
SellerX is a unicorn-scale company with an indicative valuation of $1B. It operates in ecommerce aggregator by building Amazon and ecommerce brand aggregator.
Seqana
Berlin climate/agritech building digital MRV for soil carbon, regenerative agriculture and supply-chain resilience.
Sereact
German startup founded in 2021 in Stuttgart. Develops AI enabling industrial robots to receive natural language instructions and adapt to new objects without reprogramming. Clients: BMW, Amazon.
SimScale
Fully cloud-based CAE simulation software enabling engineering teams to run CFD, FEA, and thermal simulations directly in the browser.
Solaris
Banking-as-a-Service platform providing APIs and infrastructure for fintech companies to launch financial products.
Staffbase
Employee communication platform delivering personalized information and engagement tools to frontline and office workers.
Steuerboard
Steuerboard provides software solutions for tax and administrative management.
Taxfix
Mobile app simplifying tax filing and returns for self-employed and salaried workers across Europe.
Tier Mobility
Micro-mobility operator running shared electric scooter and bike services across 80+ cities in Europe.
Tower
SaaS platform for restaurant and hospitality business management, covering POS, inventory, staffing, and analytics.
Trade Republic
German fintech stock broker: 1M+ users, commission-free trading, low minimum investment for all retail investors.
TrustNXT
Visual data protection solution that prevents fraud at the source using cryptographic trust labels to verify image and video authenticity.
Unosecur
Cybersecurity platform providing vulnerability management and threat intelligence for enterprises.
Upvest
Berlin fintech founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing. Provides API-first investment infrastructure to 30+ European financial institutions including N26 and Revolut. Processes 100M+ orders annually.
VARM
VARM aims to make home energy insulation scalable in Germany by combining installer training, local hubs and standardised operations.
Zalando
European e-commerce platform for fashion, footwear, and lifestyle products.
Zedira
Specialised supplier of transglutaminase-related research products and services, catalysing academic and industrial R&D across food science, pharma, and biotech.
Zentio
Execute your operations smoothly and efficiently with Zentio. Improve your key KPIs through optimized planning and scheduling of resources, equipment, and personnel. Discover more about the future of planning.
bunch
Berlin startup founded in 2020 that modernises the operational infrastructure of private markets: fund management, capital calls, LP reporting and accounting on a single platform.
dimpora
Sustainable performance membrane technology company delivering superior waterproofing and breathability without toxic chemicals.
ecoplanet
Climate tech platform measuring and reducing environmental impact through supply chain transparency and carbon tracking.
n8n
Open-source workflow automation platform: self-hosted alternative to Zapier and Make, adopted by 10K+ enterprises globally.
sennder
B2B marketplace connecting shippers with carriers, using AI to optimize routes and pricing for freight logistics.
telli
A Berlin startup managing B2C interactions across voice, chat, SMS, WhatsApp and email.
virtualQ
AI-powered callback management platform that lets customers avoid hold times while helping contact centres control call volume and reduce operational costs.
wefox
InsurTech platform offering digital insurance distribution and management for SMEs and individuals across Europe.
VCs, accelerators and key players
Accelerators
Hubs & campuses
Key universities
Public support
Key sectors in Berlino
What we can learn
- Serial entrepreneurship matters more than individual programmes
- A generalist hub can stay relevant if it keeps renewing itself