Munich startup directory
Hand-picked startups, investors, and ecosystem operators in Munich, with a custom city illustration in europe-startup-guide.com brand colors.
Showing 41–60 of 68 Munich · Germany
Other cities in Germany
Munich · Germany results
-
Gundbert Scherf
Gundbert Scherf is Co-founder & Co-CEO of the defence-AI company Helsing. A founder in the German startup ecosystem, Gundbert leads the defence-AI company Helsing.
-
Hanno Renner
Hanno Renner is Co-founder & CEO of the HR software unicorn Personio. A founder in the German startup ecosystem, Hanno leads the HR software unicorn Personio.
-
Helsing
Helsing is a defense technology company building AI software systems for democratic governments and armed forces in Europe. Its platform fuses data from radar, drones, optical and infrared sensors to provide real-time situational awareness and operational decision support. After major growth financing in 2025, Helsing expanded across core European defense programs and into autonomous systems, including the HX-2 platform.
-
Hendrik Brandis
Co-founder and General Partner of Earlybird Venture Capital, which he started in 1997. One of Europe's most experienced venture investors, he focuses on deep tech, fintech and insurtech and has helped build Earlybird into a ~€2.5bn multi-fund platform backing companies such as N26, Isar Aerospace and Aleph Alpha.
-
HV Capital
HV Capital (formerly Holtzbrinck Ventures) is one of Germany's most established venture capital firms, investing from seed to growth stage across European technology companies. Founded as the VC arm of the Holtzbrinck publishing group, HV Capital manages over $2 billion and has backed iconic European companies including Zalando, Delivery Hero, FlixBus, and FINN. The firm focuses on technology-enabled business models and is a cornerstone investor in the DACH startup ecosystem.
-
INHORGENTA MUNICH 2026
Jewelry and watch trade fair with the Trendfactory forum on retail tech, 3D printing, and wearables. Price: about EUR 34 early online to EUR 79 on-site.
-
INHORGENTA MUNICH 2027
INHORGENTA MUNICH 2027 runs 19-22 February at Messe München for its 53rd edition. Billed as Europe's leading platform for the jewelry, watch and gemstone industry, the fair reported strong exhibitor growth and brand participation seven months ahead of the show.
-
Innovators' Pitch 2026 (Bitkom)
Bitkom's Innovators' Pitch 2026 live finals featuring startup teams in future technologies for logistics and education. Application deadline was February 23, 2026 (now closed); live pitch takes place March 19, 2026 with equity-free prize money and ecosystem visibility.
-
International Tech Talks (Munich) 2026
B2B matchmaking event focused on France-Bavaria innovation partnerships, connecting French deep-tech startups with German industrial corporates. Features structured 1:1 meetings and panel discussions on cross-border collaboration. Particularly valuable for startups looking to enter the German market through industrial partnerships and joint R&D projects.
-
Isar Aerospace
Isar Aerospace is a Munich-based space launch company founded in 2018 by Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann, and Markus Brandl, all graduates of TU Munich. The company is developing Spectrum, a two-stage launch vehicle designed to carry small and medium-sized satellite payloads to orbit at a significantly lower cost than traditional European launchers. Isar Aerospace has raised over EUR 300 million from investors including HV Capital, Porsche SE, Airbus Ventures, and Lombard Odier, making it one of Europe's best-funded NewSpace ventures. With a launch site agreement in Andoya, Norway, Isar Aerospace is positioned to offer Europe independent, commercial access to space as demand for small satellite launches accelerates.
-
Jasper Krauser
Head of Quantum Technologies at Airbus, where he leads the aerospace group's research and application of quantum computing and quantum sensing for aviation and space. He is an announced speaker at the 2026 AI, Data & Quantum Summit (AIDAQ) in Berlin.
-
Kaia Health
Kaia Health is a Munich-based digital therapeutics company that develops prescribable smartphone apps for chronic conditions, including Kaia Rueckenschmerzen for back pain and a COPD programme, delivering physiotherapy exercises, relaxation techniques and education. Kaia Rueckenschmerzen is registered as a Class IIa medical device and is reimbursable in Germany through the DiGA prescription pathway, where patients activate the therapy with an access code from their statutory or private health insurer. The company is legally registered as kaia health software GmbH, headquartered in Munich.
-
Kiutra
Kiutra is a Munich-based deep tech startup developing cryogenic systems and services for quantum technologies. The company manufactures helium-3-free cryostats that reach sub-kelvin and millikelvin temperatures, including the L-Type Rapid, X-Type, S-Type, and T-Type product lines, and offers cryogenic characterisation lab services for quantum device development. Kiutra serves leading quantum computing companies and research institutions globally and is a sponsor of Finnish Quantum Days 2026.
-
Lilium
Lilium is a Munich-based aerospace company founded in 2015 by Daniel Wiegand and a team of TU Munich engineers to develop an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jet for regional air mobility. The Lilium Jet uses 30 electric engines mounted on its canard wings to achieve vertical lift and efficient cruise flight, targeting ranges of up to 300 km at speeds over 250 km/h. Lilium went public on NASDAQ in 2021 but faced financial challenges and entered insolvency proceedings in late 2024. A consortium of European investors acquired the company in early 2025, allowing development to continue. Lilium remains one of the most ambitious European eVTOL programs and a test case for the viability of electric regional air transport.
-
Marvel Fusion
Fusion energy company founded in 2019 in Munich developing laser-based inertial fusion using nanostructured proton-boron fuel targets, backed by over $400M with partners including Siemens Energy.
-
Munich Venture Capital World Summit 2026
Munich stop of the global Venture Capital World Summit series at Nymphenburger Hoefe, bringing together seed and Series A investors, angels, and growth-focused startups. High-priority event for founders actively fundraising in Q2/Q3 2026 and seeking cross-border capital access.
-
Personio
Personio is a Munich-based HR software company that has become one of Europe’s most valuable SaaS startups. Founded in 2015 by Hanno Renner (CEO) and three co-founders from the Technical University of Munich, Personio set out to streamline HR management for small and mid-sized businesses. Its cloud platform offers an “all-in-one” suite – from recruiting and applicant tracking to payroll, attendance, and performance management. Personio’s focus on Europe’s underserved SME segment paid off spectacularly: as of 2024, the company serves 12,000+ customers across 70 countries (primarily firms with 10–2,000 employees). This rapid growth attracted major VC funding. Personio became a unicorn in January 2021 with a $1.7 billion valuation, and by October 2022 it raised a $200 million Series E extension at a staggering $8.5 billion valuation – making it one of Europe’s most valuable private tech companies at the time. Investors like Index Ventures, Accel, Lightspeed, and Greenoaks have backed Personio. The company has since expanded to 8 offices (including London, Dublin and Amsterdam) and grown to about 2,000 employees. Despite the size, Personio continues to post strong metrics: in 2023, revenue reportedly doubled and the firm reached over 15,000 customers by 2025. Personio’s success is often attributed to its user-friendly, modular platform tailored to non-technical HR teams at smaller companies. It integrates with 100+ other business tools and emphasizes automation of routine HR tasks. Now valued at $8.5 billion+, Personio is widely seen as a future IPO candidate and a role model for Europe’s B2B SaaS boom – proving that an “SMB HR” niche can scale to a global category leader.
-
Proxima Fusion
Proxima Fusion is a deep-tech fusion energy company spun out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in 2023. It is developing quasi-isodynamic stellarator systems designed for stable, commercial fusion power generation and is targeting a demonstrator pathway toward net-energy performance in the next decade.
-
Ralf Wintergerst
President of Bitkom, Germany's digital industry association, and Group CEO of Giesecke+Devrient, a Munich-based security technology company. He represents thousands of digital-economy companies and is an announced speaker at the 2026 AI, Data & Quantum Summit organized by Bitkom.
-
Siemens Technology Accelerator
The Siemens Technology Accelerator (STA) is a unique corporate accelerator program run by Siemens AG since 2001, aimed at spinning out non-core technologies from Siemens’ R&D into independent startups. Based in Munich, STA essentially identifies promising internal innovations (often developed at Siemens Corporate Technology labs) that don’t fit Siemens’ core business, and forms new ventures around them. STA provides seed funding, co-founding management, and access to Siemens’ infrastructure to these ventures, effectively acting as a venture builder. Over its history, the Siemens Technology Accelerator has spun out more than 12 companies across sectors like energy, industrial automation, healthcare, and materials. Notable spin-offs include MetisMotion (advanced actuators), Magazino (warehouse robotics – which STA helped early on), and Epiqo (a digital twin software). One high-profile case is Rethink Robotics GmbH: in 2020, STA helped relaunch assets of Rethink Robotics (the US cobot pioneer) in a joint venture, integrating it with Siemens technology. The typical STA project starts with identifying a tech with market potential. STA then recruits external entrepreneurs or Siemens intrapreneurs to lead the startup, develops a business plan, secures intellectual property rights (license or assign IP from Siemens to the newco), and provides initial funding (often low millions of euros). Siemens often remains a minority shareholder and provides pilot customers or manufacturing help. The time from project inception to an independent company launch is around 18–24 months. STA’s model addresses a common big-corporate problem: great inventions that don’t make it to market. By essentially incubating startups from within, Siemens both creates value from dormant IP and fosters innovation culture. Many STA spin-outs go on to raise venture capital or get acquired. For example, Ionity (an EV charging network) was seeded by Siemens’ STA and later became a major joint venture with automakers. The Siemens Technology Accelerator operates with a small specialized team and has won awards for corporate venturing. It serves as a best-practice example of how large industrial firms can proactively spin off new ventures rather than let R&D sit on a shelf. In essence, STA extends Siemens’ innovation beyond its core by unleashing startups that bring cutting-edge tech (like novel sensors, new materials, etc.) to the broader market.
