Bielefeld survey highlights emerging B2B, crypto and deep tech ecosystem – TechCrunch
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Welcome to the survey of the city of Bielefeld, Germany, as part of our ongoing survey of European cities. If you would like your city to be featured, simply fill out this form and add the name of your city. Once we have enough city entries, we’ll put your city on TechCrunch!
According to local media reports, Bielefeld has experienced a technological boom in recent years, with accelerators like the Founders Foundation (supported by the Bertelsmann Foundation) and Garage 33 (at the University of Paderborn) attracting a new wave of young entrepreneurs in the East Westphalia-Lippe region.
Notable startups to emerge include Semalytix, Valuedesk, Zahnarzt-Helden, StudyHelp, PartWorks, and AMendate.
Unfortunately, Bielefeld suffers from the same disease as the rest of Germany: most startups gravitate to Berlin, followed by Munich, then Hamburg (according to an initiative by UnternehmerTUM in Munich).
However, like Business Punk magazine find earlier this year, the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region in northern North Rhine-Westphalia is home to some of Germany’s largest companies. This means that startups helping large organizations digitize the post-pandemic have easy access to some of Germany’s biggest companies and institutions.
Respondents to our survey pointed out that the region is strong in industries such as B2B due to the many old-fashioned B2B companies in the manufacturing arena. There is fairly easy access to many large family offices such as Dr. Oetker, Miele, CLAAS, Schüco and Bertelsmann, so there is a lot of capital available.
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âThe region has a good dynamic for startups in general, [largely] because of the Founders Foundation. At the same time, the fact that they are the only institutional driver leads to a certain monoculture, âsaid one of them.
Cutting-edge technology is a hallmark of the ecosystem, but there are “hardly any B2C or direct-to-consumer startups,” another respondent said.
Commenting on the investment scene in the city, survey respondents said investors have “strong ties to industry and Mittelstand.” However, another commented that there are “very few local NRW or OWL focused investors like EnjoyVenture (Technologiefonds OWL), but not many more”.
That said, companies are getting decent attention from âdomesticâ investors, and Founders Foundation has really boosted the scene in the region. Angels are also increasingly active, and “there is a strong community of angel investors in Bielefeld that has really supported the new startup scene”.
We asked:
Jonathan maycock, co-founder and CEO, margin
Louis schulze, responsible for ecosystem development, Founders Foundation
Stefan Trockel, founder and CEO, Mercury.ai
Jasper steinlechner, technical director, Pektogram
Victoria Erdbrügger, co-founder and managing director, circulating
Manuel Rüsing, technical director, Synctive
Conner Kuhlmeyer, founder, report
Myriam Kleiner, responsible for talent acquisition, Founders Foundation
Jonathan Maycock, Co-Founder and CEO, Margin
In which sectors is Bielefeld’s technology ecosystem strong? What are you most excited about? What is he missing?
We are strong in the cryptotrading ecosystem. We are very excited about the adoption of Bitcoin as a financial asset by businesses and institutions, as well as the ongoing network effect and adoption by the masses. We need to add support for DeFi trading platforms alongside the centralized exchanges that we already support.
What are the most interesting startups in your city?
Semalytix, Zahnarzt-Helden, Coindex and Valuedesk.
What does the technology investment scene look like in Bielefeld? What is their goal?
Since Founders Foundation started in Bielefeld in 2016, the startup scene has exploded. We joined the first accelerator and since then 24 startups have been founded and have emerged from its programs. There is a strong community of business angels in Bielefeld who have really supported the new startup scene.
With the switch to telework, do you think people will stay in Bielefeld, move or move in?
We went completely to the home office once the pandemic started. For us it worked very well and we now have three employees who work outside of Bielefeld. Everything is more flexible now.
Who are the key startups in your city (e.g. investors, founders, lawyers, designers, etc.)?
Sebastian Borek (CEO of the Founders Foundation), Eduard R. Doerrenberg (CEO, Dr. Wolff Group).
Where do you think Bielefeld’s tech scene will be in five years?
As Bielefeld is at the heart of the German ‘Mittelstand’, there are huge opportunities for tech startups to help these big industries take a leap forward with technical solutions using AI, blockchain and other technologies. The city is well served by the University of Bielefeld, which annually produces highly qualified computer science graduates. Especially with the superb support of the Founders Foundation, the startup ecosystem in Bielefeld has a bright future.
Louis Schulze, Ecosystem Development Manager, Founders Foundation
In which sectors is Bielefeld’s technology ecosystem strong? What are you most excited about? What is he missing?
B2B, advanced technologies.
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