Several Hamburg based startups including 3D Spark have raised fresh capital. This AI-backed platform simplifies complex manufacturing decisions and raised EUR 2 million in a seed financing round led by Swedish investor Triplefair and backed by the Fraunhofer Technology Transfer Fund (FTTF) as well as the Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg (IFH). In other news, the Hamburg-based Akeno secured EUR 4.5 million for its production software in a seed round led by Cusp Capital, with TS Ventures and another venture capitalist. The additional funding should triple the Akeno team and advance internationalization. Meanwhile, the fintech scaleup, Taxdoo, has taken over the e-commerce Account Digital from Mühlheim-Kärlich. The acquisition allows Taxdoo to add an AI-supported accounting solution to its offer for tax firms and online retailers.
Immigrant female founders are particularly ambitious, according to the May edition of the Migrant Founders Monitor 2025 published by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the German Startups Association. Around 14 per cent of founders were not born in Germany, the study found. Immigrant women account for 23 per cent of unicorns or companies with a valuation of over a billion dollars. Around 91 per cent of female founders owe their success to a university degree (91 per cent) as well as resilience (57 per cent), vision (54 per cent ) and willingness to take risks (44 per cent).
Successful funding and takeovers
Outstanding and worth funding
Seven startups i.e., Ailentis, TrainAR, Iduneo, Reduct Store, Fin Acte, The Noc and Gistable availed of the IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH funding schemes in April 2025. Meanwhile, Gamecity Hamburg has made EUR 374,000 in prototype funding available to six games projects including Never Light by Nightless Games, Pet Universe by Tivola Games, Space Station Manager by Gamex Cite, Unbreachable by Buckfish, Deep Fog Signals by Symmetry Break Studio and Cosmic Rund by Zinktank Labs. Break Studio and Cosmic Rund by Zinktank Labs. The Elementarhy and Eternal Power startups came first and second in the H2-Age Award 2025 competition during the H2 National Summit hydrogen on May 8. The win further cements Hamburg's leading role in the hydrogen economy.
Company scaling and growth
Sophia Rödiger, CMO of 1Komma5°shares her experiences of hyper-growth, dealing with low performers, building strong teams and working with corporates in a video on Startup City. This comes after 1Komma5° soared to become a unicorn in 2023 less than two years on the market. The website also looks at the challenges of scaling young companies and gives plenty of tips for long-term growth.
Apply now
Gamers and developers now have until the deadline of June 10, 2025 to apply for the Games Lift Incubator 2025! Five teams will receive EUR ,000, access to a workshop course and contact to leading global experts.
Applications are also being accepted for the Music Worx Incubator 2025 until the deadline of June 18, 2025. Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft and the Ministry of Culture and Media are urging founders and startups in the music sector to apply.
Apply now for the Gründergeist startup competition until the deadline of June 30, 2025. Held by the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg, the search is now on for the most innovative business ideas in the metropolitan region.
mm/kk/pb
Sources and further information
- 3dspark.de
- akeno.ai
- taxdoo.com
- innovationsstarter.com
- elementarhy.com
- eternal-power.de
- Games Lift Incubator 2025
- Music Worx
- Gründergeist
Startup City Hamburg
Click on Startup City Hamburg for an overview of the startups based in Hamburg, funding schemes and networking opportunities. This digital one-stop-shop for Hamburg’s startup ecosystem raises the city’s visibility for fledgling companies both nationally and internationally. Click here to register for the newsletter.
More
Similar articles
New funding schemes for start-ups and SMEs in Hamburg
Networked research central to tecHHub Hamburg
EUR 12 billion for German start-ups
