Exploring Germany's Startup Strategy With Digital Commissioner Anna Christmann

Startup, Venture Capital and Tech News from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Executive Summary

Germany has adopted a startup strategy for the first time. One should pay attention if Europe's largest economy makes such a step. The ten bn € Future Fund and others are part of the program, which channels billions in investments to startups in Europe and especially Germany. Therefore, this episode has a special guest, the Commissioner for Startups and Digital Economy for Germany, Dr. Anna Christmann, a Bundestag (the German federal parliament ) member (MdB). We touch on some of the ten points of the strategy and their criticism. The money comes from the ten bn € startup program (aka Future Fund) we covered with her predecessor in June 2021 (YouTube: https://youtu.be/kZxoEUa_6Uk) during the Merkel government. We also brush the topics of the German Deep Tech and Climate Fund, worth one bn €, and the European Tech Champion Initiative, a fund of funds worth four bn €, and how they fit into the programs.

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The Commissioner for Startups and Digital Economy

Our special guest is the Commissioner for Startups and Digital Economy for Germany, Dr. Anna Christmann, a Bundestag (the German federal parliament) member. This video follows her predecessor's interview from June 2021, where we explored how Germany will spend ten bn € in the newly set up startup program (YouTube: https://youtu.be/kZxoEUa_6Uk). She is a Green Party (Die Grünen) member, one of the three parties forming Germany's coalition government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Startup Strategy

In broad terms, the strategy has 10 points in our show notes, links to further readings, and the full policy document in English. (Link below).

1. Strengthen financing for startups
2. Help startups to attract talent, including through improved employee ownership opportunities.
3. Develop a spirit of entrepreneurship and facilitate the setting up new digital businesses.
4. Strengthen female entrepreneurs and support diversity in startups
5. Facilitate startup spin-offs from science and universities
6. Improve the policy environment for startups that serve the common good
7. Mobilise startup competencies for public contracts
8. Make it easier for startups to access data
9. Strengthen regulatory sandboxes and facilitate access to them for startups
10. Put the focus on startups

Ten Billion Euro Future Fund

We already covered the ten bn € startup program (aka Future Fund) with the predecessor of Mrs. Christmann in June 2021. This fund is the source of money to be invested in different initiatives, some mentioned in the interview and shortly covered below (DTCF and ETCI). You can learn more in this interview here on YouTube https://youtu.be/kZxoEUa_6Uk.

Deep Tech and Climate Fund (DTCF)

The one bn € deep tech and climate fund is newly set up as part of the government program.

European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI)

Germany also invests one bn € in the European Tech Champions Initiative. Five EU Member States launched the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI), a Fund of Funds that will channel much-needed late-stage growth capital to promising European innovators. At the time of the recording, four bn € have been committed to the...