Record for German start-ups: AI boom drives new company formations to a new high

AI as the central driver

The upward trend, which according to the Startup-Verband has been ongoing since mid-2025, has thus noticeably accelerated. The association also attributes the development to the labour market: "Für viele Talente wird die eigene Gründung zur attraktiven Alternative, während etablierte Unternehmen bei Neueinstellungen deutlich zurückhaltender geworden sind."

Regionally, Berlin remains the clear number one with 429 company formations, but is growing relatively slowly at plus 21 percent. Hamburg recorded 212 new start-ups and overtook Munich, which had not recently been reached in this order of magnitude. Bavaria recorded 626 company formations (plus 48 percent), North Rhine-Westphalia 539 (plus 45 percent), and Baden-Württemberg 377 (plus 55 percent). Overall, the number of new start-ups grew in all federal states.

Locations: Berlin remains ahead, Hamburg overtakes Munich

By far the strongest sector remains software with 844 new company formations. Germany is also growing when it comes to particularly capital-strong unicorns – start-ups with a billion-euro valuation: Since the beginning of the year, six new unicorns have been added, so that Germany now counts 36 such "Unicorns". By comparison: according to the Startup-Verband, the United States has more than 900 start-ups with a billion-euro valuation and thus far ahead of Germany.

Unicorns and the gap to the USA

Pausder also drew a political demand from the figures: "In Europa fehle ein starker Kapitalmarkt, sagte Pausder. Steuerliche und regulatorische Hürden für Wagniskapital müssten durch Anreize für Investoren ersetzt werden." Despite the record, the Startup-Verband thus sees structural weaknesses that could slow the growth potential of the German start-up scene.

Political demands on the capital market

The study by the Startup-Verband comes at a time when the debate about the competitiveness of Europe as a business location has regained sharpness. While the number of new company formations shows that Germany has a vibrant founding culture, industry representatives also point to the gap in large-volume financing and risk-tolerant venture capital. Pausder's reference to missing incentives for investors targets precisely this gap.

For the coming months, the association expects that the AI focus of many company formations will continue to shape the picture. According to the Startup-Verband, which of these young firms manage the leap into the group of unicorns depends not least on whether enough risk capital is available in Europe to finance the next growth phase.