Felix Wagner 
A German court decision highlighted the need for AI music platforms to obtain licences before using copyrighted music for training, marking the first EU ruling on AI training that took place in the United States. The judgment, welcomed by Dutch rights organisation BumaStemra, underscores the importance of European copyright rules for generative AI.
Former FC Bayern player Jovana Damnjanovic has founded Nine Fine Roastery, a coffee-focused startup, highlighted alongside TU Darmstadt’s spin‑off activity and the Swiss AI company BLP Digital in a StartupTicker roundup.
German construction‑tech startup conmeet secured €6 million in seed financing, led by Reimann Investors VC and Smedvig Ventures, to expand its AI‑driven, all‑in‑one platform for mid‑size construction firms across the DACH region.
Berlin‑based startup Zelara is rethinking customer relationship management with artificial intelligence. The company has secured €3 million in funding to build its AI‑powered SaaS CRM solution and plans to use the capital for product development and scaling.
Cologne‑based early‑stage investor neoteq announced that it has successfully closed the first closing of its second fund, marking a milestone in its fundraising efforts as the VC market recovers. In an interview, General Partner Simon Schneider discussed the improving market conditions, the high standards expected from founding teams, and the fund’s focus on DeepTech investments.
German‑French space startup The Exploration Company is poised to secure more than $300 million in funding, pushing its valuation to $2 billion and positioning it as a European rival to SpaceX.
German VC Visionaries Club announced it will reduce its full‑time investment team to two lead partners, Rob Lacher and Venkat Kondragunta, as it gears up for a new GP‑led fund. The move follows departures of two investors and reflects a shift toward an AI‑native, “concentration” model for venture capital. Existing partners and junior investors remain, while the firm continues to back AI‑focused startups such as Lovable, Black Forest Labs and N8n.
Lilium, the German eVTOL startup that aimed to revolutionise regional air transport, ran out of cash after a €100 million state‑guaranteed loan collapsed and a €150 million investment never materialised. The company entered insolvency in October 2024, giving it three months to find new backers, but it ultimately could not, leading to the shutdown of its facilities and the scrapping of its jets.
Mymuesli’s co‑founder Max Wittrock, who helped launch the personalized cereal brand in 2007, has taken over again as chief executive. He announced on LinkedIn that he believes the brand still has huge potential and wants to make it a pioneer once more, working with the existing founding team and shareholders to drive growth.
The German robo‑advisor Scalable Capital announced that it is changing its corporate structure to become an Aktiengesellschaft (AG), marking a significant step in its evolution as a scale‑up fintech company.