Although like most European tech ecosystems it suffered amid market shakes — year on year VC funding was down 43%, from $21bn in 2021 to $12.1bn in 2022, according to Dealroom — there are signs that 2023 is looking a little brighter. Funding into German startups fared better than expected in the first quarter of the year, up 28% on Q4 2022.
Scroll down for this year's selection of German startups to watch, based on funding momentum (how quickly a company has raised at each stage), market opportunity, competitive advantage and investor strength. These companies, which span all sectors and stages, made a big impact in 2022 and are expected to continue to do so in 2023.