Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - Start-ups in Hesse are also currently feeling the reluctance of investors. This affects companies "throughout the bank," said Sebastian Schäfer, managing director of the "TechQuartier" start-up center in Frankfurt. Alexander Hirschfeld from the Federal Association of German Startups also states: "We can see that the start-up business climate is also trending downwards. Especially when looking to the future." The reluctance of investors is particularly noticeable in larger financing rounds, although solid business models still have good chances of raising money, it said.
A spokesman for the Hessian Ministry of Economics announced that the number of financing rounds and the amount of investments since the beginning of the year have been at a similar level as in the same period last year. Notable investments were made in the start-ups Wingcopter (drones) with 42 million euros, Enviria (solar concepts, 22.5 million) and Node Energy (energy supply, 7 million).
According to Schäfer, start-ups that focus on renewable energies or are aimed at business customers are better positioned than those that target end customers. In Hesse, with the banking center Frankfurt, there are strengths in financial start-ups. In addition, the focus there is increasingly on business models aimed at companies. Increases in key interest rates are a central factor in the reluctance of investors. In addition, the Ukraine war and the energy crisis are creating uncertainty.
According to the auditing and consulting company EY, investments in start-ups fell nationwide in the first half of the year. According to this, growth companies collected around 6 billion euros in venture capital - after 7.6 billion euros in the same period last year. But it was still the second-best first half of all time.
According to Schäfer, companies in growth phases face tougher negotiations. "Some won't make it either," it said. However, young companies that are not dependent on outside capital are less affected. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, existing start-ups are more likely to be affected by the gloomy business climate, while there is greater activity among start-up ideas and start-up consultations.
