Simeon Holtwiesche

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠! The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports on a study published by Speedinvest in collaboration with Bits & Pretzels on the topic of 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. This is an truly important aspect for a sustainable start-up ecosystem, as corporations are the most important partners on the market for most start-ups due to their large customer base, second only to venture capital firms. According to the study, German companies invested more than 90 billion euros in research and development (R&D) in 2023. However, at more than 85 percent, a significantly higher proportion of innovation spending remained within internal structures than was the case with the largest American R&D investors. Companies such as Google, Amazon and Meta, on the other hand, spent twice as much on external innovation, at around 30 percent of their R&D budgets. This includes, for example, investments in start-ups or even acquisitions. Venture clienting units can be an efficient approach for many companies to leverage the advantages of a start-up and are already increasingly replacing start-up accelerators in the corporate environment, since they are superior: - Direct business impact: Start-ups deliver immediately usable solutions to existing problems within the group – not just ‘learning’ or ‘innovation theatre’. - Market-driven validation: The group becomes a customer, not an investor or coach. The start-up must deliver real added value in order to win the contract. - No equity commitment: Unlike accelerators or CVCs, no investment is required. This reduces risk and increases speed. 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!

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Great News: We’re starting a new startup hub in Germany’s capital region! Together with COCONAT - a workation retreat, ignore gravity, Media Deals, Grace - Accelerate Female Entrepreneurship, we are launching the Flämingo Startup Hub in Bad Belzig, Brandenburg – one of six new startup centers funded by the State of Brandenburg and the European Union (EFRE). At this new hub, early-stage startups in the industries of mobility & logistics, ICT & the creative industries, as well as health & well-being will find: ✅ An equity-free accelerator program focused on investment-readiness, growth and expansion ✅ Network of cluster-specific industry partners and peers ✅ Regional potential customers ✅ Free work & testing facilities ✅ A diverse & international community of similar-minded founders of the same industry And: A place to balance out the fast-paced everyday life of a founder with the calmness and leisure opportunities of the countryside. Stay tuned, more is coming soon! For now, head over to our website to learn more about the new hub: https://lnkd.in/eQgrmqNn #DBmindbox #StartupHub #DeutscheBahn #FlämingoHub #StartupBrandenburg #RuralInnovation #StartupEcosystem

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𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 🇨🇭𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀: The joint venture 𝗥𝗦𝗠𝗚 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘄𝗲𝗶𝘇 𝗔𝗚 between Ringier Sports Media Group and Kicker Ventures has officially received the 🟢 green light from the competition authorities in Germany and Austria. At the heart of this partnership is the launch of the 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗛 𝗮𝗽𝗽 – a proven success in Germany, now tailored for 🇨🇭Switzerland. Together with the local strength of sport.ch, we are building a new digital sports ecosystem: locally rooted, internationally connected, and powered by premium journalism and smart technology. For RSMG, this step is both strategic and emotional: expanding our international platform model while strengthening our home market. With kicker as the strongest sports brand in the German-speaking world, we’re uniting complementary strengths to shape the future of digital sports journalism in 🇨🇭Switzerland. To the RSMG Media Release: https://lnkd.in/eR7HET7f Bärbel Schnell | Stilian Shishkov | Tim Kollmann | Lucas Haenni | David Meier | Markus Krienbühl | Alexander Grimm | Dr. Lars Thomas Ihme | Stefan Benkert | Christopher Tausend, CAIA | Kira Schiller |Anita Dünner | Tobias Offergeld | Tommy Dobs | Nadja P. | Johanna Walser | Lennart Löscher | Bjoern Rosenthal | Panagiotis Sourilas | Oliver Kühn | Ringier | kicker | Olympia-Verlag GmbH

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🚀 Today we officially welcome the Futurepath team to WorkGenius. After years of building together with CARIAD (Volkswagen Group), we’ve acquired the remaining 49% of Futurepath GmbH of the joint venture. What this unlocks for our clients and talent: 1. Deeper bench: access to 12,500 highly skilled engineers and STEM experts (EV, automotive software, car OS, core engineering). 2. Sector expertise at scale: bringing Futurepath’s strengths across the U.S. and Europe. 3. Smarter matching: Futurepath’s anonymized insights will sharpen our AI—more precise freelancer & contractor placements. Grateful for the years of partnership and trust with the teams at Futurepath and CARIAD. Thrilled to build the next chapter together. Onward. ⚡

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We invest before there's a market because that’s exactly when the future is being built. In my recent interview with StartupValley Magazine, I shared how we approach early-stage investing at Calm/Storm: We look for unmet needs, overlooked patient behaviors, and founders with a deep conviction about the problem they’re solving. At this stage, there’s rarely data. What we rely on is clarity of vision, relevance of the problem, and the potential for real impact. From AI-enabled infrastructure to holistic preventive care — Europe's digital health landscape is evolving fast. But the real innovation is happening before systems, policies, or even language catch up. If you're building the kind of solution the world doesn't quite know it needs yet — we should talk. Read my full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dBuD8hQj #DigitalHealth #EarlyStageVC #HealthTech #FounderMarketFit #ImpactDriven #VentureCapital #ThoughtLeadership #CalmStorm

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