Just 150 km from Berlin, Leipzig is not only the fastest-growing city in Germany but also an emerging hub for startups. Part of Central Germany, the region is set to become Germany’s 6th largest city by 2040 with nearly 700,000 inhabitants and is pushing the envelope in the field of science and technology. With three primary growth clusters – Greentech, Life Sciences, and Digital Technology – Leipzig is a vibrant city that is combining industries, investment, innovation, and access to deliver a unique ecosystem.
By being at the intersection of the trans-European transport axes, Leipzig offers proximity to growth regions in Central and Eastern Europe. Its appeal is not limited to its proximity to major economic hubs, but also the access it offers to talent and ecosystem builders. There are 16 public and private universities, and the city also has a branch campus of Lancaster University. According to Invest Region Leipzig, the official business development agency for the city and region, there are over 4,000 students and trainees in ICT-related courses of study or training in Leipzig, and around 1,000 ICT-related graduates per year.
Another key advantage is the Leipzig Region itself, offering ample commercial space and excellent connectivity to the city – creating ideal conditions for growth for both startups and established businesses.
If talent and proximity to economic hubs are a major cog, then ecosystem players like SpinLab (tech accelerator), Basislager (co-working space), Smart Infrastructure Ventures (VC firm), Medical Forge Leipzig (healthtech accelerator), and TGFS – Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen (public VC fund) are an equally important cog in Leipzig’s growth. As tech companies look beyond the more traditional tech hubs, Leipzig is not only drawing interest but has also seen companies like the Unite Group relocate its German HQ from Munich to Leipzig. However, the real excitement is in the startup ecosystem and these are the 12 most influential startups in Leipzig.
Founder/s: Philipp Hahn, Christian Koch, Martin Drößiger, and Torsten Lorenz
The greatest challenge facing the world right now is how to convert carbon dioxide into sustainable chemicals and fuels, and that’s where Leipzig-based enaDyne comes in. A spin-off from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, enaDyne is a pioneering startup that aims to combat climate change by converting CO2 from a pollutant into a valuable resource. It aims to create a climate-neutral future through innovative and patented non-thermal plasma catalytic technology to produce green chemicals and e-fuels. In 2024, the company relocated its headquarters and production site to Leipzig.
Founder/s: Dominik Weis, Fabian Bauhammer, Lucas Kneffel and Felix Weis
Founded by Dominik Weis, Fabian Bauhammer, Lucas Kneffel and Felix Weis in 2022, Cyber Insight is building solutions that help with the prediction and prevention of cyber attacks. It offers a unique platform called Threat Finder that helps IT administrators to identify, manage, and minimise security risks. Cyber Insight uses AI to analyse both individual vulnerabilities within an organisation’s IT infrastructure as well as external threats. Based on the data, it creates automated security assessments and delivers recommendations for the organisation to take appropriate action for risk prevention. The flexibility of the platform and its focus on small and medium-sized businesses with comprehensive consulting and support make it a threat finder for an industry that has yet to adopt cybersecurity solutions.
Founder/s: Iven Kurz and Frank Martin
Established in 2018 and headquartered in Leipzig, Evergreen is a fintech company specialising in sustainable asset management. The German startup offers fair and transparent financial planning and investment services through a digital platform. Led by CEO Kurz, COO Elso Balsters, and CTO Thomas Brinkhaus, the startup is a B-Corp certified asset manager offering solutions for capital-forming benefits, company pensions, and the pan-European pension plan (PEPP). In January 2023, Evergreen raised €1.3M in a seed financing round led by the American ZAIS Group to accelerate product development in sustainability and retirement provision.
Founder/s: Caroline Busse, Marco Eberle, Hyeonmin Kang
One of the challenges in lowering carbon emissions is the lack of reliable monitoring and analysis of natural areas. Leipzig-based Nadar is solving that challenge by using advanced satellite technology and combining multispectral, radar, and lidar data. It crunches that data to present them on a software-based platform with a resolution three times higher than competing solutions. The startup offers two main solutions: Carbon Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). These solutions are designed for companies in the field of nature-based solutions and are required to meet EUDR compliance. The MRV helps companies accurately monitor the carbon storage of their projects while EUDR allows for traceability and tracking deforestation in global supply chains. Its platform is fully GDPR compliant and is supported by partners such as AWS, German Accelerator, SpinLab, and others.
Founder/s: Mathias Jakob, Carolin Maier
Founded by Mathias Jakob and Carolin Maier, Prodlane is a digitalisation specialist based in Leipzig building intelligent software solutions and strategies for medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Its software solutions help companies in their digital transformation journey, and its main product is an intelligent assistance platform for data analysis and knowledge management. Called MAIA, the fully GDPR-compliant solution helps companies manage data efficiently. Alongside this intelligent assistance platform, Prodlane also supports businesses with AI consulting and workshops.
Founder/s: Tim Küsters and Ozan Türker
You may have heard the “Data is the new oil” quote but how do you put that data to good use? Leipzig-based BirdsView is trying to solve that challenge as a software specialist offering high-end marketing automation tailored for small e-commerce businesses. Founded by a data scientist duo, the startup aims to democratise advanced customer engagement technologies for Europe’s emerging e-commerce companies. Through its SaaS platform, BirdsView centralises and updates e-commerce data, converting unused customer information into intelligent profiles revealing insights such as interests, buying behaviour, and loyalty. It also integrated large AI language models such as ChatGPT through Avis, an AI CRM agent for e-commerce.
Founder/s: Roy Kaiser, Erik Junghanns, Benjamin Waal, and Olaf Wiedfeldt
Founded in 2022, Peeriot GmbH aims to democratise the Internet of Things (IoT) by solving the challenge of connecting IoT devices and managing data associated with them. It is developing a middleware platform designed to automate the complex manual activities required to connect IoT devices and manage data. The platform is designed to allow devices to exchange data in a self-organised manner and offers a suite of features including secure data storage, pre-processing, and autonomous data routing. Through its decentralised platform, Peeriot aims to address challenges in interoperability, scalability, and data governance within the IoT sector.
Founder/s: Gilles Dostert, Gabor Suli, Sabrina Donatelli
Gilles Dostert, Gabor Suli, and Sabrina Donatelli bring their extensive experience in architecture, construction, and marketing to automate technical building services through Zenesis. The startup aims to make the process of building planning more efficient with the help of digital solutions and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). The software designed by Zenesis fully automates the creation of planning documents for MEP and acts as the “starting point for the smart building planning of tomorrow.” In addition to planning, the tool can also be used to calculate heating and cooling loads or electrical power. Building planning is time-intensive and data-intensive and through its software solution, Zenesis is automating those time-consuming tasks,helping architects, engineers, and building owners to implement their projects efficiently.
Founder/s: Helena Rapprich, Anina Langhans, and Dr. med. Stefan Rapprich
The three focus areas of Leipzig are Greentech, Life Sciences, and Digital Technology, and one great example of its focus on these areas is LipoCheck. Alumni of SpinLab, the Leipzig-based startup, secured €2.5M in seed funding last month, and it aims to revolutionise the diagnosis and management of lipedema through digital solutions. The German startup is working on a comprehensive solution that helps individuals with lipedema from initial suspicion to self-management. It offers two apps:
LipoCheck: This app enables users to receive a medical assessment and personalised therapy recommendations within days of uploading photos and completing a questionnaire.
LipoAlly: This app provides ongoing support throughout the therapy process. Ally covers everything from resources and tools to assist patients in managing their conditions.
Founder/s: Haim Goldberger and Isaac Litman
An ecosystem’s strength does not come from showing startups that are born there and showcasing startups that move there. A startup in the process of building a German subsidiary in Leipzig is Neteera Technologies, which sees the region offering great support through its local innovation ecosystem and ideal for its growth. Founded by veterans of the Israeli high-tech industry, the startup aims to reduce treatment failures through its AI-powered sensing platform. It has developed an FDA-cleared platform that enables continuous, non-intrusive monitoring of patients’ vital signs and behavioural parameters without the need for physical contact or patient involvement.
Founder/s: Szymon Piątkowski, Prof. Grzegorz Basak, Szymon Wojdat, Karol Lis, Marek Dudziński, and Adam Przybyłek
Nearly 8 per cent of the global population suffers from rare diseases, and on average, it takes five years to diagnose them from first symptoms. Saventic Health, a Warsaw-based startup with a presence in Leipzig and working on a co-operation project with the University Hospital of Leipzig, aims to solve this very challenge. The startup develops AI algorithms to assist in the early and accurate diagnosis of rare diseases. It has developed over 50 AI algorithms and aims to shorten the diagnostic timeline while also improving accuracy. By licensing its Saventic Med Platform to hospitals and clinics, the startup is bringing AI-driven diagnostics to existing healthcare systems.
Founder/s: Donal Morris
An alumnus of Medical Forge, RedZinc is a software company specialising in wearable video technology and real-time video streaming solutions. A healthtech pioneer and one of the leaders in telemedicine, RedZine aims to connect patients and healthcare professionals anywhere through its cloud-based telemedicine platform. Its primary service is BlueEye platform, a managed video service designed for healthcare professionals through a wearable video camera and a web portal to manage real-time video streaming and remote access. RedZinc’s solution enables virtual ward rounds, outpatient department support, remote doctor consultations, and paramedic assistance. The startup operates at BIO CITY Leipzig and is also a user of Medical Forge’s coworking space.
Looking to scale your startup or invest in Europe’s rising tech hub? Leipzig is ready. 👉 Discover your opportunity here: www.invest-region-leipzig.com
