{"id":1163,"date":"2017-02-21T23:26:05","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T23:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.startupblink.com\/blog\/?p=1163"},"modified":"2023-10-24T17:53:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T17:53:35","slug":"frankfurt-startup-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupblink.com\/blog\/frankfurt-startup-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"Frankfurt Startup Ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Frankfurt<\/h5>\n
Click here to view Frankfurt\u2019s Startup Ecosystem Dashboard<\/a><\/h5>\n

Introduction to Frankfurt\u2019s Startup Ecosystem<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

When we talk about Frankfurt in this article, we actually describe the whole area around Frankfurt, which is known as \u201cFrankfurt Rhine-Main<\/span><\/a>\u201d or FRM. It is one of eleven European metropolitan areas.\u00a0 <\/span>Of those, it is the third biggest in Germany with a population of more than 5,8 mn and a Gross Regional Product of 150+ bn \u20ac (approx. the GDP of New Zealand). Obviously, the strength of this community lies in its decentralization. The whole area has something to offer from the European Space Operations Centre of ESA<\/span><\/a> in Darmstadt to the Financial Hub Frankfurt and the knowledge of the universities in Mainz.\u00a0 In StartupBlink’s 2019 report<\/a><\/strong>, Frankfurt ranked 4th in Germany and 94th globally.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Frankfurt\u2019s Startup Success Stories<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

You may not notice from the top of your mind, but there are many successful companies from Frankfurt that play or played some role in your life. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the highlights is the acquisition <\/span><\/a>of Fintech 360T<\/span><\/a> (a trading network for foreign currencies) by Deutsche B\u00f6rse (who also runs the Frankfurt Stock exchange and DAX) for 725 mn Euros (almost 800 mn US$ at the time). If you ever paid abroad or used foreign currency, the related transaction might have taken place there.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may also know the shopping club of Amazon, called BuyVIP<\/span><\/a>? The private shopping club was started in 2006 in Madrid and Frankfurt. Later it was bought by Amazon. Another e-commerce company is still making headlines in FrankfurtRheinMain. Mobile shop builder Shopgate<\/span><\/a> just recently announced a $15m Series C financing round and started their expansion in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ever played the computer games like the \u201cAnno\u201d-Games? You can guess it, they also come from the RheinMain Area, from a company now know as Blue Byte Mainz<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, an important player in the gaming industry hails from Frankfurt: You may have never heard of them, but Crytek is a real hidden champion. It\u2019s CryEngine is in the background of many ego-shooting games, as 3d engine (e.g. Far Cry or Crysis). You can also watch others playing games live via Frankfurt-based Rocket Beans TV<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much more recent startups in the RhineMain Area have been successful in crowd-funding, like cobi bike, the 2nd most successful\u00a0bike related campaign of all times<\/span><\/a>. Also, the Antelope Suite<\/span><\/a> (fitness) has been a very successful crowdfunding campaign, which also received numerous awards. <\/span><\/p>\n

Adding to all of that, there was an explosive growth of all kinds of startups, but especially fintech. A few years back, it was really hard to see any startups at all, now there are more than 200, counting only those that the authors of this article are aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths of the Frankfurt Startup Ecosystem<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Frankfurt has a history of innovation, like being home to the world\u2019s first airline<\/span><\/a>, so it is not surprising that it is a fast-growing startup hub. A big advantage of the FRM area is the great number of large corporates (like Deutsche Bank, Schott, Opel, Frankfurt Airport, Merck KGaA, Sanofi, Deutsche Flugsicherung, \u2026). They are not only a source of corporate capital, a cooperation partner but also a very important training ground for entrepreneurs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, Frankfurt is a big financial center with 70.000+ employees and very important financial institutions like the ECB, ECB Banking Supervision – SSM, the European Insurance Oversight, German Stock Exchange, Bundesbank, and the German financial oversight Bafin.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may not have noticed, but Frankfurt combines this know-how with its function as a creative center with 60.000+ employees in diverse creative areas as Gaming (e.g. Deck 13<\/span><\/a> who already won multiple awards) and there are more than 200 companies related to the film industry, who call FRM home. One should not forget the many add, press and creative agencies, employing thousands of creative and bright minds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The area has also a high density of smart brains with 25+ of institutions of higher learning and more than 200.000 enrolled students. This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n