Global Founders Capital

Mixed Founder Sentiment, Strong Startup Opportunities in Germany

A Bitkom survey on 'Startup Sentiment 2026' finds roughly half of founders would start again in Germany, with 20% favoring another EU country and only 7% the US. The article argues that despite complaints about bureaucracy, regulation and capital access, Germany’s startup dynamics—especially in B2B and industrial applications—remain strong. Sources cited include the Deutscher Startup-Monitor and the Applied AI Institute, which counts about 900 German AI startups (over 90% B2B) and notes more than €2 billion recently invested in the sector. Many founders value proximity to industrial customers and real-world application environments. The piece also highlights a European Investment Fund proposal for a ~€15 billion fund-of-funds to close late-stage financing gaps estimated at ~€70 billion. Author: Jasper Roll (Haufe Group Ventures).

Arthur Gerigk: Insights from Silicon Valley's AdTech Leaders

Arthur Gerigk, a former Marketing Chief at Rocket Internet who later worked at Facebook/Meta, Google and Snap, is interviewed on the OMR Silicon Valley Updates podcast. He recounts his career path from building automation and learning Python at Rocket Internet-era startups to being recruited by Facebook in 2016, then moving on to product work at Google and a role at Snap. The conversation covers cultural and compensation differences between the Valley and Europe, behind-the-scenes behaviors of leaders like Mark Zuckerberg (focused on product reviews), Facebook’s five-year “Recharge” leave practice, and the distributed leadership structure inside Google’s ads, search and sales organisations (mentions Jerry Dischler, Prabhakar Raghavan and Philipp Schindler). The episode was recorded in California with host Christian Byza.

Germany's Tech Titans: Wealth Shifts and Rising Stars

OMR published a podcast episode summarising Manager Magazin’s updated list of Germany’s 500 richest people and a filtered Top‑20 of the wealthiest German tech entrepreneurs. Andreas von Bechtolsheim is the largest gainer year‑on‑year, with his net worth rising by about €8.4 billion to roughly €17.7 billion, moving him from #19 to #10 on the overall list and making him the richest German tech founder. The Top‑20 skews toward senior tech founders (notably multiple SAP founders such as Hasso Plattner and Dietmar Hopp), while some founders (e.g., Sportradar’s Carsten Koerl and the Samwer brothers) saw wealth declines. OMR/Manager Magazin note stock market gains—especially in tech equities and Arista Networks’ sharp share-price rise—and geographic shifts in Germany’s startup power from Berlin toward Munich, partly attributed to TU Munich’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.