5 Takeaways About Our Start-Up Ecosystem
Hessen’s start-up ecosystem is flourishing: Numerous cluster initiatives and a strong educational landscape accelerate the growth of our ecosystem as the recently published „Hessen Startup Monitor 2021“ found out. We have summarized 5 key takeaways for you.
1 – Growth Despite Crisis
More than seven percent of all German start-ups are founded in Hessen resulting in a high position among the federal states in terms of population. In a year-on-year comparison, Hessen even shows the strongest growth dynamic.
2 – Start-Up Strongholds Frankfurt and Darmstadt
The main hotspots for founders are the financial metropolis Frankfurt and Darmstadt in the South of Hessen, known for science and research. The data from the commercial register clearly show that these two cities are home to numerous start-ups. 70 new start-ups were founded in Frankfurt in 2020 – making the city the second-bravest compared to all German cities with less than one million inhabitants. While Frankfurt stands out in the FinTech sector, Darmstadt's start-up scene focuses on the fields of IT and engineering.
3 – Hessen's Great Talent Pool
Hessen already benefits from a large pool of qualified IT specialists: 379 computer science students per 100,000 inhabitants strengthen the ecosystem, outperforming Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin and resulting in a top position in Germany.
4 – Above Average Number of Collaborations
Hessen’s start-ups like to work with established companies, or to be more precise: 75 percent of them do. That is far above average. These cooperations serve as a driver of innovation and digitization for the entire region.
5 – Support Through Financing Rounds
Many capital investors have already discovered Hessen. 5.4 percent of all German financing rounds took place here, putting Hessen again in a top position among Germany‘s federal states in terms of population. Interested investors particularly like to invest in Frankfurt.
If you want to get more insights, have a look at the full report (only in German): Hessen_Startup_Monitor_2021.pdf (deutschestartups.org)