Germany’s start-up sector is regaining momentum – thanks to a dynamic ecosystem shaped by entrepreneurial spirit, government support and strong industry clusters, ranging from Berlin’s vibrant tech scene to regional hubs throughout the country. Initiatives such as the de:hub network are connecting founders with established players, while new legislation aims to make investment easier and reduce bureaucracy. International entrepreneurs are increasingly drawn to Germany’s mix of cutting-edge research, skilled talent and access to Europe’s largest consumer market. Our guests: Philipp Kövener is Director of Trend & Innovation Scouting at Germany Trade & Invest. Together with his team, he supports start-ups entering the German market and helps those from Germany grow internationally. Johannes Büker is co-founder of Hydronauten, a Rostock-based start-up that developed pioneering pump technology to save energy and stabilize power grids. Anna Bojić is co-founder and CEO of Miss Moneypenny Technologies, a Berlin-based company transforming digital wallets into powerful customer engagement tools.

Offshore wind currently produces around 6% of all electricity fed into Germany's public grid, but by 2045, that figure will need to be quadrupled. It’s a heady but achievable challenge. What started out 15 years ago as a couple of experimental facilities is now a major pillar of Germany’s conversion to renewable energy. We look back and ahead at the biggest changes, challenges, and innovations – and explore how business opportunities are evolving in this dynamic sector. Our guests: Simon Hagemann is Head of Pipeline Development at Swedish utility Vattenfall, the company behind Germanys first offshore wind farm. Markus Nölke is Managing Director of WAB, a nationwide network for the wind energy sector, representing around 250 companies and research institutes across the wind, maritime, and emerging hydrogen industries.

On April 6, 2025, conservative Friedrich Merz was sworn in as Germany’s tenth chancellor. He leads a coalition of his center-right CDU_CSU alliance with the center-left SPD, two rivals united by a 144-page coalition agreement. Its top focus? Business, growth and competitiveness. What opportunities does this political shift offer for international companies looking to invest or expand in Germany? We get some answers from Julia Braune, CEO of Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI). Our guest: Julia Braune has been CEO of GTAI since February 2023. The organization – the Federal Republic of Germany’s international business promotion agency – is responsible helps foreign companies expand to and in Germany and German-based companies do business abroad.

The foremost challenge for entrepreneurs and start-ups with potentially game-changing ideas is getting financial support for ideas and business concepts that, by definition, are completely untried. Germany recognizes the dilemma and has set up a government agency, called SPRIND (www.sprind.org), to assist the most audacious of innovations. We talk to SPRIND’s innovation manager and an agency-supported start-up that wants to rid the world’s waters of microplastics. Our guests: SPRING Innovation Manager Olav Carlsen has specialized in radical business notions for more than 30 years. He now focuses on seeking out innovative ideas in Germany to ensure they get the support they need. Roland Damann is founder and CEO of Microbubbles, a company that has developed a novel approach to the problem of microplastic pollution.

Germany has long been an innovator in truck manufacturing and is leading the way on the next generation of electric drive solutions. Though still in its early stage, logistics is shifting gears, and registration figures for electric trucks in Germany are twice as high as the EU average. From 2021 to 2023, the number of e-powered vehicles on German roads almost doubled. But what still needs to change for e-trucks to become the industry standard, and when will the shift likely be complete? To get some answers, we talk to a German trucking company and one of the world largest manufacturers of heavy transport vehicles. Our guests: Kristiane Schmidt is Sustainability Manager at Contargo and an enthusiast for the development of sustainable solutions in the logistics sector. With a Master of Science in Physics and an MBA in Sustainability Management, she combines scientific precision with practical commitment. At Contargo, she relies on facts and empathetic communication to actively and sensitively drive change. Andreas Ritter has been working in container logistics for over ten years and has in-depth specialist knowledge and practical experience in this field. He is particularly interested in the optimization of processes and the further development of hinterland logistics. As Terminal Manager of the Hof site and a member of the Transport and Mobility Committee of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Upper Franconia Bayreuth and the Hof Chamber of Industry and Commerce committee, he is actively involved in shaping the future of the industry. Nils Heine has been working in various functions in the automotive sector for over 30 years. Since the launch of the new MAN TG3 series in February 2020, he has been responsible for sales at MAN as well as for zero-emission truck projects and their market launch in Europe. He demonstrates that the switch to zero-emission driving is not only exciting, but also necessary, with his personal drive - he rides his bike to work 90% of the time.

R&D in Germany has a long tradition. Its prestigious research institutes are known across the world. And no other European country invests more money in research and development – around 130 billion euros across all sectors in the last year for which figures are available. But part of Germany’s strength is its relatively decentralized, bottom-up orientation. A leader from Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research and a neurologist turned entrepreneur explain what makes R&D in Germany so special. Our guests: Professor Thomas Fritz leads the research group “Music Evoked Brain Plasticity“ at the Department of Neurology at the Max Planck Society. His research led him to the foundation of Jimmyn – a start-up based on a software that enables the conversion of bodily movements into music. Armin Reinartz is Head of the Directorate-General “European and International Cooperation” at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

GDP may have stagnated, foreign direct investment continued apace in Europe’s largest economy. 2024 was a banner year for German pharma and artificial intelligence. The world’s largest IT companies invested heavily in data centers, and the government further relaxed entry regulations for international professionals with sought-after skills and launched massive infrastructure projects to provide the country with green energy. INTO GERMANY looks back at the year that was. Our guests: Our year in review features leaders from business and politics and Germany Trade & Invest experts from a variety of fields.

Germans may have taken a while to get used to cashless payment systems and other fintech applications, but they’re now rapidly becoming standard in both B2B and B2C. Where are the greatest opportunities and what does the future ho0ld in store? We speak to the head of Berlin’s new fintech hub and the strategy guru at a French neobank that has branched out to Germany. Our guests: Sebastian Schäfer is an experienced entrepreneur and ecosystem builder and CEO at the newly established HoFT, the House of Finance and Tech in Berlin. Founded in spring 2024, it serves as a central hub within the city’s finance and tech ecosystem. Albertine Lecointe is Vice President of Strategy and Head of Strategic Management at French neobank Qonto, which expanded to Germany in 2020.

The German vegan and vegetarian movement goes back to the nineteenth century, but this lifestyle and nutrition choice has never been so popular. More than a third of Germans opt for a plant-based diet. The German plant-based retail market has been valued at around €1.9 billion, making it the biggest in Europe. We talk to two up-and-coming companies and the head of a leading pro-meatless advocacy group about what the future holds in store. Our guests: Tom Johansson is founder and CEO of Hooked Foods, a Swedish start-up producing vegan “seafood” based on plant protein. Elin Roberts is co-founder and co-CEO of Better Nature, a UK-based producer of tempeh. Jens Tuider is Chief Strategy Officer at ProVeg International, which originated in Germany and aims to “transform the global food system.“

Germany remains a pioneer when it comes to self-driving cars. Europe’s automotive heartland is the first country in the world to pass nationwide regulations for level-4 autonomous vehicles. International businesses that expand to Germany will find top-class research facilities, a well-trained and innovative workforce and an open-minded car culture! Our guests: Yang Ji is founder and CEO of LiangDao, a Chinese-German software and engineering service provider of AI-based sensor systems with offices in Munich and Berlin, as well as in Beijing and Shanghai. LiangDao is focusing on the so-called LiDAR technology, which is crucial for self-driving cars. Christoph Mester is Manager of Transportation Technologies at GTAI and works for the agency’s investor service department. As an expert for future mobility, he advises international companies planning to expand to Germany.

Green hydrogen is a key part of Germany’s drive to decarbonize industry and transition to clean energy. To that end, the country is establishing a core network, spanning 10,000 kilometers all across Europe’s largest economy. What are challenges faced by the new distribution grid? How many of the old natural-gas pipelines can be repurposed? How much new construction is needed. Germany’s biggest gas network operator and the German Association for Gas and Water give us some answers.    Our Guests:   Philipp Ginsberg is Head of Grid and Heating Policy at the DVGW, the German Association for Gas and Water, which currently has around 14,000 members, including 2,000 utility companies. Since its formation more than 150 years ago, it has been the first point of contact for all questions relating to the supply of gas and drinking water in Germany. Niko Bosnjak is Head of Communications & Energy Policy at Open Grid Europe. With around 13,000 kilometers of pipelines, Open Grid Europe is the largest of Germany’s 16 long-distance gas network operators.

Germany is setting record upon record for renewable electricity, but the hardware used to generate that energy is not built for the ages. What to do with all the outdated and decommissioned equipment? We talk to an innovative French company that’s brought its solutions to Germany and to a German industry association that aims to convert the wind energy sector into a circular economy.   Our Guests:  Markus Krausewitz is the German site and ramp up manager for ROSI, a French company specialized in the recycling of PV modules. ROSI – an acronym for Return on Silicon – is currently building its first German plant in the eastern regional state of Saxony. Annette Nüsslein is founding and board member of RDRWind, a German association dealing with repowering, dismantling and recycling wind turbines. It was established in 2018 to develop standards and norms for the recycling process.

Food, accessories, services, tech gadgets - the house pet market is huge and diverse. The number of pets in Germany has been growing for years, and so has the amount Germans are willing spend on the welfare of their animal loved ones. And the outlook for the future is top dog! So what are the particulars of Germans’ relationships with their pets? We talk to a Swedish pet insurance company that has recently expanded to Germany. And we ask two members of Germany‘s biggest pet association for an overview of a doggone great market.   Our Guests:  Natalie Rosen is country manager for Germany at Swedish company Lassie, a preventative pet insurance provider that entered the German market in 2023. Antje Schreiber and Rowena Arzt work for Germany’s oldest and biggest pet association, the Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe, ZZF. It represents the professional, economic and socio-political interests of the German pet industry and organizes the world's leading trade fair Interzoo. Arzt is responsible for the exhibition department as well as a subsidiary that helping companies in the pet business internationalize their business. Schreiber is head of communications.

Intel, TSMC and Tesla are just three of the commercial giants that are increasing their business by expanding to the eastern part of Germany. Unlike former spurts of investment in the regions that used to be Communist East Germany, growth this time around seems more organic and likely to last. Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to say that the economic map of Germany is being redrawn. We speak to an expert on business in the region and one of the companies benefitting from going east. Our Guests: Martin Ledwon is vice president of stakeholder relations at UPM Biochemicals in the city of Leuna. The company is a new division of Finland’s biofuel pioneer UPM, and the plant being built in eastern Germany will produce chemical products from wood stocks to be used in place of chemicals from fossil fuels. Silke Poppe is Germany Trade and Invest’s expert on Germany’s eastern regional states and other areas undergoing structural change. She travels around the world promoting investment through GTAI’s Internationalization of Regions in Structural Transformation program, and oversees other business development programs for the east, including Taskforce Transformation. Video link audio credit to NDR https://www.facebook.com/ndrinfo/videos/30-jahre-w%C3%A4hrungsunion-helmut-kohls-vision-von-bl%C3%BChenden-landschaften/902774740205272/

The costs of converting Germany's power supply infrastructure to renewably generated electricity is enormous. Some skeptics fear the high cost of the transition will frighten off international companies. But there is also a case that with increasing numbers of firms committed to carbon-neutral production, Germany's green energy grids will soon a powerful argument for them to do business there. Our Guests: Nicolas Steinbacher is Senior Director of Strategy & Corporate Development for Swedish lithium-ion battery company Northvolt in Germany. Northvolt has broken ground on a gigafactory in northern Germany with its huge supplies of wind-generated electricity. Marco Nix is Chief Financial Officer for 50Hertz, one of Germany's electrical transmission grid operators. His company is building thousands of kilometers of power lines to feed green grids bringing energy from wind and solar sources in the north, to manufacturing centers in the south of the country.

In late 2023, American pharma giant Eli Lilly and Company announced plans to build a $2.5 billion production facility in western Germany. It’s one of the largest investments in the sector ever. The plant will at first produce its new tirzepatide drugs for diabetes and obesity. Demand is expected to soar. The major expansion comes as Berlin is reforming the rules governing German pharma, with a key aim of boosting drug production within the country. Our Guests: Gerd Kräh is associate VP of government affairs with Eli Lilly Deutschland. He is one of the most experienced media and political affairs executives in the German pharmaceutical industry. Marcus Schmidt is director of the chemicals and health division at Germany Trade & Invest. He has worked as an advisor to the German government on reforming policies regulating the pharmaceutical sector, and helped Eli Lilly and Company find a location in Germany to build one of its largest plants outside of the United States.

Germany’s GDP growth has slowed recently, and the number of FDI projects are slightly lower, but the country’s long-term stability and even its transition to sustainable industry are still attracting big projects in critical sectors as pharma, microchips and battery production. Eli Lilly and Company, Intel and Northvolt are just some of companies pushing ahead with gigantic endeavors in Germany. But what challenges await in the future? Our Guests: Terry Toland is a co-author of the Kearney 2023 Foreign Direct Investment Index and the thought leadership manager at the firm’s Global Business Policy Council. Robert Hermann is the CEO of Germany Trade & Invest, Berlin’s international economic promotion agency.

As Germany’s median age rises, new opportunities are opening the med-tech sector, for instance in the area of physiotherapy. At the same time, “silver agers” determined to remain active and fit in their later years is configuring the market for fitness clubs and service. There’s plenty of room in industry for international players. Our Guests: Davide Ferrario and Marco Sauer are with Movendo Technology, an Italian company pioneering robotic physiotherapeutic devices driven by artificial intelligence. The machines are being used to help people retain mobility into advanced age and recover more quickly from injuries. Florian Brauer is senior global product manager at FIBO, Germany’s annual fitness trade fair, and the largest of its kind in the world. FIBO will be held again in Cologne in April 2024.

Germany is aiming to become climate-neutral by 2045 – to help combat climate change but also to become more resilient in its energy supply. Russia’s war oin Ukraine highlighted an aspect of energy provision most people had previously ignored: storage. As renewables take over an increasing share of the powermix in Germany, opportunites are being created everywhere for innovated solutions in the energy storage sector. We take a deep dive. Our Guests: Lars Stephan is senior policy and market development manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Fluence company. Fluence is a global leader in energy storage products, services and software, operating in 47 markets around the world. The company was founded in 2018 as a joint venture between Siemens in Germany and AES in the United States. Beatrice Schulz is head of technologies and markets at Germany's BVES Energy Storage Systems Association. The BVES is the largest trade association in the world for players in the energy storage sector. It represents a spectrum of storage technologies in the sectors of electricity, heat and mobility. Links to sound clips: Joe Biden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK80IAM7Pgg Boris Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK80IAM7Pgg Olaf Schulz - One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Lvhy5sZ-4 Olaf Schulz - Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEjdiduyQXI

Is "smart city" just another buzzword? Or a useful way of thinking about how to make urban life more livable, sustainable, diverse, healthy and equitable? We speak to the head of one of the largest property development and urbal planning projects in Europe, HafenCity Hamburg. And we get an assessment from two smart-cities experts on the challenges and opportunities of the metropoles of the future. As Germany’s cities grow, and environmental and other demands intensify, the need for innovative and intellegent urban planning is creating business opportunities in Europe’s largest economy. Our Guests: Andreas Kleinau is the CEO of HafenCity Hamburg, Europe’s most extensive inner-city property development project. Started 25 years ago, HafenCity is now a vibrant, functional part of Germany’s second biggest city. Its unique mix of commercial, residential, educational and leisure aspects has won many major architecture and urban design awards at home and abroad. Tamlyn Shimizu is the lead for global partnerships and communication at Bable. A spin-off of leading Geran applied research organization the Fraunhofer Society, the young company fosters relationships with key stakeholders to promote sustainable and innovative urban solutions. Shimizu is also the host of Bable's "Smart in the City" podcast Robert Compton is a deputy director of energy construction and environmental technologies at Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) and a key figure in GTAI’s Smart Cities initiative. Walt Disney sound bite courtesy of 1966 EPCOT Film: https://youtu.be/UEm-09B0px8?feature=shared