The German Startups Association (Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V.) has published the 2025 Startup Monitor. The results were presented on Monday, 29 September, by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche. According to the report, a particularly large number of founders come from the University of Cologne, which once again ranks as the most start-up-friendly non-technical comprehensive university in Germany. Compared with the previous year, it improved its ranking from third to second place. A total of 3.9 per cent of respondents obtained their highest academic degree in Cologne. Only the Technical University of Munich produces more founders (4.2 per cent of respondents). With around 1,800 founders surveyed, the annual study is considered the most comprehensive analysis of the German start-up scene.
The study also examines the role of universities within Germany’s start-up ecosystem. Around 80 per cent of respondents (81.6 per cent) highlight proximity to universities as a locational advantage — as a source of talent, knowledge transfer, and new ideas. Over half of the founders (50.9 per cent) also reported receiving support from universities. They rated networking with “relevant stakeholders” — for example, in connection with funding issues or collaborations with businesses — and the transfer of entrepreneurial know-how as particularly helpful.
Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee, Rector of the University of Cologne, said: “The University’s strong showing in the German Startup Monitor confirms that embedding knowledge transfer at the heart of our institutional strategy has been the right decision. We aim to encourage and enable students and researchers to apply the innovative ideas emerging from our university’s excellent research. We are especially pleased that so many of them wish to help shape our society’s future through entrepreneurial means.”
As part of North Rhine-Westphalia’s “Excellence Start-up Centre” initiative, the University of Cologne has significantly expanded its start-up support since 2019. The number of supported start-ups has increased from 14 in 2020 to 41 in 2024.
To better promote the growth of already established start-ups, the University of Cologne, together with RWTH Aachen University and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, has founded the Gateway Factory. This facility is among the ten start-up factories funded by the German Federal Government and will receive up to ten million euros over the next five years to support deep-tech start-ups. The initiators also include the Gateway University Alliance Cologne and the Munich-based company Start2 Group.
