This week, the latest edition of the German Startup Monitor was published by the Startup-Verband. The annual study sheds light on the German startup landscape, including the academic backgrounds of founders and the pivotal role universities play in the German startup ecosystem.

This year, 3.5 % of participating founders earned their highest degree at RWTH Aachen University – ranking RWTH third among Germany’s leading startup universities.



A few key insights from this year’s report:

🔬 Universities remain a cornerstone of Germany’s startup scene: 81.6% of founders highlight proximity to universities as a decisive location advantage.

🦾 Deeptech startups are on the rise: 11 % of all startups fall into this category, and almost 60 % of them develop their products directly from research results. Operating at the intersection of research and industrial implementation, they make universities indispensable partners in the startup ecosystem.

🧑‍🏫 Universities play a pivotal role in the startup ecosystem: Over half of all German startups have received support from a university, and founders especially appreciate networking with relevant players, access to startup know-how, and the speed of processes — underlining the growing relevance of universities in the ecosystem.

📝 Universities are also central when it comes to intellectual property: most external IP used by startups originates from science, highlighting academia’s critical role in knowledge and technology transfer.



These results motivate us to keep strengthening Entrepreneurial Transfer at RWTH and ensure our founders have the best possible support to turn ideas into impact.

Read the full report via the attached link.



Uniklinik RWTH Aachen | RWTH Collective Incubator