Hamburg Startup Monitor 2026: Ecosystem is entering crucial phase of development
The Hamburg Startup Monitor 2026, published jointly by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the German Startup Association, shows that the Hanseatic city remains one of the most important startup hubs in Germany, but at the same time faces a crucial question: How can Hamburg develop into a successful scaleup ecosystem like Berlin and Munich?
The Hamburg Startup Monitor 2026 is a special analysis of the German Startup Monitor 2025, published last September. It incorporates, among other things, the answers of 201 respondents from Hamburg (nationwide: 1,846). These are the key findings:
With 1,540 active startups, Hamburg remains the third-largest startup ecosystem in Germany after Berlin and Munich.
203 startups were founded in 2025 – an increase of 26% compared to the previous year.
22% of startups belong to the GreenTech sector (16% nationwide).
Since 2015, 3.3 billion euros have been invested in Hamburg-based startups – significantly less than in Berlin (38 billion euros) or Munich (12 billion euros).
66% of respondents emphasise the importance of in-person events for networking and collaboration, a significantly higher proportion than the national average (56%).
At 23%, Hamburg's proportion of female founders is above the national average of 20%.
Internationality is important location factor
Hamburg is well positioned in terms of its international outlook: 21% of Hamburg’s startup founders were born abroad (Germany: 13%). The city is, on the whole, very attractive to international talent. 49% of respondents agree with this (national average: 40%). Nevertheless, Hamburg’s startups still have some catching up to do: English is the working language in 40% of companies, compared to 67% in Berlin (national average: 37%). Berlin also has a clear lead over Hamburg in terms of the overall proportion of international team members, at 42% compared to 31%.
When it comes to growth, the picture is mixed. Although just under half of Hamburg’s startups have raised external capital (44%) or plan to do so, Hamburg lags behind the hotspots of Berlin (43%) and Munich (37%) in terms of venture capital funding already secured, where the figure stands at 23%. Whilst Munich and Hamburg were still at a similar investment level around ten years ago, the Bavarian city has recently pulled significantly ahead. The situation is better when it comes to public funding and business angels, where Hamburg is well above the national average.
In addition to access to growth capital, the Hamburg Startup Monitor highlights further key areas for improvement in the city. There is significant potential for Hamburg when it comes to translating scientific research into successful businesses. To date, Hamburg-based founders are less satisfied with the proximity to universities than their counterparts nationwide (74% vs. 82%). With the new Startup Factory Impossible Founders, a structure is currently being established that aims to strengthen spin-offs from universities and, in particular, offer better conditions for scaling up DeepTech startups. However, knowledge transfer must also gain in importance for all stakeholders in the Hanseatic city.
