New funding programmes InnoVentureFonds and HamburgInnoGrowth successfully launched
The kick-off event for the InnoVentureFonds and HamburgInnoGrowth funding programmes took place on 9 September. Information was provided on which Hamburg companies these programmes are suitable for. In addition, a number of funded startups presented themselves in an expo, with Sympatient and DealCircle introducing themselves to the large audience in more detail.
The IFB has approved over 100 million euros in ten years
The two new funding programmes will strengthen innovative startups and growth-oriented SMEs from Hamburg. A total of 69 million euros in capital is available for this purpose, as the Senator for Finance Dr Andreas Dressel explained in his welcoming speech. IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH and Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Hamburg mbH (MBG Hamburg) have been operationally implementing the funding instruments since April 2024. Ralf Sommer, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank IFB, drew an extremely positive balance for all innovation funding programmes. Accordingly, IFB approved a total of 529 cases totalling 113.3 million euros from 2013 to 2022. A further 199.5 million euros from mostly private sources were added to this.
Examples of successful funding: Sympatient and DealCircle
The startup Sympatient, which has received funding from three programmes, most recently from the new InnoVentureFonds, has benefited in particular. Sympatient has developed an app that offers help with mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders. It has been approved as a digital health application and is paid for by health insurance companies. Co-founder Christian Angern explained that the startup would not have been able to get this far without the support from Hamburg. DealCircle was one of the first startups to receive funding from InnoFinTech, which was initiated in 2022. Founded in 2018 and already supported by InnoFounder at the time, the company describes itself as a ‘Parship for corporate succession’. This year, the team of over 80 people is monitoring around 1,500 such projects.
