These startups were funded by IFB in January 2025
IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH has started the new year with a lot of momentum and added six new startups to its funding programmes in January. In this article, we briefly introduce MyProtectify, Bridge&Tunnel, casuu.care, HIVESOUND, MUVN and Allcasts.
MyProtectify
According to statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office, more than 250,000 people in Germany were victims of domestic violence in 2023, and these are just the reported cases. It is mainly women who are affected. Sogol Kordi, founder of MyProtectify, was one of them. With her startup, funded by the InnoImpact programme, she now offers a digital point of contact for anyone seeking protection and help in such a situation. Continuous availability is guaranteed by a chat function supported by artificial intelligence. MyProtectify attaches great importance to comprehensibility, rapid communication of offers of help, anonymity and data security.
Bridge&Tunnel
Bridge&Tunnel, another InnoImpact-funded project, is one of Hamburg's longest-running startups with a social commitment. It employs women who would otherwise hardly get a chance on the job market, for example because they lack knowledge of the German language. At Bridge&Tunnel, they can use their skills as seamstresses, among other things, as the startup is committed to upcycling, the recycling of materials that have already been used. For example, new bags are created from discarded old jeans. Bridge&Tunnel has recently started offering a repair service, Re.Vive, as a further measure against textile waste.
casuu.care
casuu.care is new to the InnoFounder programme. In Germany, the shortage of skilled workers in the fields of nursing and medicine is particularly severe, and the healthcare system is dependent on immigration. casuu.care offers virtual training scenarios for the technical language training and further education of non-native-speaking doctors and nurses. They practise the terms and phrases required for their work in their home countries using realistic AI-based simulations. This significantly shortens the training period in Germany.
HIVESOUND
Artificial intelligence in beekeeping - this is the business idea of the startup HIVESOUND, which has also received InnoFounder funding. The starting point is the fact that the behaviour of bees, and in particular their buzzing, allows conclusions to be drawn about the state of health of the insects. Continuous monitoring by sensors enables rapid action if irregularities are detected. The HIVESOUND app can also be used to organise the management of the beehives.
MUVN
Carsharing, the shared use of private vehicles, has been around for a long time. The startup MUVN adds another component to this concept. Using an app, carpooling opportunities can be found not for people, but for items that need to be transported from one place to another. This allows drivers to earn extra income and shippers to save on the costs of professional carriers. The idea earned MUVN funding from the InnoFinTech programme.
Allcasts
Podcasts continue to enjoy great popularity and are therefore becoming increasingly attractive for advertisers. The startup Allcasts offers an AI-supported platform for brands, agencies and publishers to analyse and optimise the success of podcast campaigns. Founded in 2023, the company has already achieved some success on the German market and aims to do the same internationally in 2025. The funding from the InnoRampUp program provides additional momentum.
