In the past two years, the situation for startups in Germany has improved. This is what 42% of tech startup founders say. Another 40 percent see no change, and only 12 percent complain about the deteriorating situation for start-ups. These are the results of a survey of around 150 technology startups commissioned by the digital association Bitkom.
As for your own startup, the balance sheet isn't quite as good, but again, the positive ratings of 40 percent far outweigh the negative ratings of 19 percent. 39 percent see no change for their company. “Those who found a startup generally look at the world with optimism. This positive attitude is an invitation to politicians to turn observers into fans,” says Bitkom president Achim Berg. “Years ago, Germany set itself the goal of becoming a start-up nation and catching up with countries world leaders. We are on the right track, but we are still far from achieving our goal.”
If you ask founders what are the biggest obstacles in the daily life of startups, general bureaucracy (63%) and general skepticism about innovations in Germany (60%) are most frequently mentioned. “The state must take the lead in countering this skepticism about the technology,” Berg said. “For example, high-performing startups should be given more consideration when awarding public contracts. With their technology-driven approaches, startups can not only digitize government but also drive megaprojects like transportation and energy transition forward.”
Other obstacles for start-ups are the difficult financial situation in Germany (49%) and the lack of skilled workers (43%). About one in three startups criticize excessive or incorrect regulation in individual sectors such as health or finance (34%), high taxes (32%) and strict data protection requirements (also 32%). One in four startups find the lack of collaboration with established companies (26%) and Internet connections too slow (22%) critical. At the bottom of the list are lack of collaboration with other startups (13 percent), too small office space (9 percent), and too small domestic market (6 percent).