# German Startups Group

German Startups Group is a Private Equity based in Frankfurt, Germany.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Frankfurt, Germany
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** Frankfurt, Germany
- **Founded:** 2012
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** german-startups.com
- **LinkedIn:** linkedin.com/company/german-startups-market-gmbh
- **Wikidata:** Q5551250

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

German Startups Group is a venture capital firm based in Berlin, Germany. It invests in growth-stage and early-stage companies, with a portfolio including Chrono24, Delivery Hero, and SoundCloud. The firm also operates SGT German Private Equity.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- FinTech
- Digital Health
- Mobility & Transportation
- ClimateTech

## Offices

- Berlin, Germany

## People

- Christoph Gerlinger — CEO & Founder
- Nikolas Samios — CIO

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at German Startups Group?

CEO and founder Christoph Gerlinger sets the strategic direction and leads the investment committee. CIO Nikolas Samios manages deal execution and portfolio oversight. The team operates from Frankfurt and Berlin, with a lean structure that prioritizes direct principal involvement in every allocation.

### How does German Startups Group source proprietary deal flow?

Gerlinger's two decades as a German tech founder and his position in the Berlin startup ecosystem anchor the firm's deal flow. The firm participates in primary funding rounds through direct relationships with local founders, acquires secondary shares from early employees and angel investors seeking liquidity, and occasionally accesses deals through its listed-entity structure.

### Does German Startups Group participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The firm has historically focused on direct equity positions in German-language startups rather than acting as a limited partner in third-party funds. Its model relied on acquiring direct stakes through primary rounds, secondary transactions, and occasionally issuing its own publicly traded shares as deal currency.

### What investment stages does German Startups Group typically target?

The firm pursues a multi-stage mandate from early-stage seed rounds through growth and late-stage positions. Portfolio companies span the full lifecycle from newly formed startups to maturing private companies approaching exit or IPO, reflecting a buy-and-hold approach that the public listing was designed to accommodate.

### Which sectors does German Startups Group explicitly avoid?

The firm concentrates on German technology and digital businesses and has not disclosed exclusions by sector. Its portfolio emphasizes software, fintech, AI, and digital health. Capital-intensive industries like deep biotech, hardware manufacturing, and heavy infrastructure have not been visible in its publicly recorded positions.

## Related profiles

- [German Media Pool](https://altss.com/profile/german-media-pool)
- [German Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/german-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-07-11T00:39:29.000Z

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