The NRW Startup Reports 2025, commissioned by the state's Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy, confirm this: The state continues to be one of the top startup locations in Germany. This is due in part to the great dynamism and diversity within the startup ecosystem. The results, which are based on a survey of the startup scene and extensive company data, paint a positive picture for NRW.
Two-thirds of respondents rate the ecosystem as "very good" or "good" and value the networking and funding opportunities in particular. In 2024, 674 startups were founded, which is a 26% increase over the previous year. Venture capital investments increased by 58%, especially in artificial intelligence. Additionally, nine startups achieved scale-up status, valued at over 100 million US dollars – more than twice as many as in the previous year. Another notable aspect is that approximately one-third of the founders have a migration background, which is roughly equivalent to the proportion of individuals with a history of immigration in NRW.
The startup ecosystem in NRW is one of the most attractive and fastest-growing both in Germany and internationally. While the median ecosystem value of the world's 50 leading startup locations decreased by 24%, the total ecosystem value in NRW increased by 9% to 12.6 billion US dollars.
The complete NRW Startup Reports can be found here.