Artificial Intelligence Leads Quintet of Big German VC Deals

DeepL, Cologne, AI translation, USD 300 million The translating tool works for over thirty languages and is used by more than 100,000 companies, which convinced investors it was worth some serious support. DeepL says it will use the money to expand its distribution and marketing activities and bolster its research and development program.

Black Semiconductor, Aachen, microchips, EUR 228.7 million National and regional German governments are investing nine figures in this promising semiconductor start-up from the western city of Aachen. The German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate action has personally praised Black Semiconductor and underscored the significance of faster chips for artificial intelligence applications.

Cognigy, Düsseldorf, AI customer service, USD 100 million This fledgling firm, also from the west of Germany, took in nine figures of its own in a successful series C funding round. The money will be used for expansion. Cognigy’s current customers include Lufthansa, Toyota and Mercedes Benz.

Isar Aerospace, Munich, aerospace, EUR 65 million This up-and-comer from the Bavarian capital has long been a favorite of investors and has now received a major supplement to its Series C funding. The fresh capital coms from the NATO Innovation Fund, which aims to invest more than a billion euros in defense, security and resilience deeptechs.

Cylib, Aachen, recycling, EUR 55 million This start-up has developed a hybrid mechanical and chemical procedure for recapturing material from electric vehicle batteries that it says is 90 percent more efficient than conventional methods. Cylib started operating a pilot facility in Aachen in September 2023 and plans to construct an industrial-scale facility in the western regional state of North Rhine-Westphalia by 2026.