The startup scene in Germany

Essen’s September 2026 survey by EWG reported 171 startups and about 2,500 startup employees. EWG counted 22 additions during the preceding 12 months, including both newly formed firms and companies relocating to Essen, so the figure is not limited to locally founded startups.

Essen-linked support includes GUIDE, the University of Duisburg-Essen’s founder-support center, which operates across all three campuses and provides students, employees, and researchers with initial advice, coaching, and funding guidance. GUIDE also connects research teams with patent scouts and transfer pathways; it lists an Essen location at Universitätsstr. 2, 45141 Essen.

UPSCALER Academy, operated by EWG, describes a nine-month incubator with a stipend of up to €18,000 and services or support valued at more than €10,000. Its Class 3 application phase had ended when the official page was checked; the page indicated that inquiries about future cohorts were possible. Eligibility includes startups founded in Essen, planning to form there, or considering relocation to the city.

Other documented activity includes Sterne.io, which EWG describes as a 2025-founded firm with AI-enabled operating software and a central Essen showroom, and brands x games, which EWG describes as an Essen startup developing AI-enabled advertising for video games and lists at Mathildenhof in Rüttenscheid. Separately, UDE reported that SMART GUIDE was selected for Start-up Center.NRW in July 2025 and describes AI startup mentoring and technical product support. BRYCK was selected in July 2025 for a Ruhr-region Startup Factory project with support of up to €10 million, according to Campus Start-ups.NRW; this is regional, not Essen-only, support.