German Startup Monitor 2017 – call upon all founders: tell us about your needs and experience!

06/07/2017  |  News | Trends

Currently, the German Startups Association is conducting the data collection for the 5th German Startup Monitor. CODE_n supports the German Startup Monitor as a network partner. Raise your voice and take the survey now!

What is the German Startup Monitor?

Since 2013, the German Startup Association (GSA) publishes the German Startup Monitor (DSM) as an annual study on startups and the regulatory framework for innovative entrepreneurship in Germany. To this end, the GSA develops an extensive questionnaire based on a common academic framework composed of nine fields of interest which can be differentiated between 1) statements about the founders and the startup as well as 2) statements about the environment. The former focuses on management/team, market access, finance, processes and product/service while the latter includes politics, competition, infrastructure/networks and society/culture.

The aim of the DSM is to both gain valuable insights into the German startup ecosystem and derive data-based policy recommendations for a founder friendly regulatory environment. The DSM has established itself as the study on the national startup ecosystem in Germany and is frequently cited by media outlets and politicians.

Who conducts the German Startup Monitor?

In addition to the GSA as the representative and voice of the German startup ecosystem, KPMG and KPMG Smart Start contribute to the study as a long-standing supporter and editor of the DSM. The academic partner and author of the 4th and the 5th DSM is Prof. Dr. Tobias Kollmann, Chair for E-Business and E-Entrepreneurship at the University Duisburg-Essen.

Who can participate in the German Startup Monitor?

According to the DSM, startups are defined by three characteristics:

  1. Startups are younger than 10 years.
  2. Startups feature (highly) innovative technologies and/or business models.
  3. Startups have (or strive for) significant employee and/or sales growth.

This narrow definition clearly differentiates startups from conventional businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), making the DSM a unique and exclusive startup study: while most statistics rely on small samples and estimations or include all foundations of businesses without specifically focusing on startups, the DSM collects primary data which is collected through an extensive network of partners.

In order to ensure a high quality of data, founders and executives of startups in Germany receive a specific link to the online survey of the 5th DSM via the study’s network partners. Partners of the DSM are inter alia regional startup organizations, incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces, venture capital firms, research institutes, startup events and other entities with direct reach to founders and a strong startup network.

Why should one take part in the German Startup Monitor?

In order to represent the interest of the German startup ecosystem and derive targeted policy recommendations, the GSA depends on the participation and input from founders and c-level employees of startups in Germany. Share your experiences and make sure your needs and interests are heard and consequently represented – especially in the context of the upcoming federal elections.

Due to the representative input in the previous years, the GSA successfully promoted policies that favour entrepreneurial activities and strengthened the German startup ecosystem. These included – among others – the tax loss carryforward and the introduction of a stock market segment for startups.
Finally, as a sign of appreciation for your investment in the ecosystem, the GSA raffles various prizes – such as a Wildcard to the German Valley Week, tax and legal advice from KPMG, and an online seminar with Prof. Dr. Tobias Kollmann – among all participants.

How can I participate in the survey for the 5th German Startup Monitor?

Please fill in the survey via http://umfrage.deutscherstartupmonitor.de/dsm265.

Who can I contact in case of questions?
Feel free to contact Lukas, Head of Research at the GSA, in case of questions or comments on the DSM.