Start.up! Germany - NRW

The insurance industry is ripe for innovation and disruption: Modern technologies have found their way into the insurance sector, and investment in InsurTech startups has soared in recent years. Whether it’s developing new insurance models or using data from smartphone apps and wearables to dynamically price premiums according to observed behavior - opportunities for startups are boundless.

The city of tomorrow is a city characterized by the collection and use of data to manage the demands of its citizens efficiently. From traffic monitoring and power generation, to water and waste networks and to schools and hospitals, this is our most diverse vertical.

For centuries increasing mobility and logistic capabilities have allowed us to travel further and organize the transportation of goods more efficiently. And the possibilities are far from exhausted – there is always another new idea that allows startups to improve the way we move people and things.

The Düsseldorf Region is a top-class international business hub. More than 2,500 companies, representing many countries and various branches, have chosen the region as the place for their European headquarters or German subsidiaries.

More than one third of the total turnover by the manufacturing industry is generated on international markets. Of the whole German foreign trade volume, the Düsseldorf Region has a share of approximately 15 %.

Cologne, the city on the Rhine with one million inhabitants, is equally renowned as a center of culture and commerce and is also one of the most important insurance locations. Numerous major international companies have already chosen Cologne as a base for their activities in Germany or even Europe. The central location and the good traffic connections, the outstanding economic power, its leading role as a media and communication center as well as the remarkable quality of life, make the location of Cologne the first choice for founders from all over Germany and abroad. Currently there are around 650 startups with over 9,000 employees based in Cologne.

With around 600.000 inhabitants Dortmund is a major city in western North-Rhine Westphalia and the gateway to the Rhine-Ruhr Area. Dortmund is a regional hub for SMEs and big corporates alike. The city has developed into an attractive location for information- and communication technology, trade and logistics, microsystem-, and energy technology as well as InsurTech and waste management.

Essen is the second biggest city in the Ruhr Area with around 583.000 inhabitants. Essen boasts a variety of companies and a center for services and administration. 13 of Germanys 500 biggest companies have their headquarters in Essen, three of them from the energy sector, six in trade and three in industry. With its central location in the heart of the Ruhr Area Essen gains from great infrastructure including rail, inland waterways, and air and road Networks.

Duisburg and the surrounding region is characterized by a serious structural change from old heavy industry, production and large companies to modern industrial structures, the rise of SMEs and a focus on logistics, trade and services. Duisburg boasts not only the biggest inland port in Europe and a correspondingly well-developed road, water and rail network, but also the biggest steel production plant in Europe. Duisburg has gained significantly from its strategic location as crucial hub on China’s new Silk Road (One Belt, One Road).

Bochum and the surrounding region was once the heartland of Germanys’ ore and coal mining industry. The former dominance of the big mining corporations has since been replaced by a variety of SMEs and global players. While industry is still the main economic focus of the area, service and trade has steadily increased and the region has also developed a reputation for science and technology with a high density of institutions of tertiary education.