Best Chemicals and Materials Tech Companies in Germany
The 192 best Chemicals and Materials Tech companies in Germany in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Better Place.
Germany's Chemicals and Materials Tech scene has 192 companies tracked in our directory, ranked by disclosed equity funding and recent momentum — and the $1.1B in total disclosed capital tells you this cluster is serious, even without a unicorn on the board yet.
Ineratec leads the funding table at $149M, with AMSilk not far behind at $69M. Those two alone account for a disproportionate share of the pool, which is exactly the pattern you see in a sector still consolidating around a handful of high-conviction bets. I'd note the EV thread running through everything here: battery chemistry, powertrain materials, next-generation drive systems. That's not a coincidence. Germany's industrial base is reorienting, and materials science is where the hard technical work actually happens. And the apps side confirms the direction, with median install growth running at roughly plus-18% year-over-year across 32 chemicals and building materials platforms. So the digital layer is moving alongside the lab work. Investors like HTGF, EIC Fund, and Planet A keep showing up on cap tables, which signals coordinated, policy-adjacent capital rather than scattered bets. Momentum here is real and it's building.
Our analysis of 50 Chemicals and Materials Tech companies
$4.4b in tracked funding; 79% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Chemicals and Materials Tech companies in Germany
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Place Provider of an AI-powered platform for creating and delivering educational content | $661M | 165 mo ago | Series C | 85 | Ralf Ochs Co-Founder | Cart FunctionalityWooCommerceWordPress+24 | 2 patents Cold water distribution and cooling systems for drinking water supply | — |
| 2 | INERATEC Provider of chemical reactor technology to converts gases into liquid fuels 60Patents top 25%Funding top 27%Talent top 28%Growth top 32% All 11 signals ▾Patentstop 25% Fundingtop 27% Talenttop 28% Growthtop 32% Innovationtop 39% Partnerstop 45% Moattop 47% Globalbottom 49% Marketbottom 41% Techbottom 40% Newsbottom 39% Patents: 57 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 55 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $149M across 16 rounds · 16 rounds over 9 yrs (1.8/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 60/100 | $149M | 16 mo ago | Series B | 67 67 → 147 (+119%) | Tim Boeltken Founder and Managing Director | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+13 | 57 patents Microstructured catalytic reactors with advanced cooling and plate heating for CO₂ electrolysis | 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 3 | AMSilk Manufacturer of biotech silk protein materials for various industry applications 32Patents top 21%Product top 21%Moat top 24%Funding top 31% All 12 signals ▾Patentstop 21% Producttop 21% Moattop 24% Fundingtop 31% Innovationtop 32% Talenttop 38% Newstop 39% Globalbottom 47% Growthbottom 45% Techbottom 39% Marketbottom 29% Fin. healthbottom 16% Patents: 159 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 51 filings since 2022 vs 43 in 2017-21 Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series D rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $69M | 9 mo ago | Series D | 33 33 → 80 (+142%) | Thomas Scheibel Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+15 | 159 patents Silk‑based protein materials for textile finishes, coatings, biomedical adhesives, and composites. | — |
| 4 | Traceless Manufacturer of bioplastics from agricultural waste | $39M | 32 mo ago | Series A | 2 | Anne Lamp Co-Founder & CEO | WixSentryApple iCloud Mail+15 | — | 1 expansion |
| 5 | Insempra Developer of bio-based ingredients for beauty, nutrition, and fiber applications | $35M | 5 mo ago | Series A | 33 | Jens Klein Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+13 | 5 patents Oleaginous yeast bioconversion of lignocellulosic sugars and cell‑free protein synthesis technologies | — |
| 6 | HQS Quantum Simulations Developer of quantum simulation software for spectroscopy and related techniques | $16M | 16 mo ago | Series A | 29 29 → 42 (+45%) | — | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+13 | 49 patents Quantum algorithms for noisy molecular simulation and error mitigation in quantum computing | — |
| 7 | Metals Hub Gmbh B2B marketplace to buy and sell metals and ferroalloys | $15M | 61 mo ago | Series A | 23 23 → 49 (+113%) | — | Node.jsRadix UITailwind CSS+23 | — | 1 partnership |
| 8 | intelligent fluids Provider of cleaning fluids | $11M | 39 mo ago | Series B | 23 | — | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+13 | 10 patents Advanced cleaning formulations, smart photoresist stripping liquids, and biodegradable silica hybrids | — |
| 9 | One fıve Developer of an AI-powered platform for packaging design and solutions 37Talent top 38%Funding top 40%AI top 45%Tech bottom 40% All 7 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Fundingtop 40% AItop 45% Techbottom 40% Globalbottom 38% Moatbottom 38% Marketbottom 33% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $10.1M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $10M | 5 mo ago | Series A | 30 | Claire Gusko Co-Founder | Webflowcore-jsjQuery+9 | — | — |
| 10 | BIO-LUTIONS Manufacturer of biodegradable polymer materials from agricultural waste | $9M | 64 mo ago | Series A | 22 | Eduardo Gordillo Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | — | — |
| 11 | Luxendo Manufacturer of light-sheet fluorescence microscopes for 3D bioimaging | $8M | 113 mo ago | Acquired | 20 20 → 14 (-30%) | — | — | — | 1 award |
| 12 | enaDyne Developer of plasma technology converting carbon dioxide into chemical resources 22Talent top 38%Growth top 45%Funding top 46%Global bottom 45% All 6 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Growthtop 45% Fundingtop 46% Globalbottom 45% Techbottom 32% Marketbottom 18% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Growth: Web rank 10,000,000 → 50,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 22/100 | $8M | 8 mo ago | Seed | 3 | Philipp Hahn Co-Founder & CEO | WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+18 | — | — |
| 13 | DUDE CHEM Manufacturer of green active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical intermediate chemicals | $7M | 28 mo ago | Seed | 16 | Mathis Han Co-Founder & Chief Data Scientist (Cds) | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+12 | — | 1 award |
| 14 | Made of Air Manufacturer of carbon-negative biocarbon fillers and boards for industrial applications | $6M | 56 mo ago | Seed | 22 | — | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+16 | — | 1 launch |
| 15 | BRAIN Developr of bio-based products and natural compounds for biotechnological solutions | $5M | 25 mo ago | Public | 308 | Jurgen Eck CEO | Apple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365PHP+11 | 50 patents Food sweetener formulations and bioengineered sweet proteins/flavonoids; microbial metal recovery processes. | — |
| 16 | Lignopure Developer of lignin-based solutions for various industrial and life science applications | $5M | 23 mo ago | Seed | 15 | Joana Chavez Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+6 | 2 patents Manufacturing ultrafine lignin nanoparticles for bio-based material applications | — |
| 17 | Carbon One Developer of technology for cost-efficient and decentralized green methanol production | $5M | 15 mo ago | Series A | 16 | Christian Vollmann Founder and CEO | Webflowparticles.jscore-js+11 | — | 1 job opening |
| 18 | Level Nine Developer of synthetic nanozyme catalysts mimicking enzymes for green chemical manufacturing | $5M | 3 mo ago | Seed | — | Emily Sheridan Co-Founder & CTO | WebflowjQueryHSTS+6 | — | 1 partnership |
| 19 | Vanilla Steel Online B2B marketplace offering metals | $4M | 59 mo ago | Seed | 30 | Clifford Ondara Co-Founder & Managing Director | — | — | — |
| 20 | Impossible Materials Provider of plant-based pigments | $4M | 36 mo ago | Seed | 2 | Lukas Schertel Founder | — | — | — |
| 21 | aevoloop Developer of fully recyclable, high-performance plastics from upcycled waste feedstocks | $4M | 7 mo ago | Seed | — | Manuel Haußler Co-Founder & Managing Director | Framer SitesReactLenis+8 | — | 3 job openings |
| 22 | cirplus Provider of a platform for procuring recycled plastics | $4M | 28 mo ago | Seed | 15 | — | StoryblokNode.jsReact+16 | — | — |
| 23 | Temicon Manufacturer of Nano and Microstructure components | $4M | 74 mo ago | Public | 65 | — | TYPO3 CMSApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+9 | 52 patents Optical light‑guiding panels and structured light‑deflection surfaces for illumination. | — |
| 24 | Quantistry Provider of AI and cloud-powered quantum simulation solutions for chemicals | $3M | 27 mo ago | Series A | 15 | Arturo Robertazzi CGO & Co-Founder | Webflow EcommerceWebflowcore-js+12 | — | — |
| 25 | LXP Group Developer of second generation biomass manufacturing technology | $3M | 48 mo ago | Series B | 10 | — | — | 7 patents Purification of phosphoric acid and lignin extraction/recovery from biomass streams | — |
| 26 | micro resist technology Developer of photoresists, polymers, and photopolymers | $3M | 68 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Gabi Grutzner Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+22 | — | — |
| 27 | Evonik Developer of green specialty chemicals | $2M | 216 mo ago | Public | — | — | WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+19 | 1,983 patents Advanced polymer purification, nanomaterial synthesis, and catalyst surface modification processes. | 1 award |
| 28 | BIOVOX Manufacturer of bio-degradable plastic materials | $2M | 20 mo ago | Seed | 10 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | — | — |
| 29 | Cevotec Provider of technology for carbon composite fibre production | $2M | 59 mo ago | Series A | 18 18 → 22 (+22%) | Neven Majic Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+28 | 22 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | 4 launchs |
| 30 | nextnano Software for simulation of electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor nanodevices | $2M | 65 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Stefan Birner CEO | — | — | — |
| 31 | PlasmaChem Nanomaterial based solutions & measurement facilities | $2M | 60 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Alexey Kalachev CEO & Director | — | — | — |
| 32 | TECNARO Develops thermoplastic biomaterials using renewable raw materials | $1M | 63 mo ago | Funding Raised | 7 | Jurgen Pfitzer CEO | WordPressTYPO3 CMSMySQL+6 | — | 1 partnership |
| 33 | Plasmion Manufacturer of SICRIT based chemical sensors | $1M | 88 mo ago | Seed | — | Jan Christoph Wolf CEO & Executive Director | — | 19 patents Gas-phase ionization and chromatographic separation instruments for analytical chemistry. | 1 partnership |
| 34 | Molecular Networks Cheminformatics software for drug discovery | $1M | 61 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Johann Gasteiger Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+17 | — | — |
| 35 | Revoltech Provider of hemp fiber based sustainable textiles | $1M | 48 mo ago | Seed | 19 | Montgomery Wagner Co-Founder & COO | WebflowMicrosoft 365jsDelivr+7 | 6 patents Plant-based planar textile structures for nonwoven fabric manufacturing | 1 launch |
| 36 | Engineered Nanoproducts Germany Coating & productivity enhancement solutions based on nanotechnology | $964K | 175 mo ago | Public | 41 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Vanguard Automation Provider of 3D printing technology for the electronic industry | $752K | 65 mo ago | Acquired | 19 | Thorsten Mayer CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+15 | 13 patents Photonic packaging wire‑bonding and optical metrology for non‑spherical object pose detection. | 1 award |
| 38 | Sixonia Manufacturer of graphene | $747K | 68 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Martin Lohe Founder | Node.jsRadix UITailwind CSS+14 | — | — |
| 39 | Raith Provider of nanofabrication systems and characterization solutions for industry and academia | $476K | 62 mo ago | Funding Raised | 11 | Masum Khan CEO | BreakdanceWordPressApple iCloud Mail+16 | 13 patents Focused ion beam and SIMS instrumentation for semiconductor inspection and advanced ion source generation | 1 job opening · 1 expansion · 2 awards |
| 40 | JPK Instruments Nano-analytic instruments for life sciences and soft matter applications | $301K | 137 mo ago | Acquired | 175 | — | — | 77 patents Advanced scanning probe microscopy systems for multi‑modal sample analysis and cellular activation measurement | — |
| 41 | Avant-garde Materials Simulation Provider of AI/ML-assisted parameter generation for ab-initio-grade force fields | $284K | 40 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Elsa Gheziel-Neumann Human Ressources and Communication Director - CEO | — | — | — |
| 42 | SmartMembranes Developer and manufacturer of porous material using alumina and silicon | $265K | 100 mo ago | Seed | 4 | Monika Lelonek Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 43 | KOHPA Developer of carbon fiber paper heating technology for various applications | $236K | 57 mo ago | Seed | 3 | Walter Reichel Founder | — | — | — |
| 44 | Zelfo Technology Manufacturer of the natural fibres | $159K | 83 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Grégoire De Vilmorin Co-Founder & New Business Director | — | — | — |
Top 12 Chemicals and Materials Tech companies in Germany
#1
Series A · Planegg, Bavaria · founded 2021 · 33 employees$35Mraised▾
Developer of bio-based ingredients for beauty, nutrition, and fiber applications. The company utilizes biotechnology to produce sustainable alternatives to traditional ingredients. These ingredients are intended for use in the beauty, personal care, food, nutrition, and fashion industries. The company focuses on creating ingredients through precision fermentation and other biotechnological processes.
- Jan 2026Series A$500K
- May 2024Series A$20M
- May 2021Seed$15M
#2
Series D · Neuried, Bavaria · founded 2008 · 33 employees$69.4Mraised▾
Manufacturer of biotech silk protein materials for various industry applications. The company utilizes protein design and precision fermentation to produce materials with superior performance and lower environmental impact. These materials are available in formulations including fibers, yarns, hydrogels, and silk powder. The company provides these materials to enhance consumer lives across multiple industries.
- Sep 2025Series D$61M
- Apr 2023Series C$27.1M
- May 2021Series C$35.2M
- Jul 2016Series C—
#3
Series A · Hamburg, Hamburg · founded 2017 · 30 employees$10.1Mraised▾
Developer of an AI-powered platform for packaging design and solutions. The platform helps brands make informed decisions about packaging, aiming to optimise time to market. It offers tools for material scouting, packing trials, and customer acquisition. The platform seeks to minimise guesswork by calculating product-market fit and optimising research and development spend. It also focuses on future-proofing growth by complying with regulations and leveraging sustainable innovations.
- Jan 2026Series A$16.2M
- Sep 2022Seed$10.1M
#4
Series B · Germany · founded 2015 · 67 employees$149.2Mraised▾
Provider of chemical reactor technology to converts gases into liquid fuels. It develops multiple conversion processes, such as gas-to-liquid technology that can convert associated natural gas, flared gas, and renewable gas into synthetic hydrocarbons and fuels, power-to-gas technology that can convert hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide into synthetic natural gas, and power-to-liquid technology that converts renewable electricity and carbon dioxide into liquid, fuels, and chemical feedstocks.
- Jan 2025Grant (prize money)$31.3M
- Jan 2025Venture Debt$41.7M
- Jan 2024Series B$129.2M
- Apr 2023Grant (prize money)$55.1K
#5
Seed · Berlin, Berlin · founded 2023$4.6Mraised▾
Developer of synthetic nanozyme catalysts mimicking enzymes for green chemical manufacturing. Their technology operates at the nanoscale, enabling highly efficient and sustainable chemical processes that convert waste and biomass into renewable chemicals.
- Mar 2026Seed$4.6M
#6
Seed · Leipzig, Saxony · founded 2022 · 3 employees$8.2Mraised▾
Developer of plasma technology converting carbon dioxide into chemical resources. The technology processes carbon dioxide into sustainable chemical resources with high efficiency. It enables the defossilisation of industry through innovative plasma reactors. The technology is applicable to the refinement of raw biogas into higher-value hydrocarbons. It also supports the decarbonisation of industrial point sources. The technology facilitates the sustainable production of chemical energy storage and transport media.
- Sep 2025Seed$8.2M
- Jul 2021Grant (prize money)—
#7
Seed · Leipzig, Saxony · founded 2024$3.8Mraised▾
Developer of fully recyclable, high-performance plastics from upcycled waste feedstocks. The company transforms plastic waste into chemical building blocks through efficient upcycling. These blocks are then used to create high-performance materials designed for repeated recycling. The resulting materials match the performance of polyolefins and are ready for large-scale production.
- Oct 2025Seed$3.8M
#8
Series A · Karlsruhe, Baden-wurttemberg · founded 2017 · 29 employees$16.2Mraised▾
Developer of quantum simulation software for spectroscopy and related techniques. The software suite is designed for nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, turning spectra into chemical insight. It improves mixture analysis on compact low-field devices. The company delivers quantum mechanics-based analysis software that turns physics into industry-ready spectroscopy workflows.
- Jan 2025Grant (prize money)$2.6M
- Oct 2022Grant (prize money)$36.8K
- Jan 2022Series A$13.6M
- Nov 2020Grant (prize money)$294.3K
#9
Series A · Berlin, Berlin · founded 2021 · 16 employees$5Mraised▾
Developer of technology for cost-efficient and decentralized green methanol production. The company focuses on creating an ultra-efficient catalysis process. This process enables the mass production of high-purity green methanol at a competitive price. The technology uses non-fossil feedstock, low pressures, and low temperatures at any plant scale. The company's reactor design facilitates decentralized green methanol production.
- Mar 2025Series A$16.4M
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$5.5M
- Jan 2023Seed—
- Mar 2022Seed$5M
#10
Seed · Hamburg, Hamburg · founded 2019 · 15 employees$5.3Mraised▾
Developer of lignin-based solutions for various industrial and life science applications. The company transforms unrefined lignin into ultra-fine powders without chemical modification. This process preserves lignin’s natural multifunctionality for high-performance applications. The company's technology is flexible and scalable, leading the way towards a biobased society.
- Jul 2024Seed$2.6M
- Feb 2021Seed$2.7M
#11
Series A · Hamburg, Hamburg · founded 2020 · 2 employees$39Mraised▾
Manufacturer of bioplastics from agricultural waste. Its product portfolio includes biodegradable and traceless films, plastics, and coatings. Its features include natural polymer materials, home-compostable, and environment-friendliness.
- Sep 2023Series A$39M
- Jan 2022Grant (prize money)$2.8M
- Jun 2021Grant (prize money)$60.6K
- May 2021Seed—
#12
Seed · Darmstadt, Hesse · founded 2020 · 10 employees$2.5Mraised▾
Manufacturer of bio-degradable plastic materials
- Sep 2024Seed$2.5M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
How research on Advanced Materials is moving in Germany
A read on the academic research around Advanced Materials — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 461 Germany-affiliated papers.
- Technische Universität Dresden35
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology30
- Saarland University24
- Chemnitz University of Technology20
- TU Dresden20
- Nanotechnology4→18
- Smart material21→33
- Elastomer4→13
- Actuator19→27
- Polymer6→14
- Shape-memory alloy13→18
- 3D printing1→4
- Elastomer5→8
- Self-healing hydrogels4→6
- SMA*6→8
- Smart material1→5
Where advanced materials is researched across Germany
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing advanced materials patents in Germany
Germany advanced materials patent filing is cooling — 27,694 filings from 8,000 assignees (2016–2025), led by BASF SE, Siemens, Fraunhofer GES Forschung; annual filings 3096→1972.
- BASF SE2648
- Siemens2096
- Fraunhofer GES Forschung1477
- Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe1264
- Constr RES & TECH1186
- Thyssenkrupp1112
- Robert Bosch1106
- Merck Patent1053
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.