StartingUp
StartingUp is a German-language entrepreneurship magazine and digital platform, founded in 2004 and operated by brutkasten GmbH in Munich, serving founders and young entrepreneurs across the DACH region with quarterly print issues, online content, and paid subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What StartingUp does
StartingUp is a German-language startup and entrepreneurship magazine founded in 2004 and operated by brutkasten GmbH, headquartered at the WERK1Bayern startup hub in Munich. The publication targets founders, freelancers, and young entrepreneurs across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), producing four print issues per year under recurring rubrics including Ideen (Ideas), Gründen (Founding), Fördermittel (Funding), Marketing, Geld (Money), Recht (Law), Praxis (Practice), Tools, and Wachsen (Growth). The digital surface centers on starting-up.de, supplemented by an additional content platform at gruenderberater.de, an exclusive subscriber newsletter managed via CleverReach, and a digital magazine archive gated to paying subscribers.
StartingUp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StartingUp
- Legal name
- brutkasten GmbH
- Website
- https://starting-up.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StartingUp is a German-language entrepreneurship magazine and digital platform, founded in 2004 and operated by brutkasten GmbH in Munich, serving founders and young entrepreneurs across the DACH region with quarterly print issues, online content, and paid subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StartingUp industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Media
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL)
Keywords
Where StartingUp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
StartingUp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Annual subscription model offering 4 print issues per year plus digital archive access. Subscribers receive exclusive online access to all past magazine issues.
- Advertising & Banner Sales: Display advertising on the website and magazine, managed through businessAD. Banner advertising partnerships with third-party advertisers.
- Content Seeding / SEO Articles: Paid SEO article placement services for building organic backlinks and brand awareness, offered through services.brutkasten.com/startingup-seo/
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Vorteilsabo (Annual Subscription) - Germany |
| Subscription | Annual | Vorteilsabo (Annual Subscription) - Europe |
| Subscription | Annual | Vorteilsabo (Annual Subscription) - International |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Issue Purchase |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
StartingUp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
StartingUp publishes a German-language quarterly print magazine and online platform covering business ideas, founding, financing, marketing, legal, and growth topics for founders and young entrepreneurs. The offering is monetized through annual subscriptions (Vorteils-Abo), single-issue sales, display advertising, and paid SEO content seeding, with subscribers receiving four print issues per year plus access to a digital archive of all past editions.
Product overview
StartingUp is a German-language entrepreneurship magazine established in 2004, operated by brutkasten GmbH. The offering consists of the core StartingUp Magazine (print publication with quarterly issues since 2004) and the StartingUp Online Platform (digital content hub). The portfolio includes a subscription service (Vorteils-Abo), a free newsletter for exclusive founder content, a digital archive of past magazine editions for subscribers, and the Gründungsassistent tool for registered users. The magazine publishes under categories including Ideas, Founding, Funding, Marketing, Money, Law, Practice, Tools, and Growth, targeting German-speaking founders and young entrepreneurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StartingUp: German entrepreneur magazine covering startup topics, funding, marketing, strategy, and business ideas for founders
Products and services
- StartingUp Magazine A German-language quarterly print and digital entrepreneurship magazine providing in-depth articles on founding, financing, marketing, legal, practice, and growth strategies. Sold via annual subscription and individual issues, aimed at founders, freelancers, and young entrepreneurs in the DACH market.
- StartingUp Vorteils-Abo (Annual Subscription) Annual subscription offering four printed StartingUp magazine issues per year plus exclusive online access to the complete digital archive of past editions. Priced at €48/year (Germany), €53/year (Europe including Austria and Switzerland), and €64/year (rest of world), all including shipping.
- StartingUp Newsletter Free email newsletter providing exclusive editorial content for founders and entrepreneurs, featuring startup news and insights. Distributed via CleverReach as a standalone free offering to build the subscriber funnel.
- StartingUp Online Platform The digital editorial platform at starting-up.de offering online articles, news, expert interviews, and categorized resources (Ideen, Gründen, Fördermittel, Marketing, Geld, Recht, Praxis, Tools, Wachsen, News) for the German-speaking startup community.
Companies that use StartingUp
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
StartingUp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
StartingUp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- businessADminorAdvertising sales partner for banner advertising on starting-up.de. Manages display advertising inventory and sales for the publication.
- WERK1Bayern GmbHcoreCoworking and startup hub hosting the StartingUp headquarters at their facility in Munich (Am Kartoffelgarten 14). WERK1Bayern supports the startup ecosystem where StartingUp operates.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
StartingUp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Business Punk: Business Punk is a German business/startup magazine with a print + digital model targeting founders and young entrepreneurs. It is structurally similar to StartingUp in audience and product mix, though with a more lifestyle-oriented editorial tone.
- t3n: t3n is a leading German-language digital business and startup magazine covering founders, digital transformation, and tech careers. It directly overlaps with StartingUp's audience and editorial scope, but operates at significantly larger scale with stronger digital and event presence.
- Gründerszene (by Business Insider Deutschland): Gründerszene is the dominant German-language online publication covering startups, funding, and founder stories — a direct editorial competitor with a digital-first format that competes for the same reader and advertiser base as StartingUp.
- deutsche-startups.de: deutsche-startups.de is a long-running German startup news portal covering funding rounds, founder interviews, and ecosystem news. It overlaps heavily with StartingUp's news content but is purely digital with no print component.
Emerging players
- OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars): OMR is a German digital marketing and founder media brand with strong event (OMR Festival) and content operations. It overlaps with StartingUp's marketing and growth content and competes for the same founder/marketer audience.
- Gründerlexikon: Gründerlexikon is a German-language knowledge platform providing practical guides on business formation, legal structure, and funding. It competes with StartingUp's Gründungsassistent and how-to content but lacks the editorial/news angle.
Broad incumbents
- impulse: impulse is an established German business magazine for SMB owners and self-employed professionals. It serves a similar founder/SMB audience but is positioned as a broader business publication rather than a startup-focused title.
- WirtschaftsWoche: WirtschaftsWoche is one of Germany's leading weekly business newspapers covering markets, companies, and entrepreneurship. It overlaps with StartingUp's founder and SME readership but operates at a much broader scale and price point.
- Forbes Deutschland: Forbes Deutschland is the German edition of Forbes, covering entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders. It competes for high-profile founder storytelling and advertiser attention, but at a much larger international scale.
Others
- FAZ Gründerszene section: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung publishes a Gründerszene/founder section within its broader newsroom. While not a direct standalone competitor, it occasionally covers German startup stories that would otherwise appear in StartingUp.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
StartingUp social profiles
Digital presenceStartingUp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StartingUp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
StartingUp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StartingUp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StartingUp
What does StartingUp do?
StartingUp publishes a German-language quarterly print magazine and online platform covering business ideas, founding, financing, marketing, legal, and growth topics for founders and young entrepreneurs. The offering is monetized through annual subscriptions (Vorteils-Abo), single-issue sales, display advertising, and paid SEO content seeding, with subscribers receiving four print issues per year plus access to a digital archive of all past editions.
Is StartingUp a public or private company?
StartingUp is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was StartingUp founded?
StartingUp was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StartingUp based?
StartingUp is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does StartingUp make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are advertising & Banner Sales and content Seeding / SEO Articles.
Who are StartingUp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Business Punk, t3n, Gründerszene (by Business Insider Deutschland) and deutsche-startups.de. Emerging players are OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars) and Gründerlexikon. Broad incumbents are impulse, WirtschaftsWoche and Forbes Deutschland. FAZ Gründerszene section is listed as an others.
Does StartingUp have an API?
No public API is recorded for StartingUp.
What industry is StartingUp in?
StartingUp's product category is Entrepreneurship Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACALAL, Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.