• Ongoing Projects
• Green Startup Report (GSR)

Surveying the green startup landscape since 2013

Since 2013, the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability has been continuously surveying green startups in Germany and Europe in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship. From the outset, the aim has been to better understand the role of sustainable startups in ecological transformation and to make evidence-based recommendations for politics, business and society. A series of projects has systematically analysed the developments, potential and challenges of green startups.

With the Green Startup Report, the Borderstep Institute is continuing its research on the development of green startups in Germany. The report builds on the previous projects Green Economy Startup Monitor (2013–2017) and Green Startup Monitor (2019–2024). It expands on these with new methodological approaches and data bases.

Green Startup Report provides an even more accurate picture of the dynamics

The aim of the Green Startup Report is to provide an even more accurate picture of the dynamics of sustainable startups in Germany and to enable reliable statements to be made about their contributions to innovation, market potential and transformative effects. It is based on extensive data analyses of startups, financing structures and industry trends.

A particular innovation is the scientific concept behind the Green Startup Report: for the first time, it combines quantitative and qualitative surveys on sustainable business models, access to capital and technological innovation. This creates a comprehensive, methodologically validated picture of the green startup landscape in Germany.

Broad partner network supports GSR

The Green Startup Report will be published for the second time in 2026 and is being produced by the Borderstep Institute in cooperation with a broad network of scientific, political and economic experts. The network is to be further expanded in order to continuously strengthen the data basis and impact of the report.

The report has three main objectives:

• To record green startup activities in Germany on the basis of current data.
• Analysing the contributions of sustainable startups to innovation and growth.
• Informing science, politics and business about developments and the need for action.

With the Green Startup Report, Borderstep provides a scientifically sound information base that offers decision-makers guidance for promoting sustainable innovation and startups.

Figures, data, insights: illustrations from the Green Startup Report available for free download

Many illustrations from the Green Startup Report and the Green Startup Monitor are available for free download.

What is the state of the green startup scene in Germany?

The Green Startup Report 2025 provided answers based on the evaluation of data on over 12,000 young companies and more than 50,000 commercial register entries on startup investments.

• Which industries are particularly innovative?
• Where are most green startups being created?
• How large is the proportion of female founders?
• And how open is the investor landscape to sustainable business models?

The report also examines questions such as:

• Which regions in Germany are leading the way in green startups?
• How do universities contribute to the creation of sustainable startups?
• What trends are currently shaping the green startup ecosystem?

Whether in politics, science or business, the Green Startup Report offers guidance for anyone who wants to help shape sustainable transformation.

Green Startup Monitor (2018–2024)

The Green Startup Monitor (GSM) analysed the significance of those startups whose products and services actively contributed to achieving ecological goals in line with a green economy.

The study was conceived by the Borderstep Institute in 2018 and published for the first time in 2019. The editions from 2019 to 2024 were produced with funding from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) and published jointly by the Borderstep Institute and the German Startup Association under the title “Green Startup Monitor”.

Green Economy Startup Monitor (2013–2017)

The Green Economy Startup Monitor (GEMO) was the previous project to the Green Startup Report and Green Startup Monitor. In cooperation with the University of Oldenburg, the Borderstep Institute used GEMO to examine key indicators and developments relating to startups in key areas of the green economy, including renewable energies, energy efficiency, the circular economy and other sustainability-oriented industries.

The project kicked off with a pilot survey in 2013 at 30 German startup centres, which systematically recorded the importance of green startups for the first time. In the following years, GEMO was developed into a comprehensive nationwide survey that provided a representative overview of the green startup scene in Germany and formed the basis for its subsequent development into the Green Startup Monitor.