Berlin/Hamburg/Cologne/Munich, March 2025 – YPOG has been involved in several transactions in the start-up sector in recent weeks. Among others, we were able to work with investors and companies such as Climentum Capital, DFF Ventures, Market One Capital, Partech and Project A, Prior Labs, Project Eaden, Movendo Capital and heycater!.
YPOG advises Climentum Capital on Scale Energy's seed financing round
Berlin, February 21, 2025 - YPOG advised the lead investor Climentum Capital on the €2 million seed financing round of the ClimateTech start-up Scale Energy. Vireo Ventures as well as the existing investors Antler and P3A and various well-known business angels also participated.
The company also received a capital commitment for battery storage projects with a total capacity of 100 megawatts from an investor specializing in energy infrastructure in the DACH region.
Scale Energy was founded in 2024 by Elias Aruna, Christoph Kössler and Nikolas Fendel and specializes in energy storage solutions. The company offers battery storage systems that use the free connected load of existing grid connections to stabilize the power grid and reduce energy costs.
Scale Energy will use the funding to expand its operational footprint in Germany and accelerate the deployment of industrial battery projects.
Team:
Dr. Benjamin Ullrich (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Lutz Schreiber (IP/IT/Data Protection), Partner, Hamburg
Anna Eickmeier (IP/IT/Data Protection), Senior Associate, Berlin
Theresia M. R. Heinrich (Transactions), Senior Associate, Hamburg
Farina Weber (Transactions), Associate, Berlin
Dr. Florian Wittner (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associate, Hamburg
YPOG advises DFF Ventures, Market One Capital, Partech and Project A on €14.1 million Series A financing round of METYCLE
Berlin, February 20, 2025 – YPOG advised existing investors Project A, Partech, DFF Ventures and Market One Capital on the €14.1 million Series A financing round of Cologne-based start-up METYCLE. The round was led by London-based venture capital firm 2150.
Founded in 2022 by Rafael Suchan and Sebastian Brenner, METYCLE combines industry experience with modern technology. The company offers a digital platform that covers the entire retail process, from quality assurance to logistics and payment processing.
The capital will be used to further develop the data, software and AI infrastructure in order to make recycling processes more efficient, sustainable and transparent.
YPOG had already advised Project A as lead investor in METYCLE's €4.7 million seed financing round at the end of 2023.
Team:
Dr. Frederik Gärtner (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Ferdinand Cadmus (Transactions), Associated Partner, Berlin
YPOG advises Prior Labs on its fundraising with prominent investors
Berlin, February 5, 2025 - YPOG advised AI start-up Prior Labs on its €9 million pre-seed financing round. The round was led by Balderton Capital, with additional participation from XTX Ventures, Hector Foundation, Atlantic Labs, Galion.exe and a group of prominent AI business angels.
In addition to providing legal advice on the financing round, YPOG provided comprehensive support on legal issues relating to AI and data protection.
Founded in 2024 by Frank Hutter, Noah Hollmann and Sauraj Gambhir, the Freiburg and Berlin based company has developed a new AI model for tabular data to unleash the previously untapped potential of table and database analyses.
With the new funding, Prior Labs aims to further improve its AI model and make it accessible to companies worldwide.
Team:
Dr. Benjamin Ullrich (Co-Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Benedikt Flöter (Co-Lead IP/IT/Data Protection), Partner, Berlin
Tobias Lovett (Transactions), Associated Partner, Berlin
Anna Eickmeier (IP/IT/Data Protection), Senior Associate, Berlin
Farina Weber (Transactions), Associate, Berlin
YPOG advises Project A Ventures on seed financing round of Enapi
Berlin, January 23, 2025 – YPOG advised existing investor Project A Ventures on the €7.5 million seed financing round of Berlin-based EV charging start-up Enapi. The round was led by Voyager Ventures, with Seedcamp and Helloworld VC also participating again.
Founded in Berlin in 2024, the company is developing a clearing house for charging electric vehicles. The start-up connects charge point operators (CPOs) and eMobility Service Providers (eMSPs) to improve the charging experience for drivers and enable a standardized charging network. Enapi is driving the electrification of mobility with scalable solutions.
The funds from the seed round will be used to further develop Enapi's infrastructure, strengthen its market presence in Europe and the USA and expand its technical team.
YPOG has already advised Project A Ventures on Enapi's €2.5 million pre-seed financing round in March 2024.
Team:
Dr. Frederik Gärtner (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Ferdinand Cadmus (Transactions), Associated Partner, Berlin
YPOG advises Project Eaden on €15 million Series A financing round
Hamburg, January 23, 2025 – YPOG advised Berlin-based foodtech start-up Project Eaden on its €15 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Planet A and REWE Group, with participation from DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF), Happiness Capital and AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance. Previous investors such as Creandum and FoodLabs participated again.
Founded in 2022, Project Eaden specializes in the development of plant-based meat using an innovative fiber spinning technology inspired by the textile industry.
The company plans to use the new funds to expand into other European markets, increase production capacity and expand its product portfolio.
YPOG already advised Project Eaden on the seed financing round in January 2023.
Team:
Dr. Adrian Haase (Co-Lead, Transactions), Partner, Hamburg
Dr. Malte Bergmann (Co-Lead, Tax), Partner, Hamburg
Dr. Jacob Schreiber (Tax), Senior Associate, München
Lukas Schmitt (Tax), Senior Associate, Hamburg
Dr. Jonas von Kalben (Transactions), Senior Associate, Berlin
Alexandra Tafel (Transactions), Senior Associate, Berlin/Hamburg
Dr. Gerrit Breetholt (Transactions), Associate, Hamburg
YPOG advises Movendo Capital on expansion of Foodji's Series A round to $28 million
Berlin, January 15, 2025 – YPOG advised Movendo Capital on the expansion of the Series A financing round of the FoodTech scale-up Foodji to a total of over $28 million. The round was led by Kharis Food Tech Fund, with DLF Venture also participating as an existing investor.
Foodji offers smart food vending machines that provide fresh food around the clock. Since it was founded in 2016, Foodji has become the leading solution for companies that do not have traditional canteens.
YPOG has already advised Movendo Capital on the $23 million Series A financing round in March 2023 as well as on the €25 million hybrid financing in November 2024 together with the Portuguese law firm Vieira de Almeida, which was also involved in this round.
Team:
Dr. Benjamin Ullrich (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Farina Weber (Transactions), Associate, Berlin
Benjamin von Mangoldt (Funds, Transactions), Associate, Berlin
YPOG advises heycater! on financing round
Berlin, December 2, 2024 – YPOG advised heycater!, the leading online marketplace for catering and event services in Germany, on the closing of its recent financing round. The amount of the growth financing is in the seven-digit range. Both new and existing investors participated in the round, with IBB Capital providing approx. 70% of the financing and a private investor approx. 30%.
heycater! was founded in Berlin in 2025 and aimed from the start to establish itself as a leading provider in the B2 catering market. Today, more than 2,500 active business customers and 500 catering partners work with heycater! in the largest cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The newly raised capital will be invested primarily in expanding the range of services and extending the service spectrum.
Team:
Dr. Tim Schlösser (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Malte Bergmann (Tax), Partner, Hamburg
Barbara Hasse (Transactions), Senior Associate, Berlin
Dr. Jacob Schreiber (Tax), Senior Associate, Munich
Florian Bacher (Transactions), Associate, Munich
Cyra Dittberner (Transactions), Associate, Munich
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Contact
Benno Engelmann
T +49 172 2749 689 | E presse@ypog.law
Engelmann Advisory
engelmann-advisory.com
YPOG is a law firm specialized in tax and business law, active in the core fields of Funds, Tax, Banking + Finance, and Transactions. The team at YPOG represents a broad client base, which ranges from emerging technology companies and family-run SMEs to large corporations, as well as private equity, and venture capital funds. YPOG is one of the leading advisors for venture capital, private equity, and fund structuring in Germany. The firm and its partners have been recognized nationally and internationally by JUVE, Best Lawyers, Legal 500, Focus, Chambers and Partners as well as Leaders League. Today, YPOG has more than 150 experienced attorneys, tax advisors and tax specialists and a notary, in four offices, located in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Munich.
