Germany Needs Founders Who Want to Win – Not Just Start
By Christian Lüdtke

Germany needs founders who think like top athletes: ambitious, passionate, and focused.
People who don’t just want to be the part of the game – but who want to win it.

Germany has no shortage of brilliant minds. We see it every day: outstanding tech talent, deep science and countless start-ups with potential. What’s missing far too often is something less visible – but far more decisive: the mindset to win.

At BRYCK, we believe the future of entrepreneurship in Germany – and across Europe – will be shaped not just by what founders build, but by how they think. And right now, we don’t need more participation. We need more winners.

Startups Should Be Built Like High-Performance Sports Programs

In elite sports, performance isn’t left to chance. Success is engineered – through structure, coaching, discipline, and relentless focus. Athletes don’t hope for progress. They train for it. They sacrifice for it. They push limits every day.

So why do we treat entrepreneurship differently?

Startup incubators can learn a lot from Olympic training centers. At BRYCK, we’re building exactly that: a high-performance center for founders – not a feel-good start-up hub. We work with ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to scale, lead and compete internationally. And we give them what they need: capital access, corporate pilots, deeptech focus and a brutally honest sparring environment.

Because no world-class business has ever been built on free coffee and coworking alone.

Germany Needs More Than Good Ideas – It Needs a Winning Culture

We’ve become too comfortable celebrating the act of founding – instead of the results that follow. But if Germany wants to become a true start-up nation, it’s not enough to have structures in place. We need to establish a culture of ambition.

That means:

• Taking big risks.
• Expecting meaningful returns.
• Working through adversity.
• Thinking globally – from day one.

And yes, expecting significant financial reward isn’t greedy. It’s essential. No one becomes world-class without the prospect of real upside.

Seven Levers to Unlock Germany’s Entrepreneurial Potential

To move from good to great, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel – but we must sharpen the edges. These seven priorities point the way forward:

1. Foster entrepreneurial spirit early – We need entrepreneurship as a core subject in schools and universities. BRYCK works closely with Ruhr region universities for that reason.
2. Modernize immigration for global talent – Many top start-ups were founded by international teams. Let’s stop putting barriers in their way.
3. Cut bureaucracy, digitize administration – Speed and simplicity are the baseline for any functioning startup ecosystem.
4. Grow a performance-oriented VC landscape with public co-investments – Ambitious growth needs fuel. Let’s fund it properly and boldly.
5. Position the state as an active innovation partner – Not just regulator, but enabler. Public procurement and deep partnerships with private sector players are essential.
6. Shine a light on entrepreneurial role models – Germany needs to celebrate builders, not just managers. We need more founders on the front pages.
7. Create excellence with a system – We need founder training centers modeled after elite sports institutions. BRYCK is one of them.

Why the Ruhr? Because Hunger Lives Here

At BRYCK, we’re proud to be based in the “Ruhrgebiet” –  in the heart of Germany’s former coal and steel region. It’s a place built on hard work and reinvention. And now, it’s becoming one of Europe’s most promising deeptech innovation zones.

With 22 universities, 250,000+ students, industrial champions and backing from Germany’s largest private foundation (RAG-Stiftung), we’re turning this region into a testing ground for Start-up Germany.

Our new home – the Colosseum, evolving from a historic Krupp hall into a modern theater and now an innovation hub – symbolizes this mindset shift. From steel to startup, from heritage to high performance.

Final Thought: We Don’t Need More Start-ups – We Need Stronger Ones

Let’s be clear: start-ups aren’t an end in themselves. They’re vehicles for solving real problems, creating real value, and transforming economies.

But that only happens if we stop rewarding presence – and start rewarding performance.

So yes: Germany needs founders who think like top athletes. People who don’t just show up – but show up to win.

About the author:

Christian Lüdtke, entrepreneur and investor, is CEO & Co-Founder of start-up coordinator BRYCK