Week 39: HU Professor is an UNIPRENEUR, AI NATION Team secures €6 Million in Funding Round

Weekly Wrap-up: Our Topics in week 39

Prof. Dr Christian Hackenberger of Humboldt University of Berlin and the Leibniz-FMP is one of this year’s twenty winners of the prestigious UNIPRENEURS initiative, which recognises outstanding achievements in spin-offs. His research focuses on the development of new chemical methods for biomolecule modification, as well as P5 labelling technology for innovative antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Together with partners, he founded the biotech company Tubulis in 2019; its P5-ADCs are currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of ovarian and lung cancer. The acquisition of Tubulis by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead in April 2026 for up to 5 billion US dollars ranks among the largest transactions in the European biotech sector in recent years. HU President Prof. Dr Julia von Blumenthal congratulated him on this honour and emphasised the great importance of spin-offs in addressing pressing societal problems, such as novel cancer therapies. Read more in our Newscorner: HU professor is one of the 20 UNIPRENEURS 2026 | Humboldt Innovation

The start-up mika has raised 6 million euros in a seed funding round led by Smedvig Ventures, marking another milestone following its participation in the AI NATION Accelerator. Using proprietary AI models trained on German tax and accounting law, the company automates bookkeeping, VAT returns and annual accounts, thereby significantly easing the burden on founders. The AI automation is complemented by a team of in-house accountants who step in whenever human expertise is required. Since the start of the year, mika has expanded its customer base from 400 to over 750 companies, surpassed the one million euro mark in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and achieved monthly growth rates of over 20 per cent. In doing so, the start-up is lowering the bureaucratic hurdles involved in setting up limited liability companies (GmbHs) in Germany and making entrepreneurship accessible to even more people.