In the lead-up to Germany’s September election, bringing back a startup stock exchange was a hot topic championed by German Minister for Economics and Technology Philipp Rösler.
Now, despite Rösler resigning after his party, the FDP, suffered a massive defeat at the ballot box, momentum remains – according to Wirtschafts Woche, a new stock exchange could launch as soon as Spring 2014.
A high-ranking manager at the German Stock Exchange says the project is a “high priority” for them, with 10 to 15 companies ready to IPO already approached, the business magazine reported.
Is it needed? Will it work?
German serial entrepreneur Stephan Schambach, who has successfully listed two companies in the US (Intershop and Demandware), has taken over the reins and is actively promoting a startup stock exchange in Germany.
He’s apparently organised meetings with established German companies such as Mr Spex, Bergfurst and Crossvertise in preparation to launch the new market, Wirtschafts Woche reported.
The proposal has its fair share of detractors, though – Xing founder Lars Hinrichs, who recently closed down his accelerator Hackfwd, said in an interview in September that the idea is “nonsense“, as the German stock market already has an Entry Standard for companies looking for a cost-effective and less complicated way to list.
He claims that if this isn’t currently being used it’s a sign that few startups are working towards an IPO.