10/27/2025
SPRIND X DEUTSCHE BÖRSE
From Breakthrough to IPO
: How do founders manage to go public?
The air at Deutsche Börse buzzed with ambition on October 21, 2025. Under the banner From Breakthrough to IPO
, the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation brought founders, investors, and market minds in Frankfurt together to explore how Europe’s DeepTech trailblazers might one day go public.
The day opened with Kelsey Emms, who turned the complex topic of FOAK financing into an energetic, hands-on session. Instead of a lecture, she drew the whole room into the discussion — mapping out how to fund first-of-a-kind technology when no playbook exists yet. Emms’ takeaway: the right mix of courage, creative deal-making, and structure can make the impossible possible. That energy set the tone — pragmatic, open, and forward-looking.
Next came Stefan Maassen and Carsten Huth from Deutsche Börse, who shared what really counts when a company goes public. Their message: Frankfurt isn’t just a listing venue, it’s a launchpad. Lower overall costs, strong investor access, and proven post-listing growth make it Europe’s natural home for tech companies ready to scale. The two speakers also showed how the IPO process is less about bureaucracy and more about storytelling with substance — connecting strategy, discipline, and transparency. It’s not about timing the market; it’s about being ready when the moment comes.
Venture capital experts Oliver Diehl (Jefferies) and Jan Sessenhausen (Cusp Capital) cut straight to the core of IPO success: solid fundamentals, clear growth, and founders who think long-term. Shortcuts don’t work, but preparation does.
Then Friedrich von Bohlen, co-founder and CEO of Molecular Health, and SPRIND innovation manager Olav Carlsen talked candidly about the emotional and strategic journey from startup to stock exchange. They concluded: listing isn’t an exit — it’s evolution.
During the entire event, one thought echoed through the room: it’s never too early to think big — and someone will ring that bell in the trading floor sooner than we think.
