Getting a startup job in Germany is a networking game.
Unless you went to WHU, know someone at Project A, or have a warm intro to a founder—good luck.
That's broken. So we built Rocketlist.
The Problem: Access
Startup Job Boards Suck.
- LinkedIn: Buried under thousands of corporate jobs
- AngelList: Optimized for US, not DACH region
- Startup websites: Have to check 50+ sites manually
Result: Great candidates miss great opportunities because they don't know where to look.
What We Built
Rocketlist scrapes 3,000+ jobs daily from 1,117 curated startups.
Our AI matching engine:
- Processes your resume in 6-13 minutes
- Analyzes skills, experience, preferences
- Delivers personalized job recommendations
No networking required. No guesswork. Just jobs.
Why This Matters
Scenario 1: The Non-WHU Grad
You studied at a solid university (not top-tier). You're smart, driven, and want to build something meaningful.
But you don't have the "right" connections.
Traditional approach: Send 200 cold applications, get 5 responses.
Rocketlist approach: Get 10 tailored matches/week, apply to roles where you're a strong fit.
Scenario 2: The Career Switcher
You're 28, worked in consulting, want to join a startup.
You don't know which startups are hiring or what roles fit your skillset.
Traditional approach: Guess. Apply randomly. Hope for the best.
Rocketlist approach: AI matches you to startups hiring for "Former Consultant → Ops Lead" roles.
The Data Tells the Story
After 6 months:
- 1,117 startups curated (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne)
- 3,000+ jobs processed daily
- 12,000+ users signed up
- 40% match rate (users apply to jobs we recommend)
Most important metric: 200+ users got startup jobs they wouldn't have found otherwise.
What I Learned Building This
1. Curation > Aggregation
There are 50,000+ "startups" in Germany. 90% are consulting firms calling themselves startups.
We manually curate. Only real startups (VC-backed or bootstrapped with traction) make the list.
Quality > Quantity.
2. AI is Only as Good as Your Data
Our matching engine failed in v1. Why? Garbage data.
We rebuilt the entire scraper to extract:
- Required skills (not just "nice to have")
- Actual responsibilities (not generic job descriptions)
- Company stage (pre-seed, Series A, scale-up)
Now matches are 3x more relevant.
3. People Want Speed
Job seekers don't want a perfect recommendation in 2 days. They want a good recommendation in 10 minutes.
We optimized for speed. Resume processing went from 30 minutes → 6-13 minutes.
That mattered more than 5% better accuracy.
The Mission: Democratize Access
Rocketlist isn't a business (yet). It's a mission.
Everyone should get a fair shot at building something great.
Your network shouldn't determine your career. Your skills and drive should.
What's Next
Short-term (3 months):
- Add remote-first startup jobs across Europe
- Expand to Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands
Long-term (12 months):
- Reverse matching (startups find candidates proactively)
- Salary transparency (show pay bands for every role)
- Career paths (how do you go from SDR → Head of Sales?)
For Founders: List Your Jobs
If you're hiring and want access to 12,000+ qualified candidates, add your startup to Rocketlist.
It's free. DM me on Twitter or email hello@fedeponte.com.
For Job Seekers: Sign Up
Looking for a startup role in Germany?
Create your profile on Rocketlist and get matched to 3,000+ jobs daily.
No connections required. Just ambition.
Building something to democratize opportunity? Let's talk.