ExpressSteuer

ExpressSteuer was founded in 2019 with a mission to reimagine fintech products for the working class and middle class, starting with taxes. The Hamburg-based TaxTech startup set out to solve a major pain point for German taxpayers: the complex and tedious process of filing tax returns. ExpressSteuer built AI-powered software that simplified and automated the German tax return process, allowing users to complete their filings in under five minutes without paperwork.

The company's innovative approach enabled users to answer questions from memory without receipts, while an algorithm with artificial intelligence created the tax return in the background. Professional tax advisors handled all communications with tax authorities and submissions. ExpressSteuer operated on a fair pricing model: a €25 flat fee plus 18% of any refund received, meaning customers paid nothing if they didn't receive a refund. The company raised significant funding, including a €25 million Series A round in April 2022, before filing for insolvency in December 2023.