It was founded in 2012 to represent and function as a voice of startups vis-à-vis politics, civil society and the established economy.

The association is committed to a founder-friendly Germany, promotes innovative entrepreneurship and wants to carry the startup mentality into society.

The concrete reason for the foundation was the Bundesrat's plans for an "anti-angel law" that was supposed to tax free-float dividends.

In addition, the association organizes various delegation trips, which are regularly attended by federal ministers, such as the German-Israel Week.

The main aims are to present the development and significance of startups, to outline economic initiatives to strengthen the foundation location Germany and its regional ecosystems, as well as to cultivate enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.

[3] The DSM and ESM consider ventures that are 1) younger than ten years, 2) feature innovative technologies and/or business models, and 3) have or strive for a significant employee and/or sales growth as a startup.

In addition, the association played a role in the expansion of the investment subsidy venture capital and in the evaluation of the Small Investor Protection Act.