0925 GMT - Strength in the German economy and artificial intelligence are driving a solid performance in the country's venture-capital market, Dirk Schumacher at KfW says in a note. German startups raised 4.5 billion euros in the third quarter, the strongest quarterly total since late 2021, with AI companies attracting 3.1 billion euros. AI investment has reached 6.3 billion euros so far this year, almost double the full-year total for 2025. "The current economic upturn in Germany is also helping the venture-capital market and can provide it with support," Schumacher says. Still, he notes that strength in the market is concentrated in a small number of companies, suggesting the recovery is a positive signal for investment and innovation but is not yet broad-based across Germany's economy.