alt Hacker News> In the UK I can started a Ltd with £1 of share capital, about £100 of fees, and filling out a form online. I will be shielded from personal liability if it goes tits up unless I've broken the law, knowingly traded insolvent, or otherwise been an idiot
That's what Germany calls an "UG". Which is what OP actually ends up doing.
UG forces you to retain profit to hit a capitalisation target. An Ltd is a real company, and my £1 company has an identical legal status to one with hundreds of millions of pounds of assets.