Technische Universität München (TUM)
The Technische Universität München offers students, researchers and employees a wide range of educational and informational opportunities designed to prepare them for the potential founding of a company, regardless of their discipline.
The TUMentrepreneurship department supports prospective founders in their first steps toward entrepreneurship: firstly, by connecting them with other potential founders and an existing ecosystem, and secondly, by offering qualifications such as TUMentrepreneurship Education. This program aims to provide participants with a basic understanding of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking and action.
For concrete start-up projects, students, scientists, employees or TUM alumni can contact the TUM Start-up Consulting Here they will receive support in applying for funding or with pitch and pitch deck training, among other things. Things get even more concrete with the TUM IncubatorHere, startups in the pre-seed phase receive the necessary infrastructure to build their company. Participation is required if at least one founding member of the founding team is from TUM.
TUMentrepreneurship’s support services are open to all TUM members. External individuals can also use the services of UnternehmerTUM , an affiliated institute of TUM. A team of experienced entrepreneurs, scientists, managers, and investors supports startups in various programs and phases of developing their products and services.
Further information about TUMentrepreneurship can be found here.
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)
LMU is consolidating its entrepreneurship activities in the LMU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (LMU IEC). As the successor to the LMU Entrepreneurship Center (LMU EC), which ceased operations at the end of 2021 after 15 successful years, the LMU IEC also sees itself as an innovation hub that brings together scientific and entrepreneurial thinking.
Researchers and students who want to venture into entrepreneurship with their research findings or ideas will find a suitable starting point at the LMU IEC Incubator. In addition to start-up advice, participants receive access to an investor network, coworking spaces, and mentors. The program will launch in April 2022, with the application period starting in February.
After 15 years of support, the LMU EC program for early-stage startups also ended. However, the support of young companies and their founders continues. German Entrepreneurship creates with the Master Accelerator a new offering. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, the Master Accelerator focuses on each individual startup and its specific needs. With this six-month program, experts, investors, and outstanding alumni of German Entrepreneurship programs aim to help founders from all industries develop their entrepreneurial skills. This isn't just about imparting knowledge. Startups are encouraged to build their own network and join the international German Entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Further information about the LMU IEC can be found here.
Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM)
The Munich University of Applied Sciences also offers a specialized contact point for anyone interested in starting a business: the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE). The SCE is an affiliated institute of the Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM) and aims to promote entrepreneurial thinking and action through its work. To this end, it offers a wide variety of training formats and supports innovative projects, teams, and startups on their path to success.
Startup consultants, a dedicated incubator, a dedicated support program, and an extensive network are designed to help SCE founders and startups find the right partners and stakeholders. The SCE's primary target group is HM students and alumni, but external teams can also benefit from startup support.
Students who want to get started with the topic of founding a company can first register in the Precelerator of the SCE. This community space aims to make innovation and entrepreneurship, prototyping, and new technologies accessible. Interested parties will find workshops and digital tools, individual workstations for concentrated work, and coworking spaces for teamwork. In times of Corona, the SCE Precelerator offers a variety of Events online to.
Further information about the SCE can be found here.
Bundeswehr University Munich (UniBW M)
The Bundeswehr University in Munich has been promoting entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship with its 'Founders@unibw' program since 2019. Through individual and diverse offerings, the Founders@unibw team aims to support founders in transforming research results and business ideas into innovative start-up projects and startups.
The team of academic staff and founders in residence is dedicated to identifying innovative ideas and providing targeted training and development. In addition to providing advice, students interested in starting a business can also become part of an intrapreneurship incubator. Participants can also use the decentralized maker space, the so-called Labnet, for example, to build prototypes. Furthermore, subject matter experts are available to support prospective founders on various topics related to innovation, agile coaching, digital marketing, and statistical services.
Successful Munich startups that have already benefited from the services include Quantum Systems and Stable.
Further information about Founders@unibw can be found here.
University of Music and Theatre Munich (HMTM)
The Wavelab is the innovation lab and startup center of the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts (HMTM). The incubator supports tech startups in music, arts, and media with input, coaching, and access to clients in the cultural and entertainment industries. A coworking space in the heart of the arts district is also available to startup founders.
The Wavelab program is aimed at startup teams from across Germany. The program runs over six months, with a kick-off week and approximately one to two on-site days per month in Munich. Participating startups should have clearly identified and validated the problems and needs of their target audience, improve the cultural landscape with their solution, and be able to present a functioning prototype.
Further information about the Wavelab can be found here.
Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)
The CDTM is a joint institution of the two Munich universities, LMU and TUM. It offers students of all disciplines the additional study program "Technology Management." Through the course formats offered, the CDTM aims to foster entrepreneurial thinking among students and intensify collaboration within interdisciplinary teams. The CDTM is led by doctoral students but is also structured as a student-driven organization, in which all active students contribute to the operational activities as part of the program.
The CDTM is a successful startup incubator. For example, the founders of Egym, Konux, Navvis and Freeletics met – and this is just a small excerpt from the CDTM alumni list.
Further information about the CDTM can be found here.
Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA)
The Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA) was founded in 2010 as a network organization of the entrepreneurship centers of the four Munich universities and has since supported numerous students and founders in developing or further developing their own social entrepreneurial ideas. The SEA's approach: to combine social thinking with entrepreneurial action.
With various programs, the SEA qualifies everyone who wants to develop an idea in the field of social entrepreneurship, wants to found a social startup, or has already founded one. Entry-level program SEA:Start For example, students are taught methods and tools with which they can develop their own ideas.
Further information about SEA can be found here.
Start Munich
The Start Munich association is not an initiative of Munich's universities, but it also operates within the university environment. Since its founding in 2003, Start Munich has brought together entrepreneurial students from diverse backgrounds and supported them on their path to entrepreneurship. The association aims to provide its members with the experience, skills, and resources they need to establish a startup – whether through finding ideas and co-founders, or through mentoring and financing. The focus of Start Munich is clearly on networking. Interview with Munich Startup The Start Munich team emphasizes that they consider networking to be the most important component in enabling the establishment of a startup.
With its offerings, the association aims to appeal to a broad target group, regardless of whether they have a technical or business background or something completely different. The most important thing is that the participating students are passionate about entrepreneurship. Interested students can apply for Start Munich at the beginning of each semester.