Munich Startup: What is the Young Founders Network and how does it help young founders?
Nils Heck: The YFN is the largest network for young founders and aspiring entrepreneurs under 25 years old in the DACH region. Basically, it helps when you build a community with people who all share the same interest and motivate each other. We have very concrete offerings for young founders, such as the crash course on bureaucracy. There you learn how to start a company and what annoying paperwork is involved. We have an incubator where aspiring entrepreneurs are guided from idea to first product in eight weeks. No business plan competition, but real implementation. Experienced founders accompany new founders through weekly workshops with concrete to-do items, such as first customer contact or needs analysis.
Through this collaborative work, you stay motivated and great projects emerge. The program culminates in a pitch night where all participants compete for prize money. Those who want to practice pitching in general also benefit from numerous topic-specific events. Additionally, the YFN also provides free premium access to various AI tools and job communities. We have our own small Wikipedia with experiences from founders that we’ve curated.
Munich Startup: What kind of events do you offer?
Nils Heck: We have three types of events. First, chapter events in the respective cities like Berlin, Hamburg, or Stuttgart where all members can come. Then we have our annual class reunion where almost everyone from the community comes together for a weekend somewhere in Germany. And not to be forgotten our conference where 750 young people participated last year.
Munich Startup: Financing is a challenge for many founders – do you offer support in this area?
Nils Heck: Yes, for example through contacts from our network to investors. Beyond that, we have our own Young Founders Fund that explicitly invests in people under 26 years old. But not just in the form of money, but also through targeted mentoring and the further development of the founders.
Munich Startup: What sets the YFN apart from traditional startup consulting?
Nils Heck: Put simply, it’s by young founders for young founders. We build exactly what we need, so our offerings are precisely tailored to the target group. You meet each other on equal footing with respect, since everyone is either in the same situation or has been through it before. And of course the huge network effect, which is also helpful in private matters. Besides, you also remain part of the network as an operating business after a successful founding and enjoy various benefits. You only automatically exit once you turn 26.
Munich Startup: What kind of people come together at these meetings? What is the average age? Do you have to have already founded something to become a member?
Nils Heck: The average age is 20 to 21 years old. We’re a very diverse mix of different people. The ideas are varied, from delivery services for farmers to the next AI app to social startups. What’s special about YFN is that every young person interested in founding is welcome. High school students participate, university students, and occasionally apprentices. The only qualification for members is wanting to create something new. When that’s given and you’re in contact with the right people, it often automatically leads to founding. We accompany exactly this process, from idea to startup.
Munich Startup: Who finances the YFN? Who provides money for the events?
Nils Heck: Foundations make up a large part. Especially the Bertelsmann Foundation, which back when we were sleeping in an old supermarket hall, saw our potential and wanted to support us. Now we’re Germany’s largest startup initiative. Additionally, we work with entrepreneurs who would have needed something like YFN back then.
The Young Founders Network is a non-profit organization and supports young people in Germany up to the age of 25 who are interested in founding: through training, events, and networking opportunities. Since 2021, the network of aspiring founders and experienced players has been growing steadily and currently comprises around 1,500 members from the DACH region. From the first meeting in Oppenheim in an old Rewe hall with 50 young people, the YFN developed into a national organization represented in the largest startup hotspots like Munich, Berlin, and Frankfurt, but also in
seven other German cities and in Austria and Switzerland.
Munich Startup: Are there comparable initiatives?
Nils Heck: There are definitely comparable projects, such as START and FFI. But they’re not really competitors. We work together to create optimal added value for the community.
Munich Startup: How do aspiring founders who are students and high school students find you?
Nils Heck: The first option is quite simple: via Google. Just type YFN and you’ll find us. Most new members come through contacts, via word of mouth. We also have a project called “Startup in Schools” where we send our members to schools and conduct a double lesson on the topic of founding. After the first contact, you apply on our website. You answer questions about yourself and mention any projects you’re working on. We check if the vibe fits, then there’s a 15-minute onboarding call. You’re already a member!
Munich Startup: Do members have certain obligations?
Nils Heck: There are no official fees or anything like that. It’s up to you how much you want to contribute to the YFN. But basically you can say that the more ideas, engagement, and work you put into the network, the more everyone benefits from it. In the form of contacts and inspiration.
Munich Startup: As a closing question, for all young people from smaller towns and remote villages where no own chapter exists. Can you still be part of the YFN community?
Nils Heck: Absolutely. Absolutely. We’ve introduced an online chapter for that where events are digitally accompanied. Of course, there are also the two main events where accommodation opportunities at other members always come up for a small budget or we sleep together in halls or universities. Just bring your sleeping mat and sleeping bag and we’ll make it work.
