News & Podcast

The European Social Economy Cluster Silicon Vilstal is launching “socia,” a nationwide social innovation accelerator program for common-good-oriented social startups in Germany.

What a bang for our Isar metropolis! In the brand new “Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs” ranking from Financial Times and Statista, Munich has not only defended its dominance but impressively expanded it. With UnternehmerTUM at the top, Start2 Group in second place, and BayStartUP in third place, Munich proves: anyone who wants to successfully found a company in Europe cannot ignore our ecosystem.

Munich-based Start2 Group ranks 2nd in Europe in the Financial Times ranking “Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs 2026” and improves by one position compared to the previous year. Additionally, the company achieves 1st place in the categories “Hub Network” and “Alumni Track Record”, underscoring its position as an internationally networked startup ecosystem builder.

UnternehmerTUM expands its offerings with an accelerator track for AgriFood startups. The focus is on scaling new technologies and networking with industry partners.

Respond, the accelerator program of the BMW Foundation and UnternehmerTUM, is looking for startups again. Until November 30, founders can apply for the program. For this year’s cohort, solutions for transforming the economic system are particularly sought.

The SCE Precelerator aims to motivate young people to start their own businesses. This offering has been available at Hochschule München since 2020, with the café added as a very important first touchpoint of the community space in early 2023. Julia Zipf, startup consultant and manager of the Incubator & Precelerator at the SCE, explains what makes the Precelerator special. Three founders of success stories that came out of the Precelerator also have their say: Micro Factory, Hebio, and Boxing Babe.

Startups working on forward-looking solutions for agriculture and food industry can now apply for this year’s accelerator program of Growth Alliance. The deadline for submission is September 9.