“If we don’t change anything, the best founders will leave” – UnternehmerTUM CEO sounds the alarm

What today is considered one of Europe’s most successful startup centers began quite inconspicuously 25 years ago: with flyers outside the university cafeteria at TU München. Helmut Schönenberger and his team wanted to inspire students to become entrepreneurs – and they quickly discovered talent that would later shape the Munich ecosystem.

Today, UnternehmerTUM is a central engine for deeptech startups in Europe. Two to three new companies emerge from its environment every week, collectively raising around two billion euros in venture capital annually.

A long-term approach is crucial to this success: founders are not supported sporadically, but are accompanied over many years.

“This startup journey is incredibly long,”

says Schönenberger at Pitch & People. From initial interest during studies to a scaling company often takes ten years or more.

Why some teams succeed – and others fail

Over decades, Schönenberger has accompanied hundreds of founding teams. His conclusion: it’s not the idea that decides – it’s the team.

Successful startups combine technological excellence, entrepreneurial understanding, and scalability. But most importantly, a team must function long-term, continue to develop, and remain stable even during difficult phases.

“Founding a unicorn is an incredible effort,”

says Schönenberger.

That’s why UnternehmerTUM places strong emphasis on early validation: teams develop prototypes during their studies, test markets, and gain their first customers. Programs like the TUM Entrepreneurial Masterclass create dedicated space for this. The result: startups emerge with substance and achieve a success rate of around 85 percent.

Germany’s biggest disadvantage: bureaucracy and lack of speed

Despite functioning ecosystems, Schönenberger sees Germany at a structural disadvantage. Particularly critical: slow processes and high complexity. Founding companies here often takes six to eight weeks – a clear competitive disadvantage in international comparison.

“We’re too slow, too unpragmatic,”

says Schönenberger, Vice President for Entrepreneurship at the Technical University of Munich.

For globally oriented startups, this is a real problem. They are increasingly choosing locations where they can act faster.

Five times less impact from research

Schönenberger sees a central structural problem in the commercialization of research results. While Germany invests massively in universities and research institutions, the economic implementation lags behind what’s possible.

“The Americans make five euros from one euro of research funding – we maybe make one.”

For him, it’s clear: this discrepancy threatens long-term competitiveness. What’s crucial is to better convert existing technologies and talent into market-ready companies. Particularly in areas like deeptech or quantum research, he sees great opportunities – provided we succeed in considering and developing the entire value chain.

A global race for talent and innovation

Munich is today one of the world’s leading deeptech ecosystems, but this status is not self-sustaining. Other regions are catching up quickly and investing strategically in their innovation capacity. Whether Germany and Munich remain successful long-term depends on whether all actors work together – quickly, pragmatically, and ambitiously.

Because Schönenberger makes one thing clear: if the framework conditions aren’t right, the best founders will decide to go elsewhere.