A total of 19 digital start-up centres across 28 locations and another 40 general and technology-oriented start-up centres throughout Bavaria serve as your contact points to help you get your business off the ground.
You can find the start-up centres in your region hereinternal Link: contact point.
The best companies are founded in places where the surroundings support their development. This takes more than just general location-related benefits such as good infrastructure, a strong economic landscape or a high level of education. The Bavarian Centers for Founders and Technology (External link) external Link: Bavarian Centers for Founders and Technology help young companies with specific support, ranging from business expertise to reasonably priced rental spaces and capital procurement.
Technology-oriented start-up centres are aimed specifically at company founders in the high-tech sector, while the general start-up centres are aimed at all company founders.
Here are just some of the ways in which start-up centres can help you:
If your start-up plans have a clear technological and digital focus, then you should also get in touch with one of the digital start-up centres in Bavaria. Besides providing ideal working conditions, offices or co-working spaces and access to a strong network of established companies, universities/R&D establishments and other start-up organisations, you can also benefit from a targeted coaching programme here, which the digital start-up centres run in conjunction with BayStartUP (External link) . With expert support, you will learn how to develop a long-term and sustainable business model and professionally prepare for negotiations with industrial partners and investors, among others. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs funds the digital start-up centres with a total of 120 million euros.
Location: Aschaffenburg
The Alte Schlosserei (External link) in Aschaffenburg and its partner location in Lohr support entrepreneurs with digital business ideas and innovative business models. One of the key areas of focus is helping smart minds to get started and turn them into entrepreneurs. Besides offering advice, coaching sessions and workspace (co-working, lounge, conference rooms, etc.), the centre is a platform where start-ups can network with existing companies in the region. In addition, the digital start-up centre has network partners in the form of Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, the IHK, the HWK and ZENTEC, which all support the transfer process between science, an innovative idea and entrepreneurship.
Locations: Ansbach und Merkendorf
ANsWERK (External link) has two locations and is thus in direct contact with two universities: In the city of Ansbach in the Posthof at the train station and at the Innovation Campus Merkendorf of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. The focus is on providing advice on business start-ups and digital transformation, as well as on networking companies from the region with start-up teams. ANsWERK thus offers a place for creativity, exchange, networking and consulting, as well as a centre where joint projects can be implemented, innovations created and companies founded. Those interested in founding a company, as well as companies from the region - and even beyond - are cordially invited to find out which offer suits them best.
Location: Leipheim
The Areal Digital is the place for start-up ideas in the Günzburg district (Leipheim). Founders and start-ups find the best conditions for every phase of their development here. Whether in the co-working space or in your own office - here you can work successfully and develop your own company. In addition, the start-up center also offers its users a lounge as well as meeting & event rooms with the appropriate equipment. Areal Digital also regularly organises various events and offers a platform and network for exchange and collaboration.
Location: Ingolstadt
At brigk (External link) , entrepreneurs, creatives, digital nomads and start-ups will find a point of contact and perfect conditions for ensuring their own success: offices for start-up teams, a co-working space and a markerspace with various exhibition spaces for prototypes, regular events on subjects relating to innovation, the future and start-ups, and direct contact to coaches, investors, experts, service providers and cooperation partners.
Locations: Ingolstadt and Manching
brigkAIR (External link) is a contact point especially for start-ups working on solutions in the fields of "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" and "Three-Dimensional Mobility". In addition to an international network of start-ups, established companies, investors and research institutions, infrastructures consisting of offices and hangars as well as flight test facilities with various flight corridors are being set up in Ingolstadt and Manching. In addition, young companies are supported through coaching offers, challenges and an accelerator programme.
Locations: Regensburg, Amberg and Weiden
The DGO (External link) brings together a network for company formation and digitalisation with locations in Regensburg, Amberg and Weiden. The company R-Tech GmbH is behind the initiative in cooperation with the OTH Regensburg and Amberg-Weiden, the University of Regensburg and the Bavarian IT Security Cluster. Company founders can make contact with existing networks and technology clusters here. The DGO focuses primarily on helping new companies by raising awareness, motivating, providing information and managing the market diffusion process.
Locations: Cham, Roding and Furth im Wald
The IGZ (External link) supports start-ups by providing advice and coaching, and actively networking company founders with existing companies in the areas of production, retail and tourism. It also organises seminars, conferences and forums for digital start-ups, companies, employees and students. A total of 740 square metres are available for you to try out new business models in the application centres and innovation laboratories for additive manufacturing and digital production.
Location: Parsberg-Lupburg
The start-up center (External link) externer Link: Digitales Gründerzentrum Parsberg-Lupburg located on the technology campus creates a central point of contact for start-ups who are looking for support in implementing their business idea or who want to exchange ideas with like-minded people. Founders can rent cheap office and co-working space and also use a makerspace and event rooms. At regular events, start-ups have the opportunity to present new ideas and business concepts and to network with established companies from the region. With the local universities, the OTH Regensburg and the TH Deggendorf, there are also strong partners from science at their side.
Locations: Augsburg and Kempten
The DZ.S (External link) external Link: DZ.S is evolving into a networking platform for start-ups, established companies and scientific institutions in the digital economy in Swabia. Digital business models are initiated, supported and positioned in close cooperation with the universities in Augsburg und Kempten. It also helps regional businesses from the Allgäu to northern Swabia to use digital technologies. The areas of focus in the economic region of Augsburg / northern Swabia include the Internet of things and IT security. The emphasis is on digital tourism, gamification and driver assistance systems in the Allgäu region. State-of-the-art start-up centres are being built in Augsburg and Kempten as part of the project.
Location: Hof
The digital business incubator Einstein1 (External link) is being created on the campus of the Hof University of Applied Sciences. (Prospective) founders, start-ups and companies can already participate in the network. You benefit from close contact with 20 ICT-related teaching areas, from incubator structures and technology transfers. In particular, iisys (External link) , as an international research facility for computer science, provides an ideal infrastructure for demanding projects in the areas of digitization, analysis, evaluation and visualization of very large heterogeneous amounts of data (big data) for industrial applications, the energy and health sectors.
Locations: Passau, Landshut, Deggendorf, Pfarrkirchen and Freyung
The GZDN (External link) is an association of the five Lower Bavarian university locations of Passau, Landshut, Deggendorf, Pfarrkirchen and Freyung, with which a high-quality infrastructure for start-ups in the area of digitalisation is being created. The network is aimed at founders, start-ups and established companies throughout Lower Bavaria. The GZDN also relies on the start-up potential that exists at the universities, the links with the already existing start-up networks – LINKWORK (External link) (Landshut), ITC1 (External link) (Deggendorf) and the newly founded INN.KUBATOR PASSAU (External link) (Passau), GreG Rottal-Inn (External link) (Pfarrkirchen), GreG Freyung-Grafenau (External link) (Freyung) – as well as the various initiatives in the fields of digitalisation and entrepreneurship.
Location: Bamberg
The Centre for Digitalization and Founding in Bamberg (External link) supports founders in exploring and better exploiting their innovative potential from technology-based business ideas. The focus is on networking potential founders, start-ups, established companies and the university locations in Upper Franconia. This ensures an innovative, fast and agile exchange of knowledge on digital topics. With its Zukunft.Coburg.Digital (External link) initiative, the Coburg economic region is a consortium partner of LAGARDE1.
Location: Lohr am Main
The digital start-up centre Starthouse Spessart (External link) in the heart of Lohr am Main is designed to give young company founders a platform to enable them to take their first steps on the challenging path towards successfully starting their own business. The modern building features co-working spaces, a conference room and a communicative lounge area.
Location: Rosenheim
STELLWERK18 (External link) gives technological and IT-oriented start-ups with close links to the digital industries an ideal campus for communication and synergies. There is first-class technical equipment and proactive support from the centre and network management team, which organises networking events and establishes links to companies, regional and national partners, and investors in south-east Bavaria and the adjoining Tyrolean lowlands.
Location: Munich
WERK1 (External link) WERK1 München Gründerzentrum is the ideal place for founders in Munich to pursue innovative business ideas in a motivating and inspiring working environment - whether in their own startup office or in coworking. The startup center supports startups with affordable office space, individual coaching and mentoring, and an active startup community. The WERK1 Café and numerous events offer space for exchange and networking in the digital startup scene. In addition, the startup center will open WERK1.4, the first coliving concept for the Munich startup scene, in summer 2023. Startups and scaleups can offer their employees and guests a temporary place to stay and easily immerse themselves in the startup ecosystem in Munich. The ‘InsurTech Hub Munich (External link) external Link: InsurTech Hub Munich’ – named a ‘de:hub’ by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs is also based at WERK1.
Locations: Würzburg, Schweinfurt and Bad Kissingen
The ZDI Mainfranken (External link) external Link: ZDI Mainfranken focuses primarily on the pre-start-up phase. The idea is to significantly increase the number of digital start-ups coming from the universities in Mainfranken by raising awareness among students in various ways, running a range of courses for generating ideas (ideas laboratory) and producing prototypes (start-up workshop), some of which are free, and giving company founders extensive support. Würzburg is the location of the main structure that brings together all of the local structures and initiatives to support company founders. Hubs in Schweinfurt and Bad Kissingen take the ZDI’s concept to the wider region and exploit the specific potential that exists there.
Location: Nuremberg
At the ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator (External link) external Link: ZOLLHOF, digital start-ups have access to open-plan and private office spaces on an area covering around 3,500 square metres. There are also a number of services available to help them set up and expand their start-ups. The ZOLLHOF TechSpace provides them with the right infrastructure for producing initial prototypes, among other things. By working closely with the network partners and the Bavarian clusters in the areas of ‘Smart Product Engineering’ and ‘Smart Service Engineering’ and getting involved in related cross-industry programmes, the ZOLLHOF also organises cooperation programmes aimed at promoting dialogue between start-ups and established companies.
Locations: Coburg and Rödental
The digital start-up centre Zukunft.Coburg.Digital (External link) supports start-ups and companies in their digital transformation with a large ecosystem and experimental space for innovation and growth. For this purpose, coworking spaces, offices and production boxes as well as creative event spaces are available for start-ups and companies at the two locations in Coburg & Rödental. In addition, Zukunft.Coburg.Digital acts as an impulse generator to promote the implementation of digital business models and foundations. The focus is on the main topics of UX/UI, Internet of Things and start-up methods. As a consortium partner, Zukunft.Coburg.Digital works closely with the LAGARDE1 (External link) digital start-up centre in Bamberg.
