German Entrepreneurship launches new support programme for start-ups

Since 2008, German Entrepreneurship has made it its mission to support entrepreneurs of all sizes. Now the company wants to support start-ups in the early stages with a new program.

As part of a new support programme from German Entrepreneurship, young companies are to learn from the "master" of the start-up world: Master Accelerator is the name of the new programme from the company that has already made other start-ups big. Nine of the ten biggest German Unicorn start-ups are alumni of German Entrepreneurship's programs: Celonis, Flixbus, Foodora, Sharecare, N26, Raisin, Signavio, Auto1 and Trade Republic. The Master Accelerator program is expected to include coaching sessions with at least some of these champions.

Until now, Munich's LMU Entrepreneurship Center had been concerned with supporting early-stage startups. This program is now coming to an end. However, the support of young companies continues with the heads of the team.

The new program will focus on individual startups and their requirements. Applications are already open for the January 2022 start. The program will last six months and will start twice a year in the future.

Experts, investors and alumni of the German Entrepreneurship Programs are to help the founders to develop "their own entrepreneurial personality", explain the initiators. Superficially, it should be about building their own network. "Startups should learn from the best," says Andy Goldstein, founder of German Entrepreneurship. "We are happy that the founders share their knowledge to help the next generation succeed. They need a solid foundation to grow sustainably. We can provide this stability through know-how, years of experience and our strong network."

Other founders are also courting the new program. Jochen Engert is co-founder of Flixbus, an alumni company of German Entrepreneurship. He looks back gratefully on the time of funding: "The opportunity to work in the Munich office as a young start-up during our first program with German Entrepreneurship helped us develop from a team with a concept to a real company." The new program will also offer the opportunity to work on-site in Munich.

After completing the Master Accelerator, participants will have the opportunity to take advantage of other programs from German Entrepreneurship's portfolio. Events such as the "Co-Founder Match" or the "Cashwalk" are designed to strengthen connections with co-founders and investors. There are also programs to help with international expansion.