Startup Support & Investment
BIO.NRW Business Angel Circle
The business angel circles serve as a platform that offers founders, young companies and SMEs the opportunity to present ideas and business models to a hand-picked selection of investors (private, development banks, venture capital, corporate venture) and find financing. There are now five to six strictly confidential investor circles per year with companies not only from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany or the EU, but with all international companies interested in financing and setting up in NRW.
If you are interested in joining the Business Angel Circle or would like to find out more, please visit startups4.eu or contact Jennifer Maßen.
startups4.eu
BIO Clustermanagement NRW GmbH has developed and launched the online platform startups4.eu, which serves as a central instrument of the investor network to provide life science start-ups and SMEs with access to private and venture capital, while at the same time providing investors with a convenient tool to identify innovative young life science companies in search of funding.
After a short, free registration, representatives of start-ups or SMEs can introduce their company by uploading a 3-minute video in which they present their product, their business idea and their team. The platform enables private investors, business angels, representatives of venture capital or corporate funds to select young companies based on the characteristics of their portfolio.
Thus, startups4.eu represents the first step in the matchmaking process:
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- Investors are invited to select the companies they are interested in.
- BIO CM invites the selected companies and the investor community to a personal, confidential meeting as part of the “BIO.NRW Business Angel Circle” in Düsseldorf.
- BIO CM coordinates the follow-up and feedback of the meeting.
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International Business Angel Congress
In addition to the online platform startups4.eu and the BIO.NRW Business Angel Circle, the annual International Business Angel Congress is another key element of the investor network and is organized by BIO Clustermanagement NRW GmbH on behalf of BIO.NRW.
The Business Angel Congress takes place every year at the beginning of March and addresses new developments in the world of European and international life science financing, which are discussed by founders, SMEs, business angels, venture capitalists, institutional investors, representatives of EIT Health and political decision-makers. In addition, the congress offers a platform for discussion and exchange and is a well-known meeting place for the various players in the biotech and life science scene.
The next BIO.NRW Business Angel Congress is scheduled for March 11, 2025. If you want to stay up to date, subscribe to the BIO.NRW/ BIO CM Newsletter or inform Jennifer Maßen.
Coaching
For young and fast-growing companies, coaching and strategic and operational consulting are important instruments for promoting individual strengths and developing new skills and competencies. BIO CM has a qualified coaching network consisting of people at board or CEO level through to implementation and financial experts with relevant experience in industry and business. The experts provide young companies with optimal support in the founding of a business idea, turnarounds or the further development of personal skills.
BIO CM will be happy to help you find a suitable contact person for your needs.
There are also a number of funding offers that include coaching services. We have listed some of them for you here:
Promotion of business consulting for SMEs
Since January 1, 2023, the new funding guideline “Promotion of business consulting for SMEs” has been in force, which enables small and medium-sized enterprises to receive funding for 5 consultations within the period of validity (until December 31, 2026). The maximum duration of a consultation is 40 hours, divided into 5 days of 8 hours each. The consultancy costs are subsidized up to a maximum value of € 3,500; depending on the region, the subsidy rate is 50 – 80%.
Business consulting is limited to economic, financial, personnel and organizational areas of company management. Consultancy services involving legal, insurance and tax advice are excluded from funding.
Micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises with their registered office and business operations or branch office in Germany are eligible to apply.
The program “Promotion of Business Consultancy for SMEs” is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the European Social Fund Plus. Further information can be found here.
EXIST start-up grant
Im Rahmen des EXIST-Gründungsstipendiums erhalten Gründungsteams für die Dauer von 12 Monaten die Möglichkeit, zu attraktiven Konditionen einen Businessplan auszuarbeiten und sich auf die Unternehmensgründung mit der Unterstützung von ihrer Hochschule oder Forschungseinrichtung vorzubereiten. EXIST bietet während des Gründerstipendiums eine finanzielle Unterstützung der Gründerteams für gründungsbezogene Coachings in Höhe von 5000 €. Intention des Coachings ist die Weiterbildung zu betriebswirtschaftlichen und gründungsrelevanten Themen sowie Beratungsmaßnahmen zur Businessplanerstellung. Nicht förderfähig sind Beratungen zu technischen Fragestellungen und Produktentwicklung sowie Erstellung von Verträgen und Patent- und Markenanmeldung.
Antragsberechtigt sind Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen mit Sitz in Deutschland, die Gründungsteams beschäftigen.
Das Einreichen der Förderanträge ist jederzeit möglich.
Weitere Informationen zum EXIST-Gründerstipendium finden Sie hier.
EXIST research transfer
As part of the EXIST research transfer program, start-up teams with research-based start-up projects are funded with the aim of making the companies commercially viable later on. Consultancy and coaching measures are also funded in the first funding phase. The start-up teams have €10,000 at their disposal for entrepreneurial coaching. The content of the coaching includes corporate financing and further steps for preparing and implementing the business start-up.
Universities and research institutions based in Germany that employ start-up teams are eligible to apply.
Applications for funding can be submitted from January 1 to January 31 and from July 1 to July 31 of a calendar year.
Further information on EXIST Transfer of Research can be found here.
EXIST Women
The funding focuses on women who are already pursuing a specific start-up topic or would like to develop a suitable start-up idea and is aimed at women with a university or professional degree or students in Germany.
The funding period is twelve months and includes accompanying advice and support from a start-up support network in order to promote soft skills, initiate creativity and inventiveness and enable an active exchange of experience.
A lump sum of up to €2,000 is provided per female founder for material expenses. This includes, for example, consultancy services and coaching.
Universities and research institutions in Germany that have established or are planning to establish advisory services for female founders and are part of a start-up network are eligible to apply.
The funding guideline is valid until December 31, 2024 and applications can be submitted until September 30, 2023.
Further information can be found here.
Go-to-Market voucher
The Go-to-Market Voucher funding measure supports start-ups in the development of prototypes for digital products in order to facilitate their market entry. The aim is to increase the number of successful start-ups that offer innovative technologies and solutions.
The program is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Start-ups based in North Rhine-Westphalia that have been in existence for no more than three years, have fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than 2 million euros are eligible to apply.
Coaching services and other consulting services can be funded with up to 5,000 euros, with a maximum grant of 3,500 euros.
Applications can be submitted until October 31, 2026.
Find more information and a FAQ here.
