You have an innovative idea and would like to found a startup in Rhineland-Palatinate? The Startup Office RLP will support you along the way. We provide all the information you need in one place – whether you want to get advice, exchange ideas with like-minded people, or engage in networking within the startup scene.
To this end, we work closely with relevant players in the startup scene – such as Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz (ISB), the chambers of commerce and industry, and the chambers of crafts and trades. Because together we are all pursuing one goal: to advance your startup in the best possible way.
Your path to a startup: contact points at a glance
From an initial idea to a business plan to implementation, contact points on the state and federal levels can answer your questions about founding a startup and accompany you every step of the way. If you have specific concerns, it is best to contact the respective experts directly.
Talking about money: financing and grants
Founding a startup requires not only an innovative idea but also some seed capital. Finding suitable financing can be especially difficult for unprecedented business ideas and ventures that use new technologies. Find out here which financing options, grants, and competitions are available to young startups in Rhineland-Palatinate
Grants
Start.in.RLP is aimed at startup founders who have recently implemented their innovative ideas or are about to do so. The startup stipend includes financial support in the amount of 1,000 euros per month for a maximum of twelve months, the opportunity to engage in exchange with others in startup networks, and a virtual accelerator program.
Young and innovative enterprises with prospects for growth can apply for venture and equity capital from Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz (ISB). The equity capital is provided in the form of direct investments (acquisition of company shares) and/or silent participations taken with the purpose of bolstering the economic equity capital of the applicant company.
Competitions
Competitions are an opportunity for young companies to make contacts and present their innovative ideas to both a professional audience and the general public. Get an overview here of the opportunities available in Rhineland-Palatinate.
This competition offers all Rhineland-Palatinate residents the opportunity to submit their creative ideas. This includes innovative products, services, or processes that advance existing ideas or that do not yet exist in such form. .
https://www.ideenwettbewerb-rlp.de/
Create a sound business plan, make valuable contacts, participate in coaching sessions and workshops – the 1, 2, 3 Go business plan competition makes this and more possible. Experts accompany the participants, creating the best conditions for successfully starting a business after the certified participation.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Innovation Award is conferred annually in four categories. Companies that offer or develop innovative products, processes, or services and are based in Rhineland-Palatinate may apply. A jury decides how the prize money of 60,000 euros is distributed among the winners.
https://innovationspreis.rlp.de/de/innovationspreis-rheinland-pfalz/
Together with Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Rhineland-Palatinate and the regional public television station SWR, Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz annually awards the Pioneering Spirit Prize in three levels as well as a special prize. Trailblazing enterprises that create new products, technologies, and services are recognized.
Startup@RLP international
Young companies in particular benefit from trade fairs and trips abroad when they are looking to enter new foreign markets. The Ministry for Economics, Transport, Agriculture, and Viniculture of Rhineland-Palatinate therefore supports a limited number of interested startups with a lump-sum travel allowance for a selection of trade fairs and trips. Want to learn more? The Startup Office can help:
Getting off to a flying start together: networks and communities for startups
Whether it’s fine-tuning a business plan or providing support in the initial startup phase – exchanging ideas with like-minded people and experts often makes good ideas even better. Here in Rhineland-Palatinate, startups can find numerous resources to draw on – from consulting and coaching to networking and all the way through to co-working spaces and events
Networks
Cultivating contacts and thus stabilizing networks – that is the goal of the Pirmasens startup offensive. Young companies in particular benefit from this.
https://www.pirmasens.de/wirtschaft/wirtschaftsfoerderung/projekte/gruenden/grips/ _blankExchange, support, networking: the Eifel Female Founders meet in Bitburg at regular intervals. Women interested in starting a business are just as welcome as those who have already founded one successfully.
https://gruenderinneneifel.de/ _blankBy women for women: this Trier initiative encourages, supports, and accompanies female founders on their path to self-employment and beyond..
https://gruenderinnen-trier.de/index.php/about-us/ _blankExchange, funding, support, and knowledge transfer on the topic of digital transformation: the IT Club offers its members a wide range of networking opportunities.
https://www.itklub.de/ueber-uns/ _blankKnowledge transfer and excellent connections: more than 100 companies, institutions, and universities hone the IT location profile of the metropolitan region.
https://itforum.de _blankInterdisciplinary exchange and synergies between companies, institutions, and universities – this association represents a consolidation of media expertise in the greater region and focuses on helping shape the media and IT landscape.
https://mitl-netzwerk.eu _blankStartups and future founders from the medical field in the Rhine-Main area meet to exchange ideas and support each other. MUT is a resource offered by the Startup Office of University Medical Center Mainz.
https://www.unimedizin-mainz.de/technologietransfer/gruendungsbuero.html _blankFrom skills transfer to consulting: the interdisciplinary SPIRIT project makes students, graduates, and employees of the Trier University fit for entrepreneurial thought and action.
https://spirit.uni-trier.de/ _blankThe local network supports startups and companies in the founding process in order to raise the profile of their individual competencies and to bring stakeholders together for networking purposes.
https://www.ludwigshafen.de/wirtschaftsstark/weg-mbh/netzwerke/startup-campus-lu _blankTen partners, many events, one mission: to foster networking among people interested in starting a business and stakeholders in and around Koblenz and beyond
https://startup-league.org _blankThis independent initiative makes it possible for founders of startups to exchange ideas and receive support in Kaiserslautern and Western Palatinate.
https://www.startupwestpfalz.de _blankStartup and innovation centers
Start up, develop, live: this subsidiary of BITO Lagertechnik GmbH brings together startups, research institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises in one place to create an innovative ecosystem from which everyone can benefit.
https://www.bito-campus.de _blankFrom the initial consultation before the founding of the startup to the new company’s first office, the bic offers young startup founders a wide range of support. Workshops and training courses round out the offer.
https://bic-kl.de _blankConsulting, leasing, and an industry-relevant network – the CTC supports young companies in setting up shop and thriving at the ceramics hotspot of Höhr-Grenzhausen.
https://www.hoehr-grenzhausen.de/wirtschaft-technologie/technologie-forschung/technologie-und-gruenderzentrum-ceratechcenter _blankMatchmaking made in Worms: the Digital Hub brings startups together with small and medium-sized enterprises of the region in order to drive the digital transformation.
https://digital-hub-worms.de _blankWhether digital and innovative business models for companies or support for startups entering the market: this business and startup accelerator supports established and young companies in and around Kaiserslautern.
https://gipfelsprint.de _blankWith the great connections to many important locations, startups and young companies will find optimal conditions to get off the ground at the BIG Center. Offices starting from a size of 20m² are available for rent
https://www.vg-birkenfeld.de/wirtschaft/big-center.html _blankA flexible rental system for offices, coaching, and helpful contacts: at the Technology and Startup Center Daun, young companies will find everything they need to help them succeed.
https://www.tgz-daun.de/willkommen.html _blankLeasing, consulting, networking, contacts – TZK Koblenz offers startups and young companies ideal conditions for a successful launch in the Middle Rhine region. Proximity to the University of Koblenz-Landau is another plus.
https://www.tzk.de _blankSupport, consulting, infrastructure: the TZL stands by the side of young, innovative companies in the pre-startup phase and beyond. The advisory services range from preparing business plans to professional public relations.
https://www.tz-lu.de/beratung-gruender _blankFrom the startup idea to legal issues in the initial phase, the TZM provides comprehensive advice and support to young, technology-oriented companies, including cross-industry networking opportunities.
https://www.tzmz.de/ueber-uns/standort/ _blankWith its global ecosystem, the platform brings together established companies and promising startups from the chemical and healthcare sectors – using methods such as scouting.
https://www.5-ht.com _blankCo-workingand exchange
Sustainability and the common good are the guiding principles of Mainz’s first co-working space. This cooperatively organized “open space” places great emphasis on exchange and collaboration.
https://www.coworking-m1.de _blankCooperation instead of competition – this hub takes a holistic view of the digital transformation in business enterprises and the Mainz region and puts its focus on synergies and networking. The members can actively participate and position their topics
https://www.gutenberg-digital-hub.de _blankAs a bridge builder and impulse generator, the ISSO mediates between stakeholders such as representatives from the science and business world, society, and municipalities. The goal is to find solutions to the challenges facing society.
https://isso.de/ueber-isso/ _blankIn the MIG, office space can be rented according to individual needs. Communal kitchens and a rooftop terrace offer space for networking and the surroundings extend an invitation to go for a walk. Stores and cafes are also within walking distance.
https://mig-mainz.de _blankCompanies from a wide range of industries work on six floors of this neo-Renaissance building. The co-office space offers numerous possibilities, whether it’s exchanging ideas, networking, or doing things together directly.
https://www.neuegoldenrosskaserne.de _blankFrom co-working space to a permanent office, whether rental by the hour or permanently, the Pier in Mainz offers the right workplace solution for every business. Meeting rooms can also be rented, and events can be held at the venue
https://www.thepier.de/?target=8par0dp2b7sztyib1dxmu6edx¶ms=%7B%7D _blankWork, exchange, and events: Trier’s co-working space offers young companies and startups a professional atmosphere and community for implementing ideas.
https://zwo65.com _blankStartup Board Rhineland-Palatinate: keeping an eye on the startup scene
A strong startup ecosystem for a strong innovation scene: that’s what the Startup Board of Rhineland-Palatinate strives to achieve. The committee includes representatives of startup stakeholders active throughout the region, such as Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz, the chambers of industry and commerce, the chambers of crafts and trades, regionally located technology and startup centers, and startups. The members regularly meet with Minister of Economics Daniela Schmitt to talk about challenges they face as well as to share success stories from the startup scene in Rhineland-Palatinate. In close cooperation with the Startup Office RLP, the committee determines how the current offers for funding and support can be further optimized and recommends potential ways to do this.
