Berlin startup hub: Europe's number 1 for innovation and start-ups!

Berlin startup hub: Europe's number 1 for innovation and start-ups!

In a renowned report by Berlin University Alliance The Science & Startups initiative was named one of Europe's leading start-up hubs for 2025. The honor from prominent institutions such as the Financial Times and Statista underlines the innovative strength of the spin-offs, students, researchers and alumni.

Volker Hofmann, member of the management group of Science & Startups, highlights the excellent services that the network offers for founders. The joint startup service, which brings together three of the universities with the most start-ups in Germany, is based on the start-up process and the specific needs of the target groups.

Support offers for founders

Science & Startups offers a variety of tools to support founders. This includes activating entrepreneurial talent, helping to develop and finance business models, and providing co-working spaces and labs. Networking with investors and support for internationalization round off the offer. Startup consultants, coaches and mentors also support the teams in all phases.

A notable offering within this infrastructure is the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center (K.I.E.Z.), which provides specialized support for innovative projects in the field of AI. The digitalization of services is being driven forward by platforms like match’em, which support the search for co-founders.

The information shows that startups not only drive innovation, but also create new jobs and increase tax revenue in Berlin. A significant aspect of the successful concept is the EXIST start-up grant, in which every funding euro invested provides almost six euros of additional added value. This added value is reinvested in research and teaching, which also benefits universities as it leads to career opportunities for graduates, research partnerships and improved science communication.

Financing and networks

Financing in early start-up phases is primarily secured through public money, while private companies and investors are increasingly involved in later phases. An example of such funding is the Berliner Sparkasse start-up prize, which rewards committed startup founders.

Martin Laarmann, project manager of the Precelerator project at Munich University of Applied Sciences, brings an additional perspective on the innovation landscape in Germany. Loud SCE The Precelerator project acts as a “gym” for innovation, entrepreneurship and prototyping. Laarmann, a graduate engineer in architecture from TU Darmstadt, has made a name for himself as an expert in innovation communities and coworking spaces.

Laarmann's commitments, particularly in setting up the Werk1 startup center in Munich and in consulting for companies such as Audi, illustrate his commitment to promoting a creative and cooperative environment. His initiative to host the largest maker festival in southern Germany, “MAKE MUNICH”, is another example of the effort to advance the “just-make-it” mindset and bottom-up entrepreneurship.

Both Science & Startups and the Precelerator project are part of a dynamic ecosystem that aims to promote start-up ideas and increase innovative strength in Germany. Interested students and researchers are encouraged to form networks and take advantage of the opportunity to receive initial advice in order to take the step into self-employment. This consultation can be booked at www.science-startups.berlin/kontakt.