Hohenheim shines: 3rd place in the 2025 start-up radar for innovative ideas!
The University of Hohenheim achieved third place in the 2025 start-up radar for its outstanding support for start-ups in Germany.

Hohenheim shines: 3rd place in the 2025 start-up radar for innovative ideas!
The University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart has established itself as a leading institution in the area of start-up support and, according to the start-up radar 2025, achieved third place among medium-sized universities in Germany. This ranking is created by the Stifterverband and the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation and compares the start-up activities of 191 universities in Germany. The University of Hohenheim is particularly praised for its exemplary support of the start-up culture, which particularly promotes the entrepreneurial spirit of its students.
Among the nine state universities in Baden-Württemberg, only the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) achieved a better ranking. The University of Hohenheim plans to further expand its network work in order to make the existing offers to support start-ups even more effective. The INSPIRE2Start hub is part of a comprehensive initiative that supports sustainable innovations in the Stuttgart region.
Resources and support for founders
An outstanding feature of the university is the InnoGreenhouse, an entrepreneurship hub located on campus and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. This hub offers a wide range of support for aspiring founders, including co-working spaces, individual funding advice, workshops and pitching events that enable founders to present their ideas to a wide audience.
The University of Hohenheim pays particular attention to the targeted support of women in the start-up sector. Programs such as EXIST-Women and the MentHo program are designed to specifically support women interested in starting a business. These initiatives are part of a larger movement aimed at promoting social mobility and making the start-up landscape in Germany more diverse. Latest research results from Dr. Leif Brändle and the Bertelsmann Foundation demonstrate the influence of social mobility on the start-up sector.
Start-up support in other cities
There is also broad support for startups outside of Stuttgart. In Berlin, for example, several universities such as the Free University, the Humboldt University and the Technical University offer programs to raise awareness and qualify students for starting a business. Competitions, scholarships and funding such as the EXIST start-up grant, which supports innovative or knowledge-based start-up projects worth up to 143,000 euros, are important components of the start-up culture here.
The funding is not just limited to Berlin; Cooperation between science and business is actively pursued at many German universities. This is underlined by various initiatives, such as the Berlin Startup Scholarship and the Entrepreneurial Network University, which help to establish a lively start-up culture.
In summary, the University of Hohenheim is not only a top institution in the area of start-up support, but can also serve as a role model for other universities that pursue similar goals. The combined approaches of infrastructure, dedicated programs and targeted support help create a fertile environment for innovative ideas and start-ups.
For further information about the start-up initiatives at the University of Hohenheim, please visit University of Hohenheim or learn more about the entrepreneurship activities on the entrepreneurship.uni-hohenheim Page. Further details on start-up support in Berlin can be found on the Berlin University Alliance website.