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Northern Bavaria is conquering the startup world: ZOLLHOF is becoming an innovation factory!
FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg is initiating the ZOHO Factory for startups in Northern Bavaria to promote innovation and DeepTech.
Northern Bavaria is conquering the startup world: ZOLLHOF is becoming an innovation factory!
On July 10, 2025, it was announced that the ZOLLHOF – Tech Incubator in Berlin was recognized as a startup factory as part of the nationwide “Startup Factories” competition of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). This decision brings Northern Bavaria into focus as the location of a federally funded startup factory, known as the ZOHO Factory. The concept of this new initiative convinced the jury and was presented by Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder highlighted as an important step for the Free State of Bavaria.
Dr. Söder announced up to 10 million euros in funding and proudly described Bavaria as a “start-up country”. This is part of a larger plan to invest a total of six billion euros in research and technology. The Minister of Science, Markus Blume, focuses on support for founders and describes the region as a real “start-up Eldorado”.
The goal of ZOHO Factory
The Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) plays a central role in this development. The university plans to establish the ZOHO Factory in collaboration with partners. This will represent the largest investment in Northern Bavaria's startup ecosystem. FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger sees the federal funding as a clear signal for the innovation ecosystem in the region.
With the ZOLLHOF – which has supported over 100 startups since 2017 and loud startup-factories.de is one of the fastest growing startup hubs in Germany - the actors are pursuing the goal of creating one of the best startup hubs in Europe by 2030. The focus is particularly on DeepTech innovations in order to inspire scientists to start IP-based startups.
Innovations and support for founders
A central aspect of the ZOHO Factory will be a prototyping lab that will help startups practically implement and scale their ideas. The necessary venture financing will also be made available to promote accelerated growth of the new companies. Vice President Kathrin M. Möslein emphasizes the importance of a solid start-up culture that makes it possible to transfer scientific findings into business reality.
Benjamin Bauer, Managing Director of the ZOLLHOF and FAU alumnus, has laid a foundation of principles that will promote the success of this initiative. “It is important to develop Northern Bavaria into a leading location for technology-driven spin-offs,” explains Bauer. Construction of the ZOHO Factory is scheduled to begin this year, further increasing anticipation and expectations in the region.
In summary, the founding of the ZOHO Factory is not only an important initiative for companies and startups in Northern Bavaria, but will also strengthen the region's innovative strength and create numerous new jobs and economic stimulus. The combination of political support, a strong university and existing success stories like ZOLLHOF could make the space one of the most exciting startup ecosystems in Europe.