TUM: Innovation forge for the next generation of unicorns!

TUM: Innovation forge for the next generation of unicorns!

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) plays a central role in promoting start-ups and innovations in Germany. With over 20 companies considered unicorns with a market value of over $1 billion, the university has an impressive track record. The best-known companies that emerged from TUM include Celonis, Personio and EGYM. This was recently discussed in the “We Are TUM” podcast, which also featured important personalities such as Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, Vice President for Entrepreneurship, and Flora Geske, co-founder of SUMM AI, had their say. Announced as Entrepreneurship Day on June 26th, the day will further promote and celebrate TUM's entrepreneurial culture.

TUM pursues the goal of developing promising business ideas from innovative concepts. In this context, the university focuses on creating applications that benefit society through new technologies and products. Through close collaboration with UnternehmerTUM and the Munich Urban Colab, a strong culture of innovation and start-ups is established. The project initiated by the Free State of Bavaria to support start-up hubs in five university regions strengthens these efforts and underlines the importance of Bavaria as an attractive location for start-ups, such as stmwk.bayern.de reported.

Rising Stars of TUM

Numerous projects are being launched at TUM that have the potential to revolutionize the market. Notable initiatives include HORYZN, a prototype for an AI-controlled medical goods transport drone, and TUM Boring, a team of 60 students that developed a tunnel boring machine for the Hyperloop concept. The TUM Autonomous Motorsports project also caused a stir when it won international races with an AI-controlled vehicle, including an impressive performance in Abu Dhabi.

The TUM Venture Labs, which were founded in 2020, have established themselves as a platform for increasing the innovation and start-up culture. In the eleven venture labs, each of which forms its own start-up ecosystem, founders have access to scientific staff, mentors and state-of-the-art workspaces. One goal of Venture Labs is to significantly increase technology spin-offs in the region, supported by networks and partners such as the Nemetschek Group and Brainlab AG, both of which are playing a pioneering role in their fields.

Support for start-ups in Bavaria

The start-up hubs, which were launched on May 2, 2024 by Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume, aim to create a systematic start-up training program at numerous universities. These initiatives, which extend across Middle Franconia, Upper Franconia, Lower Franconia, Swabia and Eastern Bavaria, offer students and academic staff comprehensive support in their entrepreneurial activities.

The Free State of Bavaria is investing three million euros in the start-up hubs and providing funding and special qualification offers. This is part of Bavaria's comprehensive high-tech agenda, which totals 5.5 billion euros and aims to strengthen innovation and technology transfer. The aim of the start-up hubs is to expand and network existing offers to promote entrepreneurship in order to create sustainably successful start-up structures.

TUM's strong focus on innovation and business creation combined with state support in Bavaria shows a promising ecosystem for future business founders. With the upcoming Entrepreneurship Day and the ongoing initiatives, TUM will continue to be considered a leading institution in the start-up scene. Current topics in higher education, such as AI strategy and mental health in the workplace, will also be covered in future podcast episodes and provide a framework for discussions about today's challenges.