New platform for founders

The new website gruenderplattform.de offers individual support for anyone who is starting their own business or has just completed the process.

This article is part of the special feature GründerNavi – for founders and young companies

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier, together with KfW CEO Dr. Günther Bräunig and KfW board member Dr. Ingrid Hengster, officially launched the new digital startup platform today (April 16) . The tools on the new platform are designed to help implement new and creative business concepts. They are also intended to simplify processes from the initial idea to finding suitable funding and financing.

Who can help me, where can I get funding, where can I get feedback?

For the latest developments for entrepreneurs, there is a newsletter: https://gruenderplattform.de/newsletter. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the KfW (German Development Bank) aim to support aspiring entrepreneurs in the crucial phase of business preparation with this platform and to boost the entrepreneurial spirit in Germany. Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier explains: "Entrepreneurs, with their courage, energy, and fresh ideas, ensure a vibrant small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. That's why I'm committed to a new initiative to support entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur platform is an important step in this direction, as it supports aspiring entrepreneurs even before they launch their businesses."

This is how the platform works!

At www.gruenderplattform.de, aspiring entrepreneurs will find interactive tools that enable them to develop their idea, business model and business plan throughout the entire process, as well as facilitating the search for suitable funding and financing.

Chambers of commerce, state development agencies, guarantee banks, and credit institutions are included with their offerings on the platform. Founders can contact them directly to receive advice or feedback on their business model or business plan, or to submit a financing request to a credit institution.

Another tool is the exchange between founders. These diverse feedback opportunities are intended to give founders the opportunity to better assess the prospects for success of their ideas.

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"Germany needs a vibrant start-up scene to remain innovative and competitive in the long term," said Dr. Günther Bräunig, Chairman of the Board of Management of KfW, at the presentation of the platform in Berlin.

No matter what industry – start-ups go through the same phases

www.gruenderplattform.de guides users through a standardized business start-up process. Ideally, the founder of a furniture workshop should go through the same phases as a start-up founder in Silicon Valley. The focus is on learning from successful founders: In videos, entrepreneurs describe how they achieved their start-up goals.

The startup platform was developed by the BMWi and KfW together with the operator BusinessPilot. At the same time, 36 partners of the aforementioned startup promoters closely supported the conception phase.