We focus on the individual needs of each start-up to scale them to the next level

3

month program

184

start-ups accelerated

92%

start-ups active or acquired

Duotone event UDD 2© Bert Willer

TechFounders is a premium B2B startup accelerator by UnternehmerTUM, a no.1 Innovation hub in Europe. As a matchmaker between corporates and start-ups, we constantly seek innovative start-ups ready to test and develop their solutions with industry-leading companies. 

We offer a unique program specialized in realising your start-up's full potential by developing and testing your solution hands-on with established businesses through a paid pilot project or a proof-of-concept (PoC). Ideally, these collaborations can evolve into long-term partnerships or customer relationships for your start-up!

What's in it for YOU

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Collaborate with Corporates & SMEs

Develop and test your solution

You can find our current Corporate Partners and Pilot Project focus fields below
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Receive €25,000

Equity-free funding

We offer a project budget of €25k, without taking any equity or charges in return, for start-ups selected for a pilot projects
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Tailored Coaching and Mentoring

Tackle your roadblocks

By seasoned serial entrepreneurs, tech experts, business angels, venture capitalists, and experienced industry professionals
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Connect with International Investors

Build relationships that matter

Connect with TechFounders and UnternehmerTUM's investor network partners.
Simplifyber© Maximilian Prechtel

Pitch at Start-up Demo Day

Spotlight is yours

Present your company in front of number of investors, business angels, and business representatives
Stellar Labs Brain Embasse Highres Mats Palinckx 8 3 1
Teampicture Betterfish© BettaF!ish
Maria Driesel jpeg
CEO Andreas Kunze
CUBE5 Gruppenfoto qbound cut© Cube 5 / Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Amelie Julia Spoonie Kopie
Teampicture Foto Now

Stella Collins - Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer, Stellar Labs

TechFounders was a great opportunity for us to collaborate on a successful Proof of Concept with our corporate partner DATEV. It was valuable to pitch our neuroscience-guided, AI-accelerated upskilling platform to investors and clients at the Demo Day. Meeting other founders with amazing solutions was fascinating and we were delighted to win the pitch contest despite such strong competition. We value the ongoing support that Techfounders provide as we continue our mission towards ‘a world where every minute spent learning is worth it’.

Deniz Ficicioglu - Co-Founder, BettaF!sh

If you are looking for strong partners to grow and scale your impact, this is the place to be. The TechFounders program with its great team, experienced mentors, and inspiring founders has propelled our business tremendously. Together with our project partners at ALDI Nord & ALDI SÜD, we have the unique opportunity to make sustainability affordable and our innovative plant-based tuna available to everyone.

Maria Sievert - Founder & Managing Partner, inveox

We are engaged in several UnternehmerTUM initiatives and have highly benefited from each. TechFounders greatly supported us in professionalizing our business, expanding our network, and finding investors. Since entering the program, we have closed two financing rounds, won numerous awards, and been voted Germany's 'Start-up of the Year 2017' and made it onto the Forbes list of the '100 most promising startups 2018'.

Andreas Kunze - CEO & Co-Founder, KONUX

Through the TechFounders program and the collaboration project, we gained valuable input to improve our product market fit and business model. The broad network of UnternehmerTUM and TechFounders were an incredible help to find first customers. Recently, we closed our Series B round with $33m to expand our product portfolio development and accelerate our international market expansion. It all starts with a dream - Join TechFounders to make your dream a reality!

Dr. André Schweizer - Co-Founder & CEO, qbound

The collaboration project with a big corporate partner such as Knorr-Bremse was a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and further develop our solution. In addition, TechFounders' outstanding coaches and mentors gave us valuable guidance to improve our business model and get our company on the right track!

Amelie Vermeer - Co-Founder & CEO, Spoontainable

The TechFounders program and pilot project with ALDI Nord & ALDI SÜD gave us a lot of valuable experience that helped us to further develop our company and to keep on with our mission – to strive towards a world without single-use plastics. Since the program, the “Spoonies” have spread all across Europe, and we have closed a six-figure funding round!

Florian Ziesche - Co-Founder & CEO, 36ZERO Vision

The TechFounders program helped our solution enter the market and win global leaders in manufacturing as customers. The Ultimate DemoDay was a powerful platform to launch our fundraising and brought a lot of attention towards 36ZERO Vision (previously: FotoNow), allowing us to obtain new leads and reach out to investors directly. In the course of the program, we have benefited a lot from the leadership of the TechFounders team and experienced advisors.

Current & Previous Corporate Partners

CLAAS
Festo logo
HP Tech Ventures
Knorr Bremse logo
Miele Logo M Red s RGB 1
Wieland logo
ADAC Logo png
Adidas
BMW GROUP
Lanxess logo copy
1512514369 89 muni logo mobi
Download
Datev copy
Siemens logo
ALDI Nord Logo 2015
Aldi Sud 2017 logo
Logo Wacker WEB g C 10
CLAAS
Festo logo
HP Tech Ventures
Knorr Bremse logo
Miele Logo M Red s RGB 1
Wieland logo
ADAC Logo png
Adidas
BMW GROUP
Lanxess logo copy
1512514369 89 muni logo mobi
Download
Datev copy
Siemens logo
ALDI Nord Logo 2015
Aldi Sud 2017 logo
Logo Wacker WEB g C 10

Program Timeline

39 A1940© Bert Willer

The Ultimate DemoDay was a powerful platform to launch our fundraising and brought a lot of attention towards 36ZERO Vision, allowing us to obtain new leads and reach out to investors directly.

Florian Ziesche, Co-founder & CEO, 36ZERO Vision (previously: FotoNow)

  • February 24-28
    February 24-28

    Kick-off

    Understanding your customer

    Munich, Germany

    During the first part of the program, the start-ups will focus strongly on customer development and kick-off their pilot projects with their corporate partners. The first group and 1:1 coaching sessions will focus on the dos and don’ts of scaling their business and dive into Key Account Management, Pricing, Growth Hacking, and more. Teams will also start their pitch training and get introduced to the TechFounders ecosystem incl. program mentors and alumni.

  • March - April
    March - April

    Finance & Fundraising

    It's time for the money talk

    Remote

    We will dive into all financing-related roadblocks the start-ups might encounter, from Tax and Termsheet-related issues to VC and alternative financing options and sources. The teams get to meet more investors from the TechFounders ecosystem and have a get-together with experienced CTOs to discuss their current challenges. 

  • May 28
    May 28

    Start-up Demo Day

    Showtime!

    Munich

    The final phase of our program includes individual coaching sessions on the topics most relevant for the start-ups and putting all the pitch training into action on UnternehmerTUM's Start-up Demo Day, where the start-ups have the opportunity to present their companies in front of a high-quality audience consisting of investors, business angels, and corporate representatives.

Pitch event 0110 hires© Bert Willer

Our support doesn’t end on Demo Day

After our program, we and our alumni network continue to help founders and support their journey for the life of their company.

Check out the news about our start-ups' success after the program

News & Stories