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CONSOLIDATE IDEAS,
BUILD A BUSINESS.

WHO WE ARE

Since 2007, a total of 152 startups have benefited from WECONOMY - and the trend is rising. CureVac, FOND of and Kinexon were one of the first. Will your startup be the next?

YOUR BENEFIT

Know-how

Learn from and with the best!

During speed mentoring sessions and keynote speeches, top managers and executives will provide you with insights, extensive business knowledge and new perspectives.

Network

With our help you can build up a network!

Contacts are crucial for entrepreneurial progress. We support you with a strong network and our expertise: Get in touch with top managers and find out what challenges they see for your company.

Coaching

Take your startup to the next level!

Four two-day workshops on the topics of market, sales and growth help you to take important steps for further development. Make your startup ready for the next step and lay the foundation for cooperations and partnerships.

HERE ARE THE PREREQUISITES

Learn more about what we expect and require from your startup.

Early Stage / Pre Seed

Startups that have not yet been founded can also take part in the competition. Experience shows that you have the best chances if you can present a proof of concept or pilots!

Headquarters in Germany

Your startup should be based in Germany.

STEM and technology focus

We are looking for innovative startups that are active in the STEM and technology sector. Whether MedTech, FinTech, AgriTech - the range is broad, so go for it!

Diversity

Success stands and falls with the diversity of the team. The more diverse, the better!

BECOME PART OF WECONOMY NOW

Are you ready to really take off with your startup? Then apply for the 19th round of WECONOMY. The application period starts on May 1 and ends on June 31 2025, the finalists will be announced in August 2025.

We look forward to receiving your pitch deck with the following content

Problem and solution
Market and competition
USP
technology
Business model and financial planning
Milestones and successes
Vision
Team

As of last year, it is also mandatory to send us an application video:

Introduce yourself in a maximum two-minute video and tell us more about your product, business model, team and motivation. The quality of the video does not matter, it can be recorded with a cell phone (e.g. as a selfie video) - we are interested in the content! The video must be self-hosted and accessible (e.g. youTube or Vimeo). No download links please. If necessary, the video can be submitted later until the end of the application period.

f you have any questions or problems with the upload, please contact us by email at startup@wissensfabrik.de.

To apply, please fill out the form below completely. You can open the form in a new window here. Please not that the form is currently in german but will be added in English until end of may.

You don't meet all the requirements?

„

We are currently at a point in the company's development where contacts with investors are exciting. But today we also want to learn from mentors how growth factors are perceived and what customers are looking for. For example, what role do leadership programmes play in our industry sector?

Amelie Wiedemann

Dear Employee

Mehr Info

THE WECONOMY JURY

Dr. Iris Liliana Bleck

FintechX GmbH

Co-Founder and CEO of a fintech startup offering banking products to SMEs. Previously, she was Deputy Managing Director of the German branch of Silicon Valley Bank, that provides support to innovative growth companies as well as their investors.

Dr. Ingmar Hoerr

Founder of CureVac and Founder of Morpho Foudation

Biologist and Founder and longtime CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CureVac AG in Tübingen, that has been founded in 2000. He has been one of the first WECONOMY Winners in year 2007. In 2011 he joined the WECONOMY Jury for the first time.

Dr. Lukas Günther

Sofinnova

His focus is on healthcare and technology. The former surgeon was previously an investment director at Wellington Partners.

Pamela Renz

Wissensfabrik

Two-time founder and head of startup support at Wissensfabrik. Many years of experience in sales, product management and leadership at Bosch in the IoT, automotive electronics, smart home and cloud solutions industries.

Claudia Frey

UnternehmerTUM GmbH

Managing Director of UnternehmerTUM GmbH. The Centre for Innovation and Founding initiates and accompanies technology-based startups in their growth.

Vanessa Pinter

Yttrium

Growth investor at Yttrium, one of the first funds in Germany to focus exclusively on late-stage B2B companies. Her focus includes cybersecurity, climate and healthcare.

Nicole Büttner

Merantix Momentum

Tech optimist and active as entrepreneur, investor and board member. Founder of AI solutions company Merantix Momentum and board member of Merantix. Also a Digital Leader at the World Economic Forum and nominated as a Young Leader by the Aspen Institute and twice selected as 40 under 40 by Capital Magazine.

Timo Dohmen

UnternehmerTUM GmbH

As a former founder & venture consultant, Timo supports start-ups on their way to successful investments and operational excellence. His experience ranges from international corporations and banks to operational early stage start-ups in the high-tech but also SaaS space.

Susan Koll

Handelsblatt Media Group

Head of Concept and Development Awards at Handelsblatt Mediagroup. As a profound marketing expert with extensive experience in business development, she has been contributing her expertise to the conception and further development of awards to promote start-ups for over 15 years.

Dr. Christiane Zedelius

Dentons Group

Many years of experience in the fields of distribution and commercial law. She advises companies on franchise, agency and licence agreements as well as sourcing and quality agreements. 2017 she founded the female health startup mimeno.

Larissa Skarke

Worldfund

Climate investor at Worldfund, one of the largest European Climate Tech VCs. Lawyer and financial scientist with previous positions as investor at KKR and management consultant at McKinsey.