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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

The application phase for WECONOMY 2024 has already ended. You can apply for the next round of WECONOMY starting in May 2026. You are welcome to prepare your documents now and keep them up to date.

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.

You don't meet all the requirements?

„

How often do you have the opportunity to be in a room with such interesting personalities who pay attention to you? The top managers brought a new perspective to the different questions we had to deal with. For me, it's the most valuable startup competition I know, because you can't put a price on access to knowledge and support. And it's a good feeling to be surrounded by other founders with similar mindsets.

Can Pinar

Cytolytics

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

Kurma Partners

Venture Partner at Kurma Partners in Paris; his focus is on healthcare and technology. A former surgeon, he has been working in the European venture capital sector for 18 years.

Melanie Higgs

Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund

Operating Partner and CFO at Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund. She brings over 10 years of experience in early-stage investment, which she gained primarily at Axel Springer. Among other things, she served as Managing Director of the AS Plug and Play Accelerator. Today, she combines financial and investment expertise with commitment to greater diversity in VC.

Claudia Frey

UnternehmerTUM GmbH

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

Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schwenker

Roland Berger GmbH

Senior Fellow at Roland Berger, member of several supervisory boards, steering committee member of Wissensfabrik

Mathias Haase

Wissensfabrik

Chairman of the Board of Wissensfabrik. With many years of management experience at BASF, his interdisciplinary background in political science and economics, and international experience, he brings with him in-depth knowledge of strategy, innovation, and corporate development.

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.

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.