The KIT-Gründerschmiede
We shape
tomorrow’s founders.
Entrepreneurial thinking and acting is in the DNA of KIT: Every year, more than 30 teams decide to found a company, and the trend is rising.
The KIT-Gründerschmiede, the home of all founders and entrepreneurs at and around KIT, plays a decisive role in this.
page overview
Who we are
One of the largest start-up centers in Germany
Founded in 2013, KIT-Gründerschmiede is one of the largest university start-up centers in Germany today. We bundle all activities on the topics of founding and entrepreneurship to achieve more impact for our founding teams.
The KIT-Gründerschmiede serves as an initial contact point for technology-based start-ups and sees itself as a breeding ground and accelerator for innovative business ideas around the central future topics of our time such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, mobility, and energy.
Our goal is to support start-ups with our services at every stage of development and to actively help them build powerful technology companies.
5 Facts
What we do
From idea to start-up
Whether with innovative ideas directly from studies or with developments from research, the team of KIT-Gründerschmiede offers interested founders and start-ups an all-round service – from the (further) development of the first idea to the exit.
In addition to advice and assistance, we also support our teams with premises, including fully equipped offices and laboratories. In some cases, KIT participates in spin-offs and assumes the role of a strategic co-investor.
Who we work with
Together for Success
Together with institutes and chairs, professors, mentors, and coaches, we promote entrepreneurship and corporate culture and actively work for the success of our start-ups. We are supported by important partners such as PionierGarage e.V., the university group for student entrepreneurs at KIT. Here, students of all disciplines can deal with the topic of business start-ups and get involved.
At the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Innovation, EnTechnon, scientifically based contents on entrepreneurship are taught and prepared for entrepreneurial practice. Entrepreneurial thinking and action are specifically trained in lectures and seminars so that technological and business opportunities can be turned into innovations. The teaching forms a professional basis for prospective entrepreneurs.
In addition, various departments from Innovation and Relations Management (IRM) provide our founders with significant support on topics such as patents and licenses.
What we do
Mediation & networking
We are networkers and mediators for our founders in the start-up eco-system in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and internationally. Through co-operations and regular networking events we create a lively and active exchange of information with the start-up scene. We network the right people at the right time so that ideas become reality.
Start-up culture in Karlsruhe
Our network
Our most important partner in the field of high-tech and IT is the CyberForum in Karlsruhe. With over 1,200 members, it is the largest regionally active high-tech entrepreneur network in Europe.
The xLab at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences is more than just a research project on entrepreneurship. Here in the co-working space, space is created for trying things out and networking.
The Gründerallianz is the community of all the players who have a standing and name in the Karlsruhe entrepreneurship sector. As a regional platform, it bundles all offers and information for those interested in founding a company.
PionierGarage e.V. is the largest university group for entrepreneurship in Germany and an important part of KIT-Gründerschmiede. On the way to a start-up, there is no getting around it. With Launchpad, it also offers the first student incubator in Germany.
The Technologiefabrik Karlsruhe is the interface between research, science, and business and offers more than 18,000 square meters of space for young start-up teams. Many of our teams have set up their first office here.
What we do
Current projects
Start-up culture in Karlsruhe
Our
locations
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