Consulting services for start-ups

The first step towards setting up a company

The FAU Start-up Service provides aspiring entrepreneurs and young companies with sound advice. Students, staff or professors at FAU are supported both before launching their company and whilst building their business.

The Start-up Service regularly invites founders and young entrepreneurs to events covering topics relevant to starting out in business and provides information on competitions for founders and start-ups.

Events

Subscription

Program for startups and current events

  • FAU Start-up Demo Day

    Together with EELISA, the university association to which eight other European universities belong in addition to FAU, the FAU Start-Up Service organizes the FAU Start Demo Day every year. On this day, FAU start-ups can present innovative project ideas and business models to a jury of experts. The top three teams will receive coaching worth 1,000 euros each. The winning team will also have the honor of representing FAU at the European-wide EELISA Start-up Demo Day in December.

    More information is available on: www.eelisa.fau.de

  • Startup Café

    A start-up café is held in the late afternoon on the first Thursday of the month where anyone interested in founding a company can meet and share ideas in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

    This offers all young entrepreneurs, anyone starting their own business and anyone interested in going into business the possibility to share and explore innovative ideas with those of a similar mindset from other universities and research institutions.

    Entry is free of charge.

    Further information

  • EXISTENCY

    ‘Existency’ is the new platform for entrepreneurs from universities and research institutions in the Middle Franconia region. The Existency platform provides support to academic start-up teams to fully exploit the potential of their business idea and significantly increase their chance of success. Existency is a collaborative project run by FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg in conjunction with Technische Hochschule Nürnberg and Hochschule Ansbach, and funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in the context of Exist (Exist potentials). Other partners include, in particular, ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, and LZE e.V. as well as many other partner institutions such as BayStartup, various start-up centers in Middle Franconia, and the Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Nürnberg für Mittelfranken).

    Further information and details of services and events is available at: www.existency.de

  • FAU Digital Tech Academy

    The Digital Tech Academy consolidates and reinforces the opportunities FAU offers in the field of digital entrepreneurship. Exceptionally talented students and doctoral candidates who would like to acquire methodological knowledge and practical experience in implementing digital innovations can apply for the summer semester in the one-year interdisciplinary and extra-curricular Digital Tech Fellows program. In addition, the Digital Tech Academy offers events and workshops in collaboration with institutions and departments at FAU.

    Further information: www.dta.fau.de

  • €5 Business

    In the €5 Business project, interdisciplinary student teams work together to develop a business idea and launch it onto the market for a period of six weeks. There are few formal requirements and the teams can concentrate entirely on their business. The event is run at universities throughout Bavaria.

    Further information and previous teams: www.5-euro-business.de

  • Impact E3

    Impact E3 focuses not only on the profitability of a startup, but also on social and environmental aspects. The universities involved in the network, FAU, Ansbach University of Applied Sciences and Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, are focusing here on a comprehensive definition of entrepreneurship: problems affecting society as a whole are to be solved through innovative and sustainable start-ups. Entrepreneurial action and impact are addressed together at all events.

    Further information can be found under: www.impacte3.de

Startup competitions

Depending on their focus, competitions revolving around start-ups are aimed at either students, inventors, those who want to start their own business or young entrepreneurs.

Northern Bavarian Business Plan Competition

Northern Bavarian Business Plan Competition

The Northern Bavarian Business Plan Competition focuses on innovative ideas with a substantial potential for growth. It is open to all start-ups and entrepreneurs based in Northern Bavaria. Anyone not currently living or working in Northern Bavaria can only participate if they can give plausible reasons justifying their plans to move to Northern Bavaria in future. The project is open to people who are aiming either to launch a start-up or to extend an existing business idea. The competition is split into three phases, but participants can join at any of these phases. In each phase you are provided with written assessments which you can use to fine-tune your business plan. The competition is held every year.

German Entrepreneur Award

German Entrepreneur Award

The German Entrepreneur Award is conferred annually in five categories: Student, StartUp, Rising Star and Lifetime Achievement. The award honors entrepreneurial role models in various start-up phases. A special award is also presented to entrepreneurs whose success is based on a creative approach. The German Entrepreneur Award is a joint initiative between stern, Sparkassen, ZDF and Porsche.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Entrepreneur of the Year

The prize, awarded annually by Ernst&Young, is presented in several categories. The prize is awarded to entrepreneurs who demonstrate initiative, foresight and a flair for innovation. The terms and conditions and categories vary slightly from year to year – more information is available on the Ernst&Young website.

ICT Start-Up Challenge

Startup competition of the BMWi

The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) holds a startup competition twice a year. The conditions for participating in the two-phase competition are relatively low-threshold, which is particularly interesting for early-stage startups. Information on the procedure and prize money of over 32,000 euros can be found on the competition website.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Start-Up Award

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Start-Up Award

The Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Middle Franconia awards the annual Chamber of Commerce and Industry Start-Up Award for Middle Franconia once a year. The competition is open to owners/partners of companies belonging to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry with their headquarters in Middle Franconia. The award is intended to encourage those who want to set up a business and reward young entrepreneurs for their courage and dedication.

Science4Life

Science4Life

Science4Life is an annual industry-specific start-up competition run throughout Germany in the emerging areas of life science and chemistry. The competition is aimed at students, doctoral candidates and research associates at universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions as well as other innovators in the area of life science and chemistry. Companies which would like to participate in the competition must have started business after September 1, 2008.

Contact

Gründungsberatung

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
Referat S-OUTREACH - Outreach Support

Henkestraße 91 Medical Valley Center, EG, Haus 2
91052 Erlangen