Idea promotion & coaching worth up to 5,000 euros.
*** Application deadline for the next round: November 01, 2026 ***
What is KickStart@HFU?
Furtwangen University promotes inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit and has launched KickStart@HFU, a funding program that gets involved at a very early stage of a potential startup — during the idea and prototype development phase. Through KickStart@HFU, we will provide funding of up to 5,000 euros per project to support the development of innovative (business) ideas into initial prototypes. So if you have an innovative idea you want to develop further and need better financial support to do so, apply now!
Who is sponsored?
The funding program is open to all members of the Furtwangen University community (students, professors, and staff) at all HFU campuses. Applications may be submitted by individuals or teams, though the project must have a technological focus to be eligible for funding. The funding is also explicitly intended for the pre-startup phase of potential founders. The company must not have been founded yet.
What is promoted?
Funding is available for innovative, technology-driven ideas with development and growth potential, as well as innovative services that offer significant customer value and are expected to provide unique selling points in the market. The funding includes consulting and in-kind services worth up to €5,000 per project. In addition to financial support, the winners can expect a personalized consulting program to help them on their path to potentially starting a business, as well as enhanced access to the offerings of the HFU startup consulting service startUPcampus, such as makerspaces and creative spaces.
Generally, funds to cover applicants’ living expenses or personnel costs are NOT eligible for funding. Likewise, expenses for in-kind or consulting services that are already available to all members of the university as general and freely accessible infrastructure are not eligible. Priority should be given to utilizing resources available at the HFU (e.g., creative spaces, makerspaces, laboratories, free consulting services from the HFU startup advisory service startUPcampus, computer/technology rooms, etc.).
How can I apply?
Applications for the next round of KickStart@HFU are open until November 01, 2026! Apply by sending the completed application form (i.e. including the list of required financial resources and the attachment for each team member) and, if applicable, a professorial letter of recommendation (optional) to: startup-campus@hs-furtwangen.de
Further procedure
All applications are first subject to a formal review (does it include all required information?). This is followed by a qualitative review by the KickStart@HFU team (is it an innovative and technology-oriented idea that can be tested within six months?).
The selected teams or individuals will receive an invitation to the Innovation Lab Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg. The program begins on November 6, 2026, with an in-person session at the St. Georgen Technology Center—please go ahead and mark this date on your calendar just in case. (At least) one team member should attend this session (and the three follow-up sessions) to define the target audience and develop potential business models. At the conclusion of the Innovation Lab, you can secure your KickStart funding once and for all with your pitch. This pitch (10-minute presentation + 10 minutes of questions from the jury) will take place before an independent jury consisting of representatives from Furtwangen University and external experts.
Key evaluation criteria include innovation and USP, feasibility, market potential, motivation and team composition, as well as the plausibility of the planned expenditures within the framework of the funding program.
The following points should be considered in the pitch:
- Introduce yourself as a person / team and describe your motivation for your idea (motivation & team composition).
- Describe your product / service (functionality & innovation content)
- What problem does it solve / what customer need is satisfied? (Customer Need & Market Potential)
- What is the USP? (What can your product / service do that existing solutions cannot?)
- What will the requested funding be used for (list of required financial resources)?
- What is your roadmap for the prototype phase (milestone planning)?
Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection will be made shortly after the pitch. Once accepted, you will have six months to advance your project and develop your prototype. This phase will be actively supported by the HFU startup advisory service startUPcampus in cooperation with the Gründergarten Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg – in the form of coaching.
At the end of the funding period, each team will present what they have achieved in a final presentation. These measures are designed to ensure that your projects receive proper support and are guided in the right direction.
There have been ten rounds of applications since 2021, and a total of 38 teams have so far managed to receive KickStart funding.