Gründungsgarage

Have a concrete idea with potential. You must have a concrete business idea that shows potential and be at the pre-seed stage.

Be highly motivated and eager to learn. We want every individual who takes part to be highly motivated and eager to learn and engage with the program.

Be committed to succeed as a team. We want our teams to have a solid foundation and be able to work together and learn from each other.

Have entrepreneurial drive. We are looking for participants who have a keen entrepreneurial drive and spirit. Running your own business is a challenge, and you need the drive and the will to keep going.

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Gründungsgarage

“We are the leading academic startup accelerator for students and researchers in the pre-seed phase. Our unique and highly supportive program is the ideal platform to kickstart your ideas and bring them forward into a future business.”

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Started by Matthias Ruhri and Martin Mader as a course project at the University of Graz, the Gründungsgarage is the leading accelerator aimed at students and researchers interested in starting a business. Since 2013, it has supported over three hundred students and is now a nonprofit association. With over thirty mentors and backing from an array of corporate, public and academic partners, participants are given the opportunity to kickstart their ideas and to win a range of prizes.

To enter, teams must be students or researchers and have a concrete idea for a startup that is in the pre-seed phase. The program is offered to ten teams, and there are two annual intakes in October and March. From all applications, twenty teams are shortlisted and invited to pitch to a jury. A final ten is then selected to take part in the accelerator. Over the course of a semester, the teams undertake a series of workshops and sessions to delve deep into their startup concept and turn it into a viable business.

The program begins with an intensive sprint day where teams explore their ideas, discuss their motivations and identify any potential challenges. A workshop series follows, covering a broad range of topics such as business plans, design thinking, legal and tax, intellectual property rights, finance, growth marketing and online product creation. After the workshops, there is a mentoring day where the teams can book a slot to speak to the mentors one to one. Midway through the semester, each team presents to the mentors to show their progress and discuss any needs for additional support. Every team then receives pitch training to prepare them for their final presentation to a large audience. Three teams are awarded a prize, and one team is named overall winner. Participation and successful completion of the program equates to two ECTS credits.

[Apply to] gruendungsgarage.at