Start-up BW Pre-Seed

The Start-up BW Pre-Seed program targets young, innovative companies and founders in the early phase with their registered office and investment location in Baden-Württemberg. It aims to support promising start-up projects in this high-risk phase until they are ready for financing and to enable their growth.

The Start-up BW Pre-Seed program supports innovative start-up projects that are in the pre-seed phase and have not yet reached market maturity. The focus is on the development of business models, products, and services up to market readiness. Projects for pre-competitive research funding are excluded from funding.

The Start-up BW Pre-Seed program offers financing in the form of a grant with a repayment and conversion clause. State funding amounts to 80 percent of the total financing, with the co-investor contributing at least 20 percent. The total financing sum typically ranges between €50,000 and €200,000, but can reach up to €400,000 in exceptional cases. The funding period is generally two years, and the contract duration is a maximum of five years.

Funding under Start-up BW Pre-Seed is tied to specific conditions, affecting both the application process and project implementation. These include the necessity of a positive vote by a support partner, adherence to a fixed funding period, and regulations regarding repayment and conversion of the grant. Additionally, state aid ceilings must be observed.

The application procedure for Start-up BW Pre-Seed is multi-stage and requires close cooperation with an approved support partner. Following a positive vote by the support partner and approval from the Ministry, the application is submitted to L-Bank. The applications are reviewed by a decision-making committee with the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

The legal basis of the Start-up BW Pre-Seed program is based on the provisions of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism Baden-Württemberg and is legitimized by the State Budget Act and the SME Promotion Act Baden-Württemberg. The funding also complies with the European Union's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).