STARTING UP IN BRANDENBURG

FROM YOUR INITIAL IDEA
TO START-UP SUCCESS

If you want to start an innovative business in Brandenburg, you’ve come to the right place!
Brandenburg is a hub for start-ups and entrepreneurship. Here, innovative ideas transform into successful companies that develop forward-looking new technologies, products, and business models. Whether you are innovating for the energy transition, developing new products and services for the society of tomorrow, or coming up with digital solutions for the healthcare industry of the future, WFBB’s targeted support ensures your start-up will succeed. And once you’ve launched, we’ll help you develop your business further.

Try our start-up check!

• We’ll work with you to turn your innovative idea into a successful business model.
• If you want to expand your skill set, we will discuss your training needs. Brandenburg has a range of comprehensive, regional and crossregional guidance and training projects that you can draw on to extend your knowledge and competences.
• If you have a migration background and want to set up a business in Brandenburg, we can provide advice on all the intercultural issues you might encounter and assistance with overcoming bureaucratic hurdles; we can also help you identify funding opportunities.

Shaping your business model together

• We’ll help you draw up the business plan for your new enterprise. We are a partner of the Berlin-Brandenburg Business Plan Competition and the Federal Start-up Platform, which means you get free support with preparing your business plan and access to fascinating seminars and workshops.
• With the right sales and marketing strategy, your business will take off. We’ll advise you on strategy development and share our expertise on target markets and sales outlets.
• If you’re thinking of expanding into international markets, we can help you weigh up your options. We’ll identify the issues you need to consider and put you in touch with suitable partners to ensure you succeed on the international stage.

Seed capital for innovative ideas

• Right from your initial start-up check, we’ll advise you on financing and funding opportunities.
• We also provide support under Brandenburg’s Gründung innovativ start-up funding program – whether you’re launching an innovative start-up or a market-oriented social enterprise.
• We’ll work with you on the required documentation and assist you with the application process. We’ll conduct the review of your business concept in terms of innovation and scalability for the ILB, the business promotion bank of the state of Brandenburg.
• We’ll work directly with the ILB to help you search for private and institutional investors and put you in touch with the right contacts to ensure you secure solid financing.

The right location is the key to success

• Brandenburg is an outstanding location for start-ups! Our support makes it quick and easy to find the right place for your start-up.
• We know all the places and will be happy to open doors for you. Take advantage of our industry expertise and grow your business in a creative environment.
• We provide comprehensive reports with all the information you need, and the key location assets for your start-up’s needs. And we’ll arrange appointments for you with owners, realtors, and public providers.

Contacts, networks, and partners to accelerate your business

• More than nine strong growth clusters in the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region are specifically dedicated to networking business and science in order to strengthen companies’ competitiveness and capacity for innovation. And your start-up will benefit from them, too: We’ll put you in touch with the right contacts.
• Strong industry networks are one of Brandenburg’s biggest assets – and they are here to support you, too. We will link your start-up with these networks and provide you with cross-sector contacts. We are a member of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), so we can also help
  you make connections throughout Europe.
• We’ll help you recruit highly qualified employees, and you’ll have access to expert advice from our International Talent Desk, on the employment and integration of foreign skilled workers, international students, and apprentices.

Tiny forests for social and ecological transformation

The MIYA forest e.V. non-profit organization in Eberswalde is bringing natural mini-forests to cities and communities using the Miyawaki method. Through community planting initiatives, small areas are transformed into robust and species-rich ecosystems that serve as nature learning centers accessible to schools, daycare groups, and all citizens. MIYA combines education, climate protection, and nature conservation, developing sustainable projects for a vibrant and resilient environment. The non-profit association was supported as a market-oriented social enterprise within the framework of the Gründung innovativ start-up funding program. MIYA forest e.V. won the german Blue Compass award in 2022.

Sustainable food packaging 

PFABO GmbH in Wildau (Dahme-Spreewald district), a spin-off from the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, has achieved commercial success with its reusable, modular food packaging. The returnable box system developed by PFABO has created a successful alternative to disposable food packaging. WFBB helped the company prepare for launch and develop its technology under the Gründung innovativ start-up funding program. Founder Juliane Spieker was named the State of Brandenburg’s Start-up Founder of 2022.

Digital healthcare personnel management

When standard software can no longer cope with the unique challenges of shift planning in the care and healthcare sector, CrewLinQ GmbH from Potsdam steps in. The company provides an innovative, digital, 360-degree absence management tool that sends realtime shift requests directly to employees via their smartphones. The product portfolio also includes pool and external absence management and the provision of temporary staff. Software development and the establishment of the company received funding from the Gründung innovativ program. CrewLinQ is financed by Brandenburg Kapital (the ILB’s early-stage fund).