# KIT-Gründerschmiede

> KIT-Gründerschmiede is the entrepreneurship and startup-support initiative of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Founded in 2013, it connects students, researchers and technology-based founding teams with consultation, intellectual-property advice, grants, investors, workspaces and an entrepreneurial community. Its specialist offers include StartUpSecure KASTEL for cybersecurity and the Global Horizon Program for international connections.

- **Founded:** 2013
- **Headquarters:** Karlsruhe, Germany
- **Products:** Initial consultation, Patents & Licenses, Grant application support, Venture Capital & Investor Matching, Technology investments
- **Notable:** Founded in 2013 to bundle KIT entrepreneurship support., Current homepage reports 800 consultations annually and 250 new founding projects in 2025., About-us page reports 60 KIT spin-offs in 2024.

## Products & services

- **Initial consultation** — Free individual consultation, online or in person, for students, researchers and people considering entrepreneurship.
- **Patents & Licenses** — Startup consultants and patent consultants help research founders protect technology and navigate the practical and strategic IP process.
- **Grant application support** — Help selecting federal and state support programmes, preparing applications and developing funding pitches. The advisory service lists no fee.
- **Venture Capital & Investor Matching** — Pitch preparation, investor introductions, due-diligence advice and coordination with KIT; the service lists KIT equity capital of up to €300,000, subject to investment selection.
- **Technology investments** — KIT acts as a strategic partner in selected research- or IP-based spin-offs and can participate in financing rounds. The portfolio page reports 14 holdings as of October 2025.
- **Office and laboratory space** — Offices, laboratories and event spaces at the ZEISS Innovation Hub @ KIT; inquiries are also accepted from companies outside KIT.
- **StartUpSecure KASTEL** — Specialist cybersecurity incubation with orientation, focus, financing and scaling support, including connections to industry experts and potential pilot customers.
- **Global Horizon Program** — Internationalization support through inbound and outbound soft landing, accelerator connections and partner networks.
- **Founders’ Barbecue / Gründergrillen** — Free networking for founders, students, researchers and investors, running since 2009; winter gatherings use a mulled-wine format.
- **EXIST-Women** — Twelve-month support programme for eligible women connected to KIT, with mentoring, workshops and financial support subject to programme rules. The 2026 application deadline has passed.

## Achievements

- Founded in 2013 to bundle KIT entrepreneurship support.
- Current homepage reports 800 consultations annually and 250 new founding projects in 2025.
- About-us page reports 60 KIT spin-offs in 2024.
- NXTGN consortium selected for federal Startup Factory support in July 2025.
- KIT investment service reports 14 spin-off holdings as of October 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Featured OnSite Solutions and its BAIOSS building-digitization platform; founders emphasized earlier customer conversations.
- **2026-03** — Published START Summit 2026 recap, reporting 30 student travellers and over 20 new investor contacts.
- **2026-01** — Published 2025 review covering alumni networking, female-founder support, research activation and NXTGN.
- **2025-10** — Technology-investments page dates its portfolio count of 14 spin-offs to October 2025.
- **2025-07** — Announced NXTGN Startup Factory selection and consortium-wide public/private funding commitments.

## Links

- Website: https://kit-gruenderschmiede.de/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kit-gruenderschmiede/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kitgruenderschmiede
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kit_gruenderschmiede/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KIT-Gr%C3%BCnderschmiede-166762561537

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kit-gr-nderschmiede
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08