IHK Berlin

Start-up Financing and Funding

If your own resources and the support from your bank are insufficient to finance your endeavours, funding programs from the regional players (via Investitionsbank Berlin IBB and BBB Bürgschaftsbank zu Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH) as well as national players (via Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau or federal ministries) may be options to meet your capital requirement by topping up your equity capital or your debt capital.
Advice: Prepare your business plan before approaching funding institutions. Our tool Unternehmenswerkstatt (also in English) can help you with that.
Webinars concerning the business plan and more can be found at the Businessplanwettbewerb Berlin-Brandenburg (link). You can get support from zgs consult and BAFA as well (link in German) here.

Minimum preconditions for public-sector funding
  • The project must not have been launched before the application was submitted (usually the projects can only be begun after you have received the grant notice).
  • You must have adequate technical and commercial qualifications
  • You must make a reasonable contribution from your own funds to the overall financing package
  • Overall financing of the project must be secured
  • The project must have a good prospect of establishing a sustainable and fully-operational business
  • A high innovation level (technology-based or not) can help with gaining access to a wider variety of funding programs.

Founders from third countries
If an entrepreneur from a non-EU country (a so called third country) wishes to start up a business in Germany or wants to open a regional branch of a company here in Berlin, he/she needs to obtain a residence permit, authorising them to engage in such work. Find out more information on the topic of residence permits here.

How to find subsidy programs
The IBB Business Support Guide gives you comprehensive information about the business subsidy programs in the Federal Land of Berlin and the programs on offer nationwide which can also be used in Berlin. Find the English version for ‘22/’23 here or the German version (called “Förderfibel”) for ‘23/’24 here (will be updated asap).
Another source for further research on subsidy programs is the federal “Förderdatenbank”.
You want to know more? We can help you in 1-on-1 sessions to get started with or to further your funding. Contact us.