OUR NETWORK PARTNERS
Startinsland is the overarching startup initiative for the Freiburg region and bundles the offers in the ecosystem. >SMART> GREEN is firmly plugged into this network and together shapes a coherent and effective offer for our target group.
With its industry focus on the green economy and emphasis on renewable energies, environmental technology and digitalization, among other things, the orientation of >SMART> GREEN is thematically very close to many Fraunhofer research priorities. The local proximity to the five Fraunhofer institutes in Freiburg and their merger to form the Sustainability Performance Center enables close cooperation in the transfer of research to industry and we have already accompanied many Fraunhofer spin-offs.
The University of Freiburg is a research-strong comprehensive university with a particularly broad range of subjects and an outstanding track record in knowledge transfer, i.e. in the exploitation of academic research for industry, e.g. through patents and spin-offs. The >SMART> GREEN Accelerator is in close exchange with the startup office, the Institute of Finance, Controlling & Entrepreneurship and helps to create further access to startups and to bring research results as effectively as possible on the way in the market.
The Foundersclub Freiburg e.V. is a very successful startup initiative by and for students at the University of Freiburg, which causes a sensation with formats such as SPARK and Unternehmenslust. >SMART> GREEN is a regular co-organizer and helps interested parties to learn about startup basics and to transform their own ideas into realizable products.
Hahn-Schickard develops intelligent products with microsystems technology: from the initial idea to production.
In trusting cooperation with industry, innovative products and technologies are realised in trusting cooperation with industry. The offer also includes the production of small and medium-sized series as well as the transition to large-scale production.
Hahn-Schickard actively promotes technology transfer through spin-offs, working together with >SMART> GREEN to provide the best possible support for startups.
The lawyers at the law firm Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner mbB in Freiburg are the people to contact for business law in a corporate context. Start-ups face challenges in the first phases of founding a company, especially in terms of foundation, financing, commercial law, IP and corporate law. As part of the BUSINESS HELP DESK, startups in the Grünhof community receive free initial consultations, tried and tested solutions and strategies in all areas of law covered by FGvW. Together with FGvW, >SMART> Green organizes events on start-up topics with a focus on financing and legal development.
At BANSBACH’s startup helpdesk, startups receive needs-oriented advice with great expertise in the areas of finance and taxation and gain access to a large (inter)national network. As part of the business helpdesk, startups in the Grünhof community receive free initial advice and suitable support services in all areas covered by BANSBACH. In addition, >SMART> GREEN organises events on startup relevant topics together with BANSBACH.
The Borderstep Institute for Innovation and sustainability researches the future with a focus on innovation and sustainability and is therefore a:e perfect sparring partner:in for >SMART> GREEN. In 2015, the Gründungszentrum Grünhof (umbrella organization of the >SMART> GREEN Accelerator), was awarded as winner of the StartGreen Award in the category startup supporters.
Start Up Energy Transition is a platform initiated and supported by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) at the interface between public and private actors in the energy transition. Like >SMART> GREEN, SET supports the accelerated development of effective innovations in the energy sector.
The State Agency for Environmental Technology and Ressource Efficiency Baden-Württemberg (UTBW) networks all relevant information, activities and actors in Baden-Württemberg from business, science and politics. UTBW has been supporting the >SMART> GREEN Accelerator since day one with joint project implementations and events.
The German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) is one of the largest foundations in Europe. It promotes innovative, model and solution-oriented projects for the protection of the environment with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. Especially with the Green Startup Programme, >SMART> GREEN is in close exchange for the best possible support of young companies.
The Impact Festival is a community-based invitation to join forces and leverage synergies for everyone who is passionate about sustainable solutions in the B2B sector. It brings together impact-driven startups, scale-ups, established companies and investors in an ecosystem meeting to drive the digital and sustainable transformation of the business world.
The startup cooperation format of the state agency e-mobil BW “mobilibees BW” specifically networks startups in the mobility industry with SMEs, research institutions and municipalities. As the innovation agency of the state of Baden-Württemberg, e-mobil BW is the point of contact for all matters relating to new mobility solutions and automotive. mobilibees BW enables startups to exchange expertise with stakeholders from the diverse e-mobil BW networks and provides support in initiating cooperation.
TechQuartier was founded in 2016 in Frankfurt and is a cross-sector innovation manager and ecosystem builder for startups, companies and emerging talent. Synergies to the green tech focus at >SMART> GREEN arise especially within the Growth Alliance of TechQuartier & Rentenbank, which aims to provide tailored support to AgTech & FoodTech startups.
Bringing AI as a forward-looking technology into the state across all sectors is the aim of the BW state project “KI-Labs”. The KI-Lab.EE at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) pursues the goal of providing startups along the entire value chain of renewable energies, batteries, fuel cells and e-fuels with a free entry into the key technology of AI and support in its implementation. Together with >SMART> GREEN, startups with AI needs are comprehensively supported. Together with >SMART> GREEN, sector-specific expertise is thus made easily available to startups.
BW_i is the central point of contact for questions and support when taking the step abroad. We offer start-ups special conditions for measures via Start-up BW International, access to the European network Enterprise Europe Network or the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs mentoring program to master the entry into foreign markets. In this way, we want to promote future industries such as smart cities, AI and green tech in Baden-Württemberg. The >SMART >GREEN Accelerator is an important partner in this.
The German Sustainable Business Association (BNW) is an ecologically oriented business association in which companies that combine responsibility for business, the environment and society have been involved since 1992. Grünhof GmbH has been a member of the BNW since 2018.
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a venture capital provider for highly innovative tech startups. In the >SMART> GREEN Accelerator, we involve HTGF investment experts in the Pre-Seed Funding program. This creates early contacts, knowledge of financing strategies and concrete investments.
BonVenture is the first provider of Green & Social Venture Capital in the German-speaking region. BonVenture provides insights into the requirements and selection processes in impact investing and valuable contacts by accompanying our Pre-Seed Funding program for the startup teams.
Startnext is a german crowdfunding platform for creative and sustainable ideas, projects and companies. It enables them to present themselves, to be financed with the support of many people (the crowd) and to build a community. It’s an attractive tool for B2C-startups.
Volksbank Freiburg supports the >SMART> GREEN Accelerator time and again by sponsoring and by providing valuable financing advice for young companies as part of the Business Help Desk Finance. Questions about company accounts, startup and growth financing to construction financing are right here.
As an innovation centre in Breisach, just a short drone ride away from the Lokhalle, the BadenCampus provides support for startups and provides an extensive network. With a focus of the BadenCampus Accelerator on deep tech, we connect thematically flush with our green tech focus.
The INTERREG project “Knowledge Transfer Upper Rhine” (KTUR) is a trinational project involving the University of Freiburg and eleven other universities and colleges from Germany, France and Switzerland. We support the “Founding in the Upper Rhine” working group coordinated in Freiburg with >SMART> GREEN know-how and networking.
Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences is a research-intensive university offering Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs with innovative study concepts and a strong focus on imparting skills in the field of business management. Students from HFU are always part of our formats, such as the Activator Programme in Tel Aviv.
