Munich Startup: Please briefly introduce yourselves and Invest in Bavaria.
Invest in Bavaria: We are Katharina Kees and Anissa Nasser from Invest in Bavaria, the business promotion agency of the Free State of Bavaria. We support companies with their expansion in and to Bavaria. Katharina is responsible for mobility and Anissa for digitalization.
Munich Startup: Why did you focus your strategy on different sectors?
Invest in Bavaria: Invest in Bavaria was realigned at the beginning of 2023 in line with the Bavarian innovation strategy in order to better target companies that make Bavaria fit for the future. The fields of specialization of the innovation strategy are mobility, life sciences, energy, materials and digitalization.
Market knowledge, customer contacts and financing are needed even before expansion
Munich Startup: To be successful in Bavaria, an international startup should…
Invest in Bavaria: … have formed a picture of the market, already have their first customers in Germany and have sufficient financing for expansion. It is also advisable to take advantage of the services offered by local business development and startup organizations and to play an active role in networks and clusters in order to establish business relationships.
Munich Startup: Can you give examples of successful startups?
Invest in Bavaria: We treat all investment projects confidentially, but we are also happy to provide companies with marketing support after they have settled in Bavaria in order to raise their profile in the state and establish contacts with the ecosystem. We see ourselves as a guide here and follow the “Talk to us first” approach. Examples of startups that we can name include the French fintech startup October and the Chinese air cab startup Auto Flight. Both the sectors and the countries of origin of the companies are very different, but they all find suitable starting points here. Invest in Bavaria also supports companies already based in Bavaria that are planning to expand and want to continue growing here.
Invest in Bavaria: Free guide through a wide range of offers in Bavaria
Munich Startup: Why does a successful foreign startup need someone like you?
Invest in Bavaria: We support foreign startups – and scaleups in particular – through all phases of the investment process: from planning and founding a company to finding a suitable location and networking with contacts from useful networks to facilitate market entry. We also work closely with many startup organizations and involve them in local events, such as Bits & Pretzels or Tech Days.
As already mentioned, we act as a guide for the companies so that they do not have to laboriously search through the large number of offers in Bavaria, but instead have a “one-stop shop” contact with us. As Invest in Bavaria is a publicly funded company of the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, our service is also free of charge for all companies.
Once the company has established itself, it can also make use of the services of Bayern International, i.e. participation in trade fairs worldwide, delegation trips and access to the worldwide network of Bavarian representative offices abroad.
There are also free offers for local startups
Munich Startup: What funding opportunities are there for foreign startups that want to set up in Bavaria?
Invest in Bavaria: As a rule, startups need a branch office in Bavaria in order to be eligible for funding. We are happy to provide an overview of the various funding opportunities and network with organizations and partner companies that offer funding or help with funding applications, such as the Bayern Innovativ funding guide or the Bavarian Research Alliance BayFor. We are also happy to network with BayStartup, which supports startups with coaching, contacts to investors and events such as the BayStartup Demo Nights.
In general, the focus in Bavaria is on technology funding. This means that research and development projects in particular have a chance of receiving financial support.
Lack of preparation as the biggest mistake
Munich Startup: What is the biggest mistake a startup can make when expanding?
Invest in Bavaria: A lack of preparation is certainly to be mentioned here. Extensive and detailed market research is irreplaceable. Does the market need the product? Does the product need to be adapted for the local market? These are questions that the company should ask itself in advance.
Munich Startup: The trends of the year…
Invest in Bavaria: … are certainly AI, then also cybersecurity, sustainability, climate tech and health tech.
Munich Startup: What makes the Munich startup ecosystem so special?
Invest in Bavaria: The Munich startup ecosystem offers startups many opportunities for networking, with startup organizations such as Munich Startup, BayStartup, Plug & Play, Strascheg Entrepreneurship Center etc., incubators such as Werk1 in Munich or Techbase in Regensburg, a large number of VC investors, numerous co-working spaces, proximity to excellent universities and, of course, a great location in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps.
Munich Startup: Last but not least: Who do startups approach when they want to talk to you?
Invest in Bavaria: Startups can contact us via the contact form on our website or write to Katharina and Anissa directly. Depending on the industry, we will then refer you internally to the relevant contact person.
