TUM sets new record for spin-offs
More than 100 new start-ups in one year
Deeptech solutions for urgent problems, interdisciplinary teams, customized support and a strong network: with these success factors, TUM has developed one of Europe’s leading entrepreneurship ecosystems. TUM researchers, students and graduates launched a record 103 start-ups in 2024. In the same year, UnternehmerTUM and the TUM Venture Labs supported more than 1100 start-up teams.
TUM also led the field for EXIST start-up scholarships in 2024. These are provided by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs for spinout companies at universities that support these teams. The EXIST scholarships granted to more than 30 projects at TUM was by far the largest number awarded to any university last year. With EXIST scholarships granted to more than 250 projects since the program began in 2007, TUM is ahead of all other German universities.
The start-ups have been achieving rapid success. Among the companies formed by TUM researchers and graduates are 21 unicorns, as companies that achieve billion dollar valuations without going public are known. Among them is Celonis, which, with a valuation of over 10 billion euros, was Germany’s first decacorn.
“Highlighting Germany’s status as center of innovation”
“More than 100 spin-offs in one year: That is a milestone not only for TUM, but also highlights Germany’s status as a center of innovation and its readiness to face challenges in the midst of today’s economic and geopolitical challenges,” says TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann. He adds: “The foundation of this success is the entrepreneurial mindset that we have been encouraging in our university community for many years.”
In selecting UnternehmerTUM as Europe’s leading start-up hub, the Financial Times cited the intensive cooperative relationships within the ecosystem, in which different actors work on innovations with the start-ups. Various initiatives and co-labs bring together major corporations and SMEs from the manufacturing sector, development centers of large tech companies, investors, other research institutes, the state of Bavaria and the city of Munich. The network is expanded through international programs, for example with the EuroTech Universities Alliance. The start-up teams themselves incorporate diverse perspectives thanks to the wide range of subjects offered at TUM – unparallelled in the EU – extending from engineering to natural sciences, medicine and social sciences. The combination of these varied fields of expertise leads to particularly successful innovations.
A major strength of start-up support at TUM is the highly specific nature of the assistance provided. In 12 important subject areas, from quantum technologies to healthcare and aerospace, the TUM Venture Labs create direct links to cutting-edge research, technical infrastructure, expertise for the target market and industry contacts. The programs of TUM, UnternehmerTUM and the TUM Venture Labs are precisely tailored to the various phases of establishing the company, the background of the teams and the founders’ personalities. This is also supported by the scientific expertise within the Entrepreneurship Research Institute. UnternehmerTUM invests in the most promising start-ups with its own venture capital fund.
Technical University of Munich
Corporate Communications Center
- Klaus Becker
- klaus.becker@tum.de
- presse@tum.de
- Teamwebsite
