Startup program – support for startups and profit for companies

Today’s article is about startup programs. These are a great opportunity for startups to be promoted and to get access to networks, partners and infrastructure. As a rule, the programs are advertised by companies and also bring some advantages for them. But what exactly is a startup program? How does it work, and what criteria must a startup fulfill in order to participate? We would like to answer all these questions today. To better illustrate the principle of startup programs, we also present some exciting case studies.

What is a Startup Program?

The term Startup Program is not precisely defined. A Startup Program can therefore take place in various formats and differ in its framework conditions. However, all these formats have in common that they serve in some way as a strategy to cooperate with startups and promote innovation in one’s own company. They include measures that serve to promote startups and aim to work with them. These include financial support, accelerators, pilot projects or long-term collaborations, mentoring and investments in startups. However, the companies do not organize these for charitable purposes, but generally design them to meet their own needs and generate targeted added value.

How does a Startup Program work?

In most cases, the Startup Program is publicly advertised by the companies and startups can apply for a place to participate. This is often done through short pitches in which they can present their business ideas. The criteria that startups must meet in order to participate in the program are individual and vary from organizer to organizer. They usually relate to the age of the startup, the maturity of the idea and the fit of the solution to the needs of the company. The duration of a startup program can also vary. For example, some programs are limited to a few weeks or months, while others are more long-term and run for several years.

In our airtable you will find an overview of current Startup Programs and Startup Calls. If you would like to add a Startup Program or Call to it, or if you are organizing a program yourself, we would be happy if you would use our form and enter it.

Who is a Startup Program suitable for?

Participating in a Startup Program can offer startups great support and many opportunities. Implemented at the right moment, it can definitely serve as a stepping stone. However, since participation in a program also demands quite a bit of time and capacity from startups, this timing should be chosen carefully. In addition, the participation criteria of most programs require a certain degree of maturity of the product, and not infrequently also initial, successfully completed customer projects. Early-stage startups, or those still in the seed phase, should therefore perhaps rather look for a program specifically geared to this purpose. Most importantly, however, the startup’s solution must meet the company’s needs.

It is also true for companies that implementing a startup program requires time, capacity and financial resources. For this reason, Startup Programs are often more likely to be tendered by larger corporates. For companies that want to start with startup cooperations without setting up their own program, the Ambivation Startup Cooperation Program is ideally suited. Within the framework of this program, a setup takes place first, followed by a startup matchmaking and subsequent cooperation management.

Case study: VINCI Energies

VINCI Energies is one of the world’s leading concession, energy and construction companies. They are active in over 120 countries, and offer support for startups in the DACH region through their startup program “Startup Connect”. Under the program, VINCI offers startups participation in customer projects, market access, contacts with over 10,000 customers, and the option of VINCI itself becoming a successful global partner. This supports startups in both internationalization and scaling. In total, more than 35 startups have already successfully participated in the program, of which currently 15 have been able to sign successful cooperation and framework agreements with partners. To participate in the VINCI Startup Program, the young companies should be located in the DACH region, have already completed the seed phase and also have completed their first customer projects. In addition, the content fit of the solutions must be right: The products of the startups should currently fall under the categories Smart City, Smart Industry, Smart Energy and Smart Building.

Case study: Aareal Bank

Another exciting case study is Aareal Bank’s Startup Program. This is an established partner in the real estate industry, and with its initiative offers startups financial support, but also access to industry knowledge and cooperation networks. Overall, Aareal Bank’s Startup Program is divided into four fields of action. These include, among other things, the promotion of cooperations between startups and companies. Another field is investments in startups. In this context, Aareal Bank strategically participates in those startups whose solutions can offer added value to its own core business. Accelerators are also part of the Startup Program’s fields of activity. For example, the Aareal Bank partnerd with the Smart City A2 Accelerator in Berlin-Adlershof. The fourth part of the Startup Program is made up of startups that can be used to test business ideas on the market. Here, for example, Ampolon Ventures was founded in 2018. Aareal Bank’s Startup Program has a focus in the B2B area, and specializes on PropTech and FinTech startups. However, startups from other industries are also welcome. On our blog, Henning Zander, contact person at Aareal Bank, reports in detail about the Startup Program in an interview.

Quelle: Aareal Bank     

Case study: ESRI 

The map and software company ESRI also offers a startup program. This accompanies startups for three years and supports them in the realization and implementation of their ideas. To this end, ESRI offers training, support, access to knowledge databases and various information sources, among other things. They also provide startups with online services and software such as ArcGIS. ESRI also assists the young entrepreneurs in the area of marketing and business development by enabling them to participate in events and to establish business relationships with technological market leaders. The conditions for participation in the ESRI Startup Program include a product that corresponds to a software-as-a-service model and uses ESRI base maps for visualization or ArcGIS. In addition, annual revenue should not exceed $1 million, at least at the time of entry. The startup must not have been founded more than three years ago.

Startup programs, then, offer great opportunities for startups to network, attract potential partners and customers, and receive support. However, since the programs are not offered for purely charitable reasons, they are equally aimed at providing a win-win for the organizers. Thus, they also add value to companies by enabling the implementation of innovations, strategic collaborations with startups, and mutual learning from each other. So a successfully implemented startup program can become a great win-win for both startups and companies.