Securing funding is often seen as one of the biggest challenges in building a start-up. However, a strong financing strategy is not about raising as much capital as possible — it is about raising the right type of capital at the right time. For science-based, technology-oriented, or research-driven ventures, capital planning must be closely aligned with development milestones, validation steps, and long-term growth objectives. This article outlines how founders can approach f

Starting a company is always a leap into the unknown. Especially in the early stages, when a technology is still being developed and its market potential is uncertain, raising private capital can be difficult. This is where public funding plays a crucial role. According to the Deutscher Startup Monitor 2025 , more than half of all start-ups in Germany consider federal funding an important financing option, and almost half already use it. In fact, state funding is currently th

Agile team retrospectives are more than just meetings. They are a powerful tool to strengthen communication, trust, and team dynamics . By reflecting in a structured way, teams can consciously shape their collaboration and continuously improve. Whether it’s the Hot Air Balloon Retro, Sailboat Retrospective, Start-Stop-Continue method, or Starfish method, all these formats share one thing: they bring teams together, structure ideas, and make successes and challenges visible .

In the early stages of a startup, most attention goes to product development and idea validation. That is understandable. But at this stage, the team often determines success or failure. Many young companies make similar mistakes. They underestimate interpersonal dynamics. They lose time due to misunderstandings. They postpone investing in a healthy communication culture. One simple but powerful tool can help prevent these issues from the beginning: the Manual of Me . What is

Already have the spark of a start-up idea – but still need to sharpen it, structure it, and turn it into a compelling concept? To move from curiosity to clarity, founders need a structured way to explore their idea: • Who is your target customer? • What problem are you solving – and why is it truly worth solving? • What makes your solution unique? • How will you create and deliver value? One proven tool to guide this process is the Business Model Canvas . It helps you break d

This Max Planck start-up project is tackling a very human challenge: helping vocal musicians and DJs connect better with their audiences.

The Max Planck Society stands for research excellence – but how do you turn discoveries into real-world impact? MAX!mize helps researchers transform insights into innovations and even launch a start-up.

Here’s a quick and honest overview of financing options for your start-up – with pros, cons, and practical tips to help you decide.

This tool guide offers practical tips to help your start-up team work smarter, create faster, and grow your business effectively.

Let’s talk about how and why intellectual property can be a key success factor for your science-based start-up.

Thinking about founding a start-up? The key question is: Is your technology ready for the market? Get to know the 9 different levels of technology readiness.

You’ve got groundbreaking research? To build a successful start-up, a business plan is essential – a clear roadmap to guide your journey from idea to impact.

Whether you're looking for your first investor, a trusted advisor, or even your future co-founder – your stakeholder network can be the difference between potential and progress.

From idea and teambuildung to business model and branding - step by step to your science-based start-up.

Inside the Bootcamp: How future sciencepreneurs win a spot in Phase 1 After submitting a promising application, selected start-ups enter a three-day Bootcamp where their ideas are challenged, refined, and tested from every angle. But only those that convince the expert jury on the third day of the Bootcamp make it to Phase 1. Curious how the decision gets made? Get an interesting glimpse into the process from a jury member’s perspective. As an expert in the innovation of busi

Basic research at the highest level and its transfer into practical applications are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, scientific excellence and commercial success often go hand in hand, as many Nobel Prize winners from Max Planck Institutes who are involved in business start-ups or innovations have shown. This is precisely where we want to pick up and use MAX!mize to encourage and enable researchers at the Max Planck Institutes to successfully transfer their scientifi

In 2025, two new batches will start. Batch #5 has already kicked-off. A total of 10 teams were able to convince the Bootcamp jury and are now in Phase 1. If you are also thinking about applying for our start-up incubator with your research-based start-up idea, you are welcome to do so from 17th of March until 7th of July, where the application window for Batch #6 opens. We collected three top things for aspiring future Max Planck founders to do right now. Rights: Kimberly Kob