The new program of the German Accelerator Kickstart International is designed to prepare young German startups for international expansion through workshops and individual mentoring sessions with experts. In a two-week virtual program, founders from Germany can learn why and when they should consider internationalization and how to prepare their company for it early on through decisions about product, market, and business model.
This early engagement with scalability helps young companies avoid mistakes and implement specific structures that facilitate subsequent internationalization. The new program complements the existing offerings of German Accelerator, which has been supporting German startups in their international expansion, for example, into the US and Asia, for almost ten years.
Necessary skills and tools
“With our new program, we equip startups with the necessary skills and tools to build a successful and scalable international business,”
commented Matthias Notz, CEO German Accelerator and Managing Director of German Entrepreneurship. German Entrepreneurship won the public tender of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for the German Accelerator and operates the accelerator for the new funding period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023.
To lead startups to global success, German Entrepreneurship has its own teams in the USA and Southeast Asia an international network of over 300 mentors and experts from various industries and disciplines who support startups and SMEs through training, workshops and coaching offers.
Application phase is now open
After a successful pilot phase with 27 start-ups in 2020, the first official edition of Kickstart International will launch on May 18, 2021. Interested startups can now apply online for participation in May or later in the yearThe program is open to companies from all sectors that are registered as UG, AG, GmbH or GmbH & Co. KG in the German commercial register and are below the limit of the official EU de minimis funding amount Participation is free of charge.
Are you also considering venturing into new markets? Then take a look at our Going Global series and learn a lot of interesting facts.
