At the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone, State Secretary Roland Weigert, client representative Caroline Eckart and WERK1Managing Director Florian Mann emphasized the outstanding importance of the start-up center for Munich and the Bavarian economy.
"Founders are the middle class of tomorrow. And middle class is the backbone of our economy."
State Secretary Roland Weigert together why the support of founders by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs in Werk1 and in the future in Werk1.4 is an important part of Bavarian economic policy.
Blueprint for other locations
With the laying of the foundation stone for Werk1.4, the project enters its next phase. Weigert emphasized that the WERK1 serves as a blueprint for strengthening startups at other locations in Bavaria and successfully bringing innovations to market. The commitment is about strengthening Bavaria's competitiveness and reputation as a startup nation in the future.
Client representative Caroline Eckart began her speech with a quote from architect Julian Morgan:
“My buildings will be my legacy… They will speak for me long after I am gone.”
Eckart recalled that Werk1 was the first building her grandfather erected on the site after World War II.
Accompanying startups in their growth phase
In his speech, Werk1 Managing Director Florian Mann emphasized the special importance of the incubator for Munich's startup ecosystem. Ten companies apply to Werk1 every month. Only one or two of these make it to the incubator, which currently houses 35 startups. This will change with the expansion to include Werk1.4. The new building will also create the opportunity to support exceptional startups not only in their development phase, but also in their first, sensitive growth phase. Mann also explained the importance of the new coliving area at Werk1.4. This will ensure that companies can devote more energy to their work in the future instead of wasting valuable resources on the difficult search for housing in Munich.
The main tenant in the new Werk1.4 will be, as in Werk1, Werk1.Bayern GmbH With Werk1.4, it is expanding its offering for startups by 3,200 m² of office and Coworking-space. Startups can use desks in the coworking area or rent private offices. The two upper floors of the new Werk1.4 will also house 63 boarding house apartments and a common area. This will also apply to the 200 m² roof terrace, which can also be used for catering.
