Munich Startup: What is GründerRegio M and what are the goals of the initiative?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: GründerRegio M is an initiative of the Munich science and economic region to promote university-related start-ups and companies. The Union was founded in 1998 to improve the framework conditions for founders and startups in the Munich area. Members of the registered association include universities and research centers, as well as institutions, associations, and technology and startup centers.
GründerRegio M sees itself as a network. The association brings together the numerous activities of its members and provides new impetus, always with the goal of supporting founders and startups in Munich. In addition to its networking activities, GründerRegio M has been supporting a wide variety of projects for university-based founders, founders with a migrant background, and women who want to work independently since 1999.
Munich Startup: What offers can the initiative make to founders?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: Since 2003, supporting female founders has been a focus of GründerRegio M’s activities. With the project Guide – Advice and support for female entrepreneurs The initiative has a core competence in the area Female Entrepreneurship The Guide project offers individual start-up consulting as well as small group coaching, workshops, webinars, and networking events for female founders. The offerings are aimed at all women in Munich interested in starting a business, regardless of their business idea or the stage of their start-up preparations.
The Guide project is funded by MBQ, the Munich Employment and Qualification Program of the City of Munich (Referat für Arbeit und Wirtschaft). This allows us to offer consultations, workshops, and networking events at very reasonable participation fees. Individualized, targeted, and practical advice and support for the founders are important to us. This enables participants to build the exact business that perfectly matches their wishes, goals, and circumstances.
Increase the proportion of women in start-ups
Munich Startup: Your project guide is explicitly aimed at female entrepreneurs. Why is supporting female entrepreneurs so important to you?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: Supporting female entrepreneurs is extremely important, as women are still underrepresented in the startup scene. Despite excellent professional qualifications, the proportion of women in startups is only 37 percent overall and less than 20 percent in startups. Increasing the proportion of women in startups is an economic necessity. Through their diverse skills, women can actively contribute to a vibrant startup scene, to successful entrepreneurship, and thus to strengthening the competitiveness of Munich as a business location and beyond.
Munich Startup: What makes the Munich ecosystem so special in your opinion?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: Munich's ecosystem is characterized by its extremely diverse and vibrant startup scene. It is characterized by highly successful, growth-oriented startups in the IT, software, healthtech, fintech, and transportation sectors, as well as numerous exciting startups in the cultural and creative industries, as well as in retail and the hospitality industry. A wide range of support options are available for those interested in starting a business, whether through the spin-off services offered by universities or in the various startup centers and incubators. The startup consulting scene is almost as diverse as the startup scene, so anyone interested in starting a business can find both the right support and suitable premises for their own business or startup.
Munich Startup: What significance do university-related start-ups have within the Munich start-up scene?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: In a university location like Munich, university-affiliated start-ups are particularly important. They are the driving force behind knowledge-based and, above all, research-based start-up projects. They translate research findings and current research trends into practice. Another important aspect is that the ideas, trends, and needs of young target groups—students and graduates—are addressed and translated into concrete products or services.
Review: 25 years of GründerRegio M
Munich Startup: How has Munich’s startup scene changed over the past 25 years?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: The number of players in Munich's startup scene has multiplied and broadened over the past 25 years. In addition to the "traditional" startup support providers such as university startup offices, many new players have entered the ecosystem, such as industrial companies with incubators or coworking spaces. The range of startup workshops, startup consulting and coaching, and especially networking opportunities, have increased significantly in recent years. Today, there are numerous opportunities for founders and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and network, both within and across industries, and not only in person but also digitally. It's also encouraging that the visibility of Munich's startup scene has increased significantly in recent years, both nationally and internationally.
Munich Startup: What achievements are you particularly proud of?
Bettina Wenzel, founder of Regio M: GründerRegio M and the Guide initiative for female entrepreneurs have achieved many successes in recent years. For me, as project manager, the awarding of the 2016 Anita Augspurg Prize by the Second Mayor of the City of Munich to the Guide project was a very special recognition of our successful commitment to Munich's female entrepreneurs. I was also particularly pleased by the Munich City Council's decision in autumn 2022 to consolidate, i.e., to permanently fund, the Guide project – advice and support for female entrepreneurs through the MBQ. And last but not least, we – the board, the team, and the members of GründerRegio M – are proud that this summer we can look back on 25 years of jointly and successfully shaping Munich's startup scene. At our 25th anniversary in Munich's Seidlvilla, we naturally also forged further plans to support Munich's female entrepreneurs and for the future of the Munich ecosystem.
