Inveox, Magazine or Quantum Systems are not only renowned startups, but also former participants of the Munich Business Plan Competition. In this competition, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, startups receive qualified feedback from experienced experts in three competition phases, enabling them to build a solid foundation for their business plans to efficiently enter the market and grow. Baystartup, organizer of the competition, also offers the startups access to one of the largest investor networks in Europe.
Renowned alumni circle
The Munich Business Plan Competition has registered 6,034 participating teams since its first season in 1996/1997. These teams have gone on to become successful competition alumni, such as Air Up, Egym, Fazua, Konux or Temedica. Four now listed companies are also part of this alumni group: Mynaric, SFC Energy, Voxeljet and Wilex (today Heidelberg Pharma).
The Munich Business Plan Competition was launched in 1996 as a pure business plan competition. The goal: to transform innovations from universities into successful companies. To this end, an ecosystem was established with stakeholders from industry, investors, universities, service providers, and government actors to provide startups with all the necessary business contacts right from the start. In the following years, the competition increasingly opened up to participating teams from outside the university environment.
Europe-wide investor network
The Munich Business Plan Competition continued to evolve with the market. The next milestone was the establishment of a business angel network, combined with a coaching program for startups. This was triggered by the depleted German VC landscape following the 2008 financial crisis.
“The angel network has now developed into a Europe-wide investor network serving private and institutional investors,”
says Carsten Rudolph, Managing Director of Baystartup.
The training opportunities for the competition participants have also been steadily expanded. While initially designed to compensate for the scarce German entrepreneurship training, the approximately 100 workshops and seminars now offer entrepreneurs practical preparation not only for the competition, but also for market entry and the first rounds of financing.
Reliable proof of quality
Bavaria's State Secretary for Economic Affairs Roland Weigert says:
"Baystartup's business plan competitions are the ideal launch pad for all founders with big goals. In 25 exciting years of the Munich Business Plan Competition, numerous participants have already successfully established themselves on the market with their promising business ideas. Over two and a half decades, the Munich Business Plan Competition has evolved into an institution that supports startups in building their companies with a comprehensive coaching program and Europe's largest investor network, significantly shaping the startup ecosystem in Bavaria."
For many investors, a good competition ranking is a reliable proof of quality. Especially for technology-oriented teams that rely on venture capital to build their company, the Bavarian Business Plan Competitions are considered a springboard for the first rounds of financing: 19 of the 24 teams awarded prizes in the Munich Business Plan Competition between 2014 and 2021 received equity financing.
Multiple benefits through the Munich Business Plan Competition
The more recent participating teams are achieving success much more quickly than those from the early years of the competition. Rudolph comments:
"A lot has happened in the Bavarian and German financing landscape. Therefore, we are currently expanding our offerings, particularly for startups, industry, and SMEs, to further promote collaboration in these areas."
In addition to publicity, expert feedback and investor access, the competition creates a variety of benefits for participants.
Lukas Zanger, COO of robotics startup Magazino, says:
"The network that Baystartup and the competition provide companies with access to, especially in their early stages, is a real benefit. In addition to contact with investors, it also creates close connections between founders from the region. This community fosters mutual support and a great exchange."
