{"id":110928,"date":"2025-07-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=110928"},"modified":"2025-07-09T12:19:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T10:19:45","slug":"social-startup-hub-bavaria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/110928\/social-startup-hub-bavaria\/","title":{"rendered":"Social-Startup-Hub Bayern: Start-up support for founders who want to do good"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> Please introduce yourselves briefly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> The Social-Startup-Hub Bayern (SSHB<\/a>) is the contact point for all those who want to do something good for society with their start-up and want to develop a viable business model from it. Since autumn 2022<\/a> We support prospective and aspiring founders from all over Bavaria free of charge, starting from the early idea phase. The SSHB is sponsored by Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA). We combine training opportunities, start-up support, a broad network, and over 15 years of experience as a pioneering organization in the field of social entrepreneurship \u2013 bringing together people who want to help shape social change. Our focus is always on empowering people to develop innovative solutions that are economically viable, socially effective, and ecologically sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Social-Startup-Hub Bayern is needed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> What was the trigger for the founding of Social-Startup-Hub Bayern \u2013 and what gap did you want to fill with it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> For a long time, Bavaria lacked a central contact point for supporting social startups that could identify and promote startup potential from the early idea phase. To close this gap, the SSHB launched by the Free State of Bavaria<\/a>Our common goal: to support aspiring founders in building impact-oriented business models based on their needs \u2013 with low thresholds and without entry barriers. Our experience from advising on over 400 ideas since the founding of SSHB<\/a> shows: The need is great \u2013 because there are enough social challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Networks, partners, platforms: How the support works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> How do you network the various funding opportunities across Bavaria \u2013 and what role do regional partners play in this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> Four additional regional Social-Startup-Hub Bayern contact points have recently been established \u2013 in the Allg\u00e4u, Lower Bavaria, Mainfranken, and Upper Franconia. Through collaborations with local partners who have already been established there and who have received training from us on impact and social entrepreneurship, we can support local founders even more directly and effectively with our services. With over 45 partner organizations \u2013 from universities to innovation and digital centers to impact organizations \u2013 we are creating a vibrant ecosystem for startups with social added value for Bavaria.
Our events also bring founders together with ideas and support offers \u2013 for example, the regular Social Business Meetups, which take place at various locations throughout Bavaria, or our virtual Happy Impact Hour, in which we share knowledge on various startup topics with participants once a month.
We also maintain a social startup guide that helps interested parties find suitable support services and organizations. For the founders we consult, we offer an exclusive digital platform where they can exchange ideas and find co-founders, receive relevant information about events and calls for proposals, receive exclusive discounts, and find workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are not a contradiction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> How do you understand the term 'business with impact' \u2013 and how do you live this concept in your daily work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> For us, this means entrepreneurial action that focuses on more than just profit. We take a holistic approach to business: economic return, social impact, and environmental responsibility are all in harmony. Many people believe you have to choose between making money and doing good. But the opposite is true: impact and profitability are not mutually exclusive; they can reinforce each other. As a business model grows, so does its impact. Money can then be the lever to increase social impact. To promote this way of thinking, we want to continue to reach as many people as possible and show them that impact and business go very well together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> You advise social startups: What does a typical consultation look like? What questions or concerns do social startups come to you with?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> To be honest: There's no such thing as "typical" consulting\u2014because no two ideas are the same. What we do offer, however, is a listening ear, plenty of questions, and plenty of sparring. Some start practically from scratch, others are already in the thick of things. Typical topics include business models, impact measurement, financing, and choosing a legal form. We provide individualized support and, if necessary, connect you with support organizations, investors, or experts on various topics, such as legal advice or taxes.
In addition to the open consulting, which we offer flexibly from the early phase, we also offer \u201cFocus Consulting Impact\u201d, in which founding teams sharpen and expand their impact model.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Social-Startup-Hub<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Startups have achieved this with the help<\/strong> of the SSHB reached <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> What examples can you give of successful startups that you have supported through your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne D\u00f6rner:<\/em> Sure, here are a few highlights that we have been able to accompany over the years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n