Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We always support you individually and deal with your specific needs in 1:1 consulting appointments. Together we discuss open questions regarding the business idea (e.g. problem-solution-fit, product-market-fit, value proposition), the business model, the market or the team, as well as all other practical questions you may have regarding the foundation of a company. In addition, you will receive professional help and tips for the next steps in your project. We help you with the acquisition of funding and accompany you throughout the entire duration of the project. Furthermore, we connect you along the complete start-up journey to the appropriate formats in the TUM/UnternehmerTUM ecosystem and beyond.

TUM Start-up Consultancy is an internal service and is therefore aimed at students, scientists, employees and alumni of TUM. Only teams/individuals who have a connection to TUM and are neither in business (e.g. have generated sales) nor have founded a corporation are being supported.

The TUM connection is given if at least one team member is a TUM student, employee or alumni. Alternatively, the TUM connection can be established by having a TUM professor support you as a mentor within the framework of a state start-up funding program (e.g. EXIST Founder's Scholarship).

Regardless of the scientific discipline, our focus is on start-up ideas that are based on technological and knowledge-based innovations. Unfortunately, the start-up consulting service cannot support projects that focus exclusively on crafts, trade or services.

Please use our form Request for initial consultation. We will get back to you as soon as possible - usually within 3 working days. Please note that you will not receive an automatic response once you have completed and submitted the form. However, you can be sure that it will reach us and that we will get back to you as soon as possible.

We receive a large number of inquiries. We need this information to be able to assess as well as possible what you intend to do, where you currently stand and how we can best help you with the next steps. To do this, we need the most meaningful information possible, which is requested via the form. Your information will of course be treated discreetly and in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations.

We take an individual look at the status quo of your business idea. Depending on the phase, we either recommend a qualification program (e.g. XPLORE) or offer you an initial consultation with a start-up consultant to discuss the next steps. We work very closely with our partner, UnternehmerTUM, in order to be able to meet your individual needs with the appropriate support service.

We have a team at TUM that can advise you individually on these issues. Please contact our colleagues in Patents and Licensing.

Unfortunately, the TUM is prohibited by the Legal Services Act from offering individual advice on legal and tax issues. We therefore recommend that you contact the Munich and Upper Bavaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a lawyer, a tax advisor or similar.

In addition to the content-related support provided by the TUM Start-up Consultancy, the TUM also helps out its founders with workplaces and office space. The TUM Incubator in the Entrepreneurship Center in Garching provides founders with office space free of charge. There you have the opportunity to work on your idea and business plan in a large shared open space. If you apply for a funding program such as EXIST, there is also the option that you get an office at your supervising chair or move into a single office at the TUM Incubator, if available.

First of all, please contact the TUM start-up Consultancy using the form Request for initial consultation. During your initial consultation, you will then discuss your need for office space together with the start-up consultancy. The start-up consultancy is then free to recommend you for the TUM Incubator.

After the start-up consultation has recommended you for the TUM Incubator, the Incubator Manager* will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your move into the TUM Incubator, if capacities permit. The single offices are reserved for the state-funded teams.

The TUM Incubator can be used by you until you register a corporation. The only exception is the state funding, which entitles you to use the incubator until its expiration date.

The entire range of start-up support services is provided free of charge to members of the Technical University of Munich.