START-UP BW Pre-Seed
- The financing instrument for innovative startups by the state of Baden-Württemberg
Funding opportunity for emerging startups with a connection to Baden-Württemberg.
You are a founder and need funding at a very early stage? Your financing requirement is between €50,000 and €200,000? Are you looking for a support partner for your startup? Then Start-up BW Pre-Seed financing could be your solution.
Target Group
Young startups seeking their first investment.
SETUP
Initial application, examination, application, decision-making committee
GOAL
Get BW Pre-Seed as funding
DURATION
Ongoing
Start-up BW Pre-Seed is a financing instrument for innovative startups with a connection to Baden-Württemberg. As a founder of a startup, you can apply for funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg through Campus Founders. Since applications are exclusively accepted through official accelerators like us, we are here to assist and support you throughout the application process.
The total financing amount is a minimum of €50,000 and typically a maximum of €200,000. In exceptional cases, there is the possibility to increase the total financing amount to up to €400,000.
The financing amount is provided by two parties. On one side, L-Bank finances up to 80% of the total amount. On the other side, the startup commits to finding an investor (Co-Investor) for the remaining balance who will invest capital in the company.
REQUIREMENTS FOR START-UP BW PRE-SEED
• The headquarters or investment location of your startup is in Baden-Württemberg.
• Your startup has the legal form of a GmbH, UG, or AG.
• Your startup is growth-focused and is characterized by above-average innovation capabilities.
• Thus far, your startup has not received comprehensive equity financing from external parties.
• Your startup is classified as a micro or small enterprise according to the criteria of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).
• Your startup was founded within the last five years.
• To date, your startup has not distributed any profits.
EXAMPLE
Consider a startup seeking financing of €200,000. To reach this amount, the startup must find an investor willing to contribute at least €40,000 (20% of the investment total). The L-Bank covers the remaining 80%, equivalent to €160,000. The L-Bank thus quadruples the investment of the Co-Investor.
The investor could be a business angel, a company, or another investment entity. There is the possibility that the investor may increase the investment to a maximum of 50% of the total investment amount. Since the L-Bank’s limit is €160,000, the investor can only raise their contribution up to €160,000.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is what Start-up BW Pre-Seed offers:
- A financial, interest-free support granted with a reservation for repayment and conversion during the base term. This base term is 2 years and can typically be extended multiple times, each time for 12 months. The usual maximum total duration is 5 years.
- Instead of repayment, L-Bank may ask for an equity stake in the company.
- In the event of success, there is an obligation to repay the provided financial support.
1
CONTACT
Startup fills out pre-seed contact form on CF website
2
INITIAL ADVISEMENT & EXAMINATION
Is BW Pre-Seed the right financing for startup? Does Startup meet the criteria for BW Pre-Seed?
3
PITCH
Every Wednesday 3 slots of 45 min. 10 min. Startup Pitch 30 min. Q&A
Debriefing and decision/next steps
4
REGISTRATION FOR THE
DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEE
Registration usually 10 days before the committee Support in the preparation of pitch deck and financial plan
5
PITCH TO THE DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEE
Fixed dates usually every 2 months 10 min. pitch 20 min. Q&A Support partners and co-investors can make recommendations if necessary Acceptance/rejection after 1 week (possibly with milestone)
6
APPLICATION & PAYMENT
Assistance with the preparation of applications Submission by support partners Contract Signing & Withdrawal Request Ongoing: Quarterly updates, interim proof of use, financing committees, contract renewals
| Registration and submission of documents by: | Presentation dates for the decision-making committee: |
|---|---|
| 06 February 2025 | 18 – 19 February 2025 |
| 24 April 2025 | 05 – 06 May 2025 |
| 23 June 2025 | 03 – 04 July 2025 |
| 08 September 2025 | 18 – 19 September 2025 |
| 30 October 2025 | 10 – 11 November 2025 |
Etienne Seitz
STARTUP MANAGER
