UnternehmerTUM is Europe's leading centre for innovation and business creation, affiliated with the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The organisation provides a comprehensive ecosystem for entrepreneurs, from initial idea development through startup creation to international scaling, with a growing focus on urban technology, sustainable mobility, and smart city innovation.
UnternehmerTUM supports over 50 technology startups annually through its various programmes, which include educational courses reaching thousands of students and professionals, a startup incubator and accelerator, a venture capital fund (UnternehmerTUM Venture Partners), a makerspace and prototyping facility, and extensive corporate innovation programmes. This end-to-end support system has produced some of Germany's most successful technology companies.
The organisation has developed particular strength in urban innovation through the Munich Urban Colab, a joint initiative with the City of Munich that provides a dedicated space for developing smart and sustainable urban solutions. UnternehmerTUM's urban technology portfolio includes startups working on electric mobility, autonomous driving, building energy management, circular economy solutions, urban logistics, and digital public services.
UnternehmerTUM's TechFounders accelerator programme brings international startups to Munich, connecting them with corporate partners and investment opportunities in the city's thriving technology ecosystem. The organisation also operates MakerSpace, one of Europe's largest high-tech prototyping workshops, where entrepreneurs can build and test physical products using industrial-grade equipment.
The organisation's impact extends beyond individual startups to shaping Munich's and Germany's broader innovation culture. UnternehmerTUM's educational programmes embed entrepreneurial thinking across TUM's diverse faculties, creating a generation of technology professionals equipped to identify opportunities, take risks, and build ventures that address real-world challenges including urban sustainability and smart city development.