Information for founders

Auf diesem Foto arbeitet ein Mann am Computer

Business start-up on the Internet

Worth knowing and information about the business start-up in Upper Franconia shows the start-up portal Upper Franconia.
For information about business start-ups in Bavaria, a separate portal is available.
For information about business start-ups as company succession there is a special platform.
Participation in the Northern Bavaria Business Plan Competition can be valuable for checking one's own planning and for further contacts.
The competition also offers a special Northern Bavaria network for business start-ups.
The brochure Business Start-Up in Bavaria from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology provides a lot of interesting information.
The Federal Ministry of Economics has set up a special page all about business start-ups.

Necessary formal steps

Business registration by start-ups

If the actual foundation takes place after securing financing, formal steps are necessary:

Business registration with the city of Hof, which then informs the tax office, professional association, trade supervisory office, chambers, Federal Employment Agency, etc., depending on the type of business. Some types of trades require supervision and/or a permit.

Certain legal forms require notarial certification and entry in the commercial register. Important information on this is provided by the Bavarian Chamber of Notaries. Some authorities should be contacted directly under certain circumstances: Tax office - tax number, trade supervisory office - business premises, business number service of the Federal Employment Agency in case of employment of employees, health insurance - obligation to register, employers' liability insurance association - accident insurance for entrepreneurs and employees.

Further useful tips on registering a business can also be found on the website of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Business registration Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs Bavarian State Chamber of Notaries

State aid for start-ups

Investments for business start-ups can be supported by state subsidies:

LfA Förderbank Bayern - It offers most funding programs as loans for founders.
The LfA also provides advice together with the IHK at consultation days in Upper Franconia. You can find the dates here.
Pre-start-up and succession coaching Bavaria via the IHK
The KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) at federal level offers further funding programs with loan offers for start-ups.
The Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology offers coaching for start-ups.
The Institute for Liberal Professions at the University of Erlangen is available to provide advice on funding specifically for the liberal professions.

For some start-ups in the high-tech sector and with high development costs, traditional financing is not sufficient. Here, equity capital is conceivable. To stimulate private equity, the federal government and the state of Bavaria provide their own equity capital:

Bayern Kapital has special equity funds in Bavaria.
The same applies to KfW via the ERP Start-up Fund.
The LfA also provides support with its LfA-Beteiligungskapital für Gründer.
For start-ups of technology-oriented companies, the state of Bavaria offers the special BayTOU program. It is managed by the Bavarian Innovation and Technology Center (ITZB) of Bayern Innovativ in the House of Research.
For a general overview, the funding database of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is helpful.
At the federal level, the High-Tech Start-up Fund of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is also available. Exist also supports start-ups from within the university landscape.