Yes, you can apply. But you will only be qualified and your application for a scholarship will be considered in case you get into the Incubator or Accelerator program and become a program participant.

The establishment of a company and the associated direct or indirect costs are not supported by the scholarship. These include, for example, the formation and notary costs (partnership agreement, entry in the commercial register, opening balance sheet, etc.). This also includes all other costs incurred by the scholarship holder in connection with the start of business activities on the market, such as company-related expenses (e.g. drawing up contracts and agreements, general terms and conditions, license agreements, etc.).
Material expenses incurred by the scholarship holder cannot be funded. In particular, costs for:

• Material, functional samples, licenses, software, etc. For term-related expenses (web hosting, warranty extensions, licenses, etc.)
• Project and start-up-related services provided by third parties
• Business trips (e.g. to project-related conferences, further training, etc.)
• Investments (e.g. PC, special equipment for the project)

It is not possible to split the scholarship between several people.

Yes, however, the condition for receiving funding for citizens from non-EU countries is a valid residence and work permit for the entire funding period. Therefore, at least a provisional certificate from the immigration authority must be submitted with the application. We advise you to clarify the compatibility of a potential Founder Scholarship with your current residence and work permit with all related organizations. Campus Founders accepts no liability or responsibility in the event of changes occurring in your residence and work permit as a result of our scholarship.

The Scholarship starts at the beginning of the month following the successful presentation, approval by the jury and signing of the scholarship contract.
The scholarship is granted for a maximum period of 12 months.
The scholarship ends in any case if the scholarship holder no longer wishes to engage in entrepreneurial thinking and action and makes this known through his or her behavior or statements to Campus Founders. The same applies if it is foreseeable that, in the opinion of Campus Founders, the Campus Founders events or programs will not be beneficial for the scholarship holder.


The monthly scholarship payment is always transferred at the end of the month to the recipient account specified in the scholarship agreement. This recipient account must be a personal account of the scholarship holder.

Once you have been accepted into the accelerator or incubator program and have received confirmation of your Founder Scholarship, our team will contact you to set individual milestones.
These are generally based on the milestones that have been defined for your entire start-up at team level. However, it is crucial that the Founder Scholarship milestones are personal goals tailored to you as a founder.
The milestones can generally be developed together with the founders in various areas and usually fall into one of the following categories: team, technology/product development, business model or customers/sales/marketing.
At the beginning of the Founder Scholarship, the milestones are set together with you for a period of three months. At the end of these three months, a joint review takes place before new milestones are defined for the following three-month window.

In the case of participation in the 6-month incubator, a successful application and continued participation in the Campus Founders Accelerator or Campus Founders AI Founders program is required in order to receive the scholarship for up to a maximum of 12 months.

The focus must be on the training and development of the scholarship holders for the entire duration of the scholarship, i.e. they must not have a main job.
Parallel employment, including part-time employment, or freelance or other commercial work to cover the scholarship holder’s living expenses is permitted up to a total of less than 15 hours per week in addition to the scholarship.

The scope of studies, together with other activities outside the Campus Founders Scholarship, may only total less than 15 hours per week.

In principle, the scholarship cannot be interrupted.


The following cases are excluded from this:


1. If a scholarship holder receives an EXIST scholarship or another start-up scholarship from a third-party provider, no scholarship will be granted and paid by Campus Founders during this time. An interruption must be applied for in writing. Following the third-party start-up grant, the grant can be continued for the remaining term. The prerequisite for this is that the scholarship holder continues to reside in the Heilbronn-Franconia region for the duration of the third-party funding and remains an active part of the Campus Founders community.


An interruption of the scholarship is only possible for up to a maximum of 24 months.
If the funding by a third party is not reported or not reported in time and/or the application for interruption is not submitted or not submitted in time, the entitlement to the scholarship already granted lapses with immediate effect. The disbursement of further funding will be discontinued and funding that has been disbursed for a period during which other funding was received can be reclaimed by Campus Founders.


2. While receiving parental allowance, the scholarship can be interrupted for up to twelve months upon application.

The scope of studies, together with other activities outside the Campus Founders Scholarship, may only total less than 15 hours per week.

A simultaneous combination with another funding program to finance the scholarship holder’s living expenses is excluded. If other scholarships or grants, including a startup grant (e.g. EXIST), is already being used, an application is only possible after the end of the funding phase.


This does not include the use of BaföG benefits.
Prize money from startup or business plan competitions may be received during the scholarship.

Funding for the subsequent establishment of a company – after the end of the scholarship – may be applied for from capital providers (e.g. business angels, banks, VCs) during the scholarship period.

The Heilbronn Franconia region includes places of residence within:

– City of Heilbronn

– Heilbronn district

– Hohenlohe district

– Main-Tauber district

– Schwäbisch Hall district

Proof of residence in the Heilbronn-Franconia region must be provided no later than 2 months after the start of our scholarship and must be maintained for the duration of the scholarship.

In particularly serious cases of deception or breach of contract by the scholarship holder, repayment of the amounts paid up to the time of termination may also be demanded.

Yes, the application can be resubmitted. There is no legal entitlement to a scholarship.

Specific inquiries about the scholarship can be made in writing to the program management:

Etienne Seitz (Founder Scholarship Lead)