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.

Yes, you can choose and prioritize three of our four mentors for your LTA journey. The LTA team will try to take your preferences into account as much as possible when assigning mentors. You’ll have the opportunity to arrange three individual mentoring sessions with your mentor throughout your LTA journey.

No, the focus of the program is on solving the real challenges provided by our corporate partners. While you’ll build valuable skills that can later support your own entrepreneurial projects, CCC is about teamwork, innovation, and impact within a specific challenge context.
If you’re eager to work on your own idea, we recommend applying to one of our other Campus Founders programs after completing CCC.

Yes, all participants who successfully attended the four modules will receive a certificate.

Yes, this is one of our requirements. To get the most out of the program, physical attendance is very important. We believe in the benefits of peer learning and consider personal exchange with the other founders, experts, coaches, and our community. Therefore, all scholars agree to fully participate in the events and workshops on-site in Heilbronn. To engage with the program, we expect clearing your calendar during these days to give yourself space and energy to focus on the LTA program. We are convinced that the exchange in our space will provide you with incredible added value. That’s why we expect you to attend all workshops and events in person. The personal mentoring sessions take place online or on site, depending on the mentor.

While having a team can enhance your experience, it’s not mandatory. Individuals can apply and will be matched with others to form a cohesive group. Collaboration is encouraged to maximize your potential.

Participation in the program is free of charge. You just have to convince us of your motivation and commitment.

With CCC, you move from deeply understanding the problem to creating a semi validated prototype. Don’t expect to have a fully developed MVP by the end of the program, as your solution idea will likely still need refinement and further validation.
For that next step, we offer other programs, such as AI Start, where you can continue validating and prototyping your idea before moving on to the Incubator to develop a full MVP.

We select scholars based on their motivation, their leadership potential and the group fit. However, we only have a limited number of scholarships. If you were able to convince us in your application, we will invite you to an online interview. We will then inform you whether you will receive the program scholarship. If all places are taken, we will let you know if you made it on the waiting list and inform you as early as possible if you can move up and join the LTA. In case you won’t make it into the program, we would be pleased about your application for the next batch.

You’ll spend an average of 8 hours per week over the 14 weeks of the program. This includes the mandatory cohort and coaching sessions, plus a few hours on your own or with your team to complete some tasks and submit them.

Joining and participating in CCC is free of charge. You just need to bring your motivation, passion, and above all, commitment to the process. We take care of the rest.

Successful completion means showing commitment, collaboration, and learning. You are expected to attend all of the cohort and coaching sessions – missing up to 3 is allowed with prior notification via your coach -, to deliver high-quality submissions, and to present a solution that fits the challenge you worked on.
More than that, success in CCC means personal and professional growth. The goal is to graduate with a better understanding of your working style, which of your skills needs improvement, and what entrepreneurship means for you.

Don’t worry! All of our sessions are offered in a hybrid setting, so you can attend remotely and still feel like you are part of the cohort.

During the LTA program, you will get to know our startup managers. They are Campus Founders employees who have already founded a startup. Based on their valuable experience, they can help community members with questions about their startup and support you.

Design Thinking is a user centered problem-solving approach that helps you deeply understand a problem before developing a solution. It is the core approach we use throughout the program, guiding your progress from exploration to validation.

Alumni of the LTA have the opportunity to apply for the “Akademie Führung und Persönlichkeit” of the Institut für Philosophie und Leadership. This is also supported by the Karl Schlecht Foundation (KSG). The selection procedure is carried out by the Institut für Philosophie und Leadership.
Further information on the content, dates and application procedure can also be found on the Institute’s website.

As an LTA-participant and therefore an active community member, you have the opportunity to draw on further mentors from our Campus Founders mentor pool in addition to the LTA mentoring. The mentors in the mentor pool bring valuable experience and a wealth of knowledge in areas such as sales, marketing and HR.

For more information, take a look at our Mentoring for the Community

The program is especially designed for founders with a growing team. It consists of 4 modules: Good Leadership, Challenges & Resilience, Communication and Team Management.
Each module consists of two workshops with experts who will guide you through topics like self- leadership, authentic leadership, psychological safety, appreciative communication, body language and team culture.
In addition, individual challenges can be discussed in 1:1 sessions with our mentors. As part of the LTA, you can draw on our LTA mentors specifically on the topic of leadership or on the Campus Founders mentor pool with different backgrounds and specializations. The exchange with other LTA founders who are facing similar challenges is also irreplaceable.

The goal is to enable you to act entrepreneurially by tackling a real challenge from a company. At the core of the program are the Design Thinking approach and Lean Startup processes, which you will be taught while working with your corporate partner at eye level. This means collaborating within and beyond your team, using innovative tools through each stage of the process. You won’t be alone on this journey, as every team is supported by a dedicated coach and a corporate expert over the full 14 weeks.

The workshops focus on Design Thinking, including what it is, what belongs to its toolbox, and how and when to apply the tools. Each session combines input with direct application to your challenge, so you learn by doing.
You’ll explore how to uncover the conscious and unconscious needs of potential customers and validate them using the right methods. From there, you’ll ideate, test, and iterate solutions for ideas and prototypes. Beyond solving the given challenge, the workshops equip you with the mindset and tools to approach and solve future problems.

The program usually takes place in German in the summer batch and in English in the winter batch.

All of the cohort sessions in the timeline (unless explicitly mentioned otherwise) are mandatory, as well as the weekly coaching sessions. The cohort sessions taks  place either on Thursday evenings or on Saturdays. For the coaching sessions, you should align with your team and coach for the day and time that suits you best. In addition, we have some extra cohort-building sessions, such as game nights and networking evenings that are offered for you to have a fully rounded experience during the run of CCC.

After CCC, you and your team can decide how to move forward. You may want to keep working with your corporate partner to refine and implement your solution. If your team prefers to continue independently and possibly turn the idea into a startup, you can apply for one of our advanced programs, like Campus Founder’s AI Start or Incubator programs.
In addition, you can also hand over the IP rights of the solution idea to the corporate partner in those cases where you have a convincing solution idea, but you and your team cannot keep working on it.
For those of you who truly enjoyed the program and want to help shape the next batch and its cohort, we invite you to apply to join the CCC Alumni Group, which includes our top performers. Being a member involves sharing encouraging words about the program with potential applicants, participating in special events, and having the opportunity to shadow a coach during the next batch.

The program is split into two main phases. In the first phase, you’ll focus on understanding the challenge, identifying the real problem, and defining the right problem statement.
The second phase, starting in week 6, is when you can start creating and testing your solution idea. It’s important to follow the process step by step and to stay aligned with your coach and team during each phase. The goal is to have a semi validated prototype at the end of the 14-week program.

All founders with high personal motivation, and leadership potential, who have their first employees already in place or planned for the near future. Applications from female founders are highly appreciated. Please note: To be able to address also challenges between co- founders, only one co-founder of a startup can participate per batch. Your co-founders are welcome to apply for the following batches in summer (in German) or winter (in English).

We are a non-profit organization that empowers founders to help to improve themselves and to co-create the future with us. In terms of the Leadership Talent Academy, we award 25 full scholarships supported by the Karl Schlecht Stiftung (KSG). Therefore, the program fee is covered. In case you are not located in Heilbronn or the vicinity you only must finance your accommodation and travel.

For all HHN students: The Corporate Campus Challenge is part of the Studium Generale. Therefore, if you choose Corporate Campus Challenge, you will receive ECTS from HHN.
For all HUGS students: The Corporate Campus is part of the elective study program. The students need to register with the University to receive the ECTS.
For all TUM students: The Corporate Campus Challenge is part of the elective study program. All BMT, BMDS, and MiM students will receive ECTS for their participation.
For all Uni Viadrina students: The Corporate Campus is part of the elective study program. The students need to fill in the official application form and also register with the University to receive the ECTS.
But if you are only an “ECTS-hunter” – looking for the most fun way to get ECTS – this is not the right program for you.

Short answer: Yes, you will! All details are written down in our AGBs.

Teamwork makes a dream work. We are convinced that teams create great benefits and give you the needed space to focus on building your product.

Alternatively, it is also possible that you apply as a single founder (solopreneur). Finding the perfect co-founder can be a challenge, but we're here to help. While we can't guarantee a match in this current program, we thoroughly assess each applicant to identify strong potential fits.

If your profile doesn't align perfectly for this batch, we'll still keep you in our talent pool and consider you for future opportunities, including upcoming program batches and potential connections within our network.

The program typically runs for 12 weeks, starting from the kickoff event. Each week includes workshops, mentorship sessions, and team activities. The final pitch event concludes the program.

Many successful startups consist of at least two founders who can cover the technical and business fundamentals. However, if you have a special talent and are convinced that you have what it takes to build and run your own business, we are willing to make an exception for you. Get in touch with us, and we will try to find a solution for you.

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.

What we expect from our founders is full commitment to the program and building their startup. If you are working full-time or in the midst of your studies, it will be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of the program. We require that at least one of your co-founders is fully dedicated to the business, ideally all of them.

Our program is designed for aspiring founders and early-stage startups working on an idea with an extensive problem understanding. We need to see that you have put in some initial work trying to validate your idea and gain market insights. It will also show us that you are dedicated.

Participation in the Corporate Campus Challenge is free of charge. We believe in providing equal opportunities for all aspiring entrepreneurs. Additional resources may be available for purchase, but are not required.

You should be beyond the idea and prototype stage — with at least the first iteration of your product built. We’re looking for early-stage startups that have some initial traction and are now focused on validating, growing, and getting investor-ready.

Participants gain invaluable experience through mentorship, networking, and exposure to real-world challenges. You’ll develop your skills, enhance your resume, and potentially secure pilot opportunities with corporate partners. It’s a chance to turn your ideas into reality. 

The main program language will be in English. Nevertheless individual coaching sessions can also be conducted in German for German-speaking teams.

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.

While we have two dedicated full-time presence days in Heilbronn each week, managing other commitments outside of these sessions remains an individual decision for each team. We encourage open communication with your coaches and mentors to ensure a manageable workload that aligns with your personal and team priorities.

The program is designed to be flexible and adapt to your individual schedule. We understand that dedication to your startup extends beyond the Incubator and involves your team's commitment and hard work.

As our curriculum is fast-paced and challenging, we expect you to focus solely on the Accelerator program full-time.

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.

The CCC uses a challenge-based format where teams tackle real-world problems presented by corporate partners. Participants receive mentorship and guidance throughout the process. This hands-on approach fosters innovation and practical solutions.

In the case of participation in the 5-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.

Yes, this is one of our requirements. In order to get the most out of the program, physical attendance is highly preferred during the program, we provide you with accommodation through a living stipend in case you do not live in Heilbronn or the vicinity.

While we encourage participants to be based in the Heilbronn area to fully immerse themselves in the vibrant startup ecosystem and leverage the benefits of in-person interaction, we don't strictly require physical residence in Heilbronn throughout the program.

However, it's important to note that our program incorporates mandatory presence days at the Campus Lab in Heilbronn. During these designated days, active participation and collaboration on-site are crucial for effective learning, team building, and networking opportunities.

Remote participation is not currently available for these specific days.

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.

We believe that passionate founders with strong ideas deserve support, regardless of the field or industry they operate in. Our program is designed to empower early-stage founders across all sectors, providing the tools and resources needed to turn their concepts into thriving businesses.

We're excited to see innovative ideas from diverse fields and support founders who are tackling challenges and creating value in different areas. What matters most to us is your dedication, vision, and potential for growth.

If you have a well-defined problem, a passionate team, and a strong desire to make a difference, we encourage you to apply, regardless of your specific industry focus. We are confident that our program can provide valuable guidance and support to help you launch and scale your venture successfully.

If you’re accepted into the Accelerator program, you will be provided with housing. We have fully equipped apartments at Rosenberg Quartier, with easy access to a range of amenities, including shopping centers, restaurants, and cultural attractions.

Absolutely! We encourage you to work on your startup at Campus Founders. The Campus Lab is designed to be your hub for innovation and collaboration during the Incubator and in our follow-up programs.

We believe that the best startups are built through collaboration and community. By joining a Campus Founders program, you'll be surrounded by the resources and support network you need to turn your startup dream into a reality.

And who knows, could be that your next coffee break at our community kitchen could lead to a connection with a pilot customer, venture manager or a dedicated user of your service.

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.

We will be selecting up to 10 teams.

EXIST grants represent a valuable opportunity. We have a strong network of academic partners (universities) authorized to submit EXIST applications, and that have a proven track record of guiding teams through successful applications.

*EXIST is a prestigious German government grant program specifically designed to support promising early-stage startups with high-growth potential. By leveraging our expertise and connections, we can significantly increase your chances of securing this valuable funding.

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

Our selection criteria revolve around the problem you are trying to solve, the innovativeness of your idea and your competition, the size of the market you are addressing, the scalability of the idea, and your business model. Additionally, we will evaluate whether your team includes both a technical and a business co-founder and has the potential to build a successful business. Finally, we will assess whether you are a good fit for the program and the community.

At Campus Founders, we understand the importance of building strong connections within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. That's why we provide a platform for our program participants with a strong network of founders, experts, midsized companies and investors opening doors to valuable connections for your startup.

After the application deadline, all applications will be reviewed by a diverse team of evaluators, including investors, venture managers, and Tech experts. After the evaluation committee meets to discuss the applications, 45 startups will be invited to pitch their idea/startup. After all the pitches, the team will decide which Top teams will be accepted to the program and will inform the teams accordingly by email.

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.

Yes, absolutely! If you’re not selected for this batch, don’t worry. Keep refining your idea, stay determined, and feel free to apply again in the future batches. Persistence pays off! Best of luck!

We're excited to announce a new scholarship for participants in our incubator and accelerator programs! This scholarship is designed to support promising founders and ideas by helping to cover founders' living costs. The scholarship can be granted for up to 12 months, depending on participation in our programs and the achievement of jointly defined milestones.

Once you're accepted into the incubator/accelerator program, we'll send you a link to apply for the scholarship. As we examine every application in detail, please make sure to apply as soon as possible. Also note that the application process for the scholarship is separate and you do not automatically qualify for it.

In case you have specific questions about the scholarship option, please don't hesitate and contact johannes@campusfounders.de.

The program calendar will be filled with various components ranging from workshops, sessions, pitch practice and opportunities to connect with your program peers. If you are spending the day at the Gravity, we also expect other community members to drop by throughout the day, giving you opportunity to expand your network. There will also be a ton of community events going on. In general, you’ll be working on your product each day, just like the other founders in the program.

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.

We will be running a number of community events and Q&A sessions before the start of the batch. You may join us there to have your questions answered, so keep an eye on our upcoming events. Alternatively, reach out to lisa@campusfounders.de for assistance.

The official language of the program is English. All workshops, meetups, and communications are conducted entirely in English. This also allows us to bring together a diverse community of founders, mentors, and experts from across the globe, creating a truly international and collaborative environment.

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

Founder Scholarship Team (founderscholarship@campusfounders.de)

Yes! The program is flexible by design. While there are some mandatory events (kick-off week, weekly check-ins, milestone-setting, and Demo Day), most workshops and events are on demand. You decide what’s most relevant for your startup. We’re here to support, not overload your calendar.

Financial assistance is bound to program milestones. The first instalment will be paid after you successfully pass your first milestone review, and the final instalment will be paid at the end of the program following the second milestone review.

In order to successfully complete the program, you should take part in our workshops and exchange ideas with our experts. We will of course support you in reaching your milestones. If there are still challenges and you do not reach the milestones, the funding may not be paid out in full.

The financial assistance of EUR 25,000 offered is a founder-friendly loan provided by our financial partners with limited repayment obligation. The key terms include a milestone-related loan amount, a market-standard interest rate, and a maturity date of 30.06.2029. The loan does not need repayment if the project or business plan is abandoned if our financial partner participates in the next equity financing round, or if given the opportunity to participate but chooses not to. Please note that these terms are determined by our financial partners and are subject to their modifications. For additional clarifications, we recommend participating in our weekly Q&A or informational webinars.