K1-Startup Service

Support, consulting and training for founders and people interested in founding a company

Coworking Space

Image: AdobeStock 463948568

Logo of K1-Gründungsservice

Image: Universität Jena / Servicezentrum Forschung und Transfer

We are your central point of contact for all university members interested in entrepreneurship or developing concrete business ideas.

Our tailored services guide you through every stage of your journey, from brainstorming to launching your company.

Here, you can explore your ideas, enhance your start-up skills, and take your plans to the next level.

No matter how far along your idea is, we provide personalized advice and coaching, assistance with funding and venture capital applications, as well as access to valuable networks and infrastructure—including free office space.

Founders Journey and support services

1 Inspiration and idea generation
Develop your business ideas with us and explore whether starting a company could be your future.

Our services:

Entrepreneurial skills workshops (German)

Start-up seminars (German)

YES workshop series (English)

Events such as the “Born Global Startup Festival” and “Set up : Jena”, the start-up and innovation day in Jena (English/ German)

Born Global Meetup (English/ German)

Start-up consultation hour / Flying Offices at various locations in Jena (English/ German)
2 Focusing and structuring
Choose the best idea and refine it with us into a viable business model.

Our services:

Initial consultation, personalized coaching, and advice

Idea competitions
3 Business model and product development
Develop a marketable product, test the prototype, and tailor the idea to your target audience.

Our services:

Scholarship from the Thuringian University Start-up Network "StarTH"

Personalized coaching and consulting

Mentoring

Funding for prototype development (NEXT STEP)

"Freiraum" (free workspaces and offices)
4 Financing and resource planning
Find suitable funding opportunities and calculate resources for the next steps.

Our services:

Scholarship from the Thuringian University Start-up Network StarTH

Thuringian Start-up Grant

Consulting on funding opportunities from the federal government, the state, and the University of Jena

Team building (job postings, matching formats)

Personalized coaching and consulting / follow-up consultations

Mentoring

Free workspaces and offices ("Freiraum")
5 Network development and visibility
Build a network and position your business idea for potential partners and customers.

Our services:

Pitch training

Access to networking, qualification, and competition events such as TRIP, gs2g, Investor Days, Innovationspreis Thüringen, ThEx Award

Soft Landing Inbound – networking within the Thuringian and Jena innovation and start-up ecosystem in collaboration with partners

Follow-up consultations

Mentoring

Free workspaces and offices ("Freiraum")

Events such as the "Born Global Startup Festival" and "Set up: Jena", the Start-up and Innovation Day (English/German)

International start-up meetup: Born Global Meetup (English/German)
6 Starting and Establishing a Business
Clarify trademarks, patents, and structure, share your experiences, and support other start-up teams.

Our services:

Patent workshops

Patent and intellectual property services and consulting

International Startup Office (English-language services)

Events such as the "Born Global Startup Festival" and "Set up : Jena", the Startup and Innovation Day in Jena (English/German)

International meetup: Born Global Meetup (English/German)

Access to networking, qualification, and competition events such as TRIP, gs2g, Investor Days, Innovationspreis Thüringen, ThEx Award

DJ-Hub – international networks (Soft Landing Outbound)

Regional networking, including with relevant industry clusters (OptoNet, medways, JenaDigital, etc.)

Contact with startup ambassadors for mentoring and VC/ investor matching