Founder grants, subsidised loans, stipends, coaching vouchers, regional programmes. They exist for people exactly like you, and most are never applied for, because nobody explained them in English before the deadline passed.
The money is real. The window is usually shorter than people think.
The founder grant from the employment agency pays your living costs for the first months of self-employment, but only if you apply while you still qualify. Found first, ask later, and it is gone.
Living costs covered for the first monthsState development bank loans for founders are applied for through your house bank. Whether you ever hear about them depends on which bank you happen to ask. We know which ones say yes.
Below-market rates, long grace periodsUniversity-linked stipends, city startup grants, coaching vouchers, innovation funding. Each has its own form, its own timing, and its own definition of who counts as a founder.
Grants often €10,000+Figures are illustrative, for a typical international household.
Idea, registered, first revenue. Freelancer or GmbH. Employed today or not. The free check gets the basics; a call gets the rest.
Which grants, loans and programmes apply, in what order, with deadlines. In writing, in English.
We connect you with the tax advisor, bank or programme office that handles the application, and stay in the loop until the money lands.
It depends on the programme. Some are tax-free, some count as income, and the answer changes what you should set aside. We flag it before you apply, not after the tax return.
Many programmes, yes; your residence permit and its purpose matter more than your passport. A few are tied to being unemployed or to a German university. We check eligibility first so you do not write an application for nothing.
No. Our advice is free. Where a partner pays us for a referral, it is on the partners page, and it never comes out of your grant.
About two minutes of questions, then a personal report: what is sorted, what is quietly costing you money, and what to fix first.