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For the third time, the Körber Start-Hub is looking for young founders for the Next.Generation Inkubator. The funding programme for social entrepreneurship lasts just under a year and is intended to enable participating teams to develop their ideas to business maturity. Applications can be submitted until 31 July.

© Claudia Höhne
© Claudia Höhne

The four phases of the Next.Generation Inkubator

The first phase begins in November 2025 and lasts five months. In eight workshops, the teams receive the necessary know-how to concretise their ideas and develop a viable business model. At the end, there is a pitch in front of a jury to qualify for the second phase. This also lasts five months and is used to develop prototypes and achieve market maturity. Financial resources and individual mentoring are provided for this purpose. The third phase serves to prepare the founding and culminates in a final public pitch in September 2026, where a jury decides which team will receive seed capital of 50,000 euros. Phase 4 refers to the period after the actual funding programme, during which the teams continue to receive support from the Körber Start-Hub.

The programme is aimed at people with a relatively concrete idea that is related to at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Further criteria are:

  • Solo applications are possible, bute experience has shown that teams have a greater chance of success.

  • The majority of team members must be under 30 years of age.

  • Applicants must live in the Hamburg metropolitan region.

  • One to two weekdays should be scheduled as independent working hours. The intensity increases over the course of the programme.

  • At least one person from the team should always take part in the workshops.

No special prior knowledge is required, and the programme is completely free of charge.


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Startup City Hamburg

At Startup City Hamburg you can find Hamburg’s inspiring startup ecosystem gathered into one space.


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