NRW.BANK - partner of the startup scene in North Rhine-Westphalia

In North Rhine-Westphalia, no good entrepreneurial idea should fail due to a lack of financing. For this reason, in its role as a development bank, NRW.BANK supports startups with specially designed promotional programmes, good advice and equity capital products – such as the low-interest NRW.BANK.Gründerkredit (startup loan) or the NRW.BANK.Innovation and Digitisation programme. The NRW.Mikrodarlehen (micro loan) is available for micro startups.

NRW.BANK also invests in promising companies, including via its NRW.BANK.Seedfonds (seed fund) initiative in regional funds that invest in technology-oriented startups. As fund manager of the Gründerforum Ruhr (a local forum for startups), the development bank also invests together with the Initiativkreis Ruhr (a local initiative for social, cultural and economic change) in future-oriented startups with a high potential for growth.

The NRW.BANK.Venture Center can be a first port of call for technology-oriented startups from universities and research institutions as well as newly established, innovative startups. As a one-stop agency, this specialised advisory centre combines the services offered by NRW.BANK to promote research and development teams, people interested in establishing their own businesses and startups with the promotional and advisory services already on the market. As part of the “win NRW.BANK Business Angels Initiative”, private investors give startups the benefit of both their capital and their know-how.

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