By initiating a collaboration that is unique in its setup, the innovation platform Futury has mobilized a broad alliance to systematically establish entrepreneurship in research and teaching at universities. Furthermore, the aim is to accompany talents from science and business along their founder journey and to facilitate their access to capital. Over the next five years, Futury’s initiative is supported by 23 leading industry partners and three prestigious foundations with around 10 million euros, as well as by four universities and numerous stakeholders from politics, investor circles and civil society. The goal is clear: 1,000 new startups by 2030, with a focus on scientific spin-offs. In its approach, Futury takes into account the economic and scientific strengths of the region and focuses on the industry clusters Lifescience & Healthcare, Aviation Space, Banking & Finance as well as on the technology clusters Data & KI and Deep Tech & Green Tech.

“In research and development, Germany ranks among the best in the world – however, it happens too often that the results are not put into practice,” explains Charlie Müller, Founder and Managing Director of Futury. “Together with our partners, we want to change this. We will facilitate the structured transfer of research results into spin-offs – not only in theory, but with market relevance.”

The joint mission: transfer scientific excellence specifically into entrepreneurial effect through early startup support, access to practical experience and structured programs connecting students, researchers and startups with startup know-how, companies and investors. Today, for example, IP4Sshares already enables universities to connect excellent research with entrepreneurial drive and to realize practically relevant opportunities of utilization. Investors have access to strong, protected innovation projects. 

In this scenario, Futury is both platform and catalyst, it pools initiatives , develops strategic partnerships and programs tailored to specific target groups. Through it access to around 100,000 students, more than 12,000 scientists at the three Rhine-Main Universities (Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Technical University of Darmstadt) and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, the strong alliance around Futury wants to establish entrepreneurship at the universities as an integral component of their DNA – across universities, practically relevant and internationally compatible.

„The Frankfurt Rhein-Main region has enormous potential – with excellent science, a diverse talent pool and relevant industries”, says Melissa Ott, Managing Director of Futury. “What we are building now is a structured process to transfer this potential into startups that benefits business partners, investors and the region, This is precisely what we are now implementing with our partners.”

With successful support to more than 120 startups and more than 100 cooperation partners from the industry, Futury has created a successful innovation platform over the last years that is now being extended to include scientific excellence. Industry partners profit from the connection to major players in the relevant fields and early access to forward-looking technologies, new ideas and entrepreneurial pioneering spirit.

Futury connects scalable startups with investors in order to develop national and international startups and scale-ups in and bind them to the Rhine-Main region.

The Futury III Fund by Futuy Capital provides an additional 40 million euros of venture capital to young companies in the region. “We believe in the region, we believe in the potential of the regional startups. And this is precisely why our capital is intended to make an impact here”, explains Jonas Stüdemann, Partner at Futury Capital.

Establishing venture education is another milestone for the startup location. In order to qualify new investors for the venture capital asset class and to thus strengthen the financing conditions for startups, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, together with Futury and closely liaising with KfW Capital, is developing tailor-made, certificate programs in the field of venture education. The two new programs will start in the winter semester 2025/26. 

In addition to direct involvement of business and science, philanthropy is also gaining in importance. Three prestigious foundations are already supporting the initiative as funding partners. Together with Futury, they want to create the structural prerequisites to increase entrepreneurial thinking at universities, open up career paths to talents at an early stage and establish a professionally connected ecosystem as the basis for sustainable innovation with market relevance.

A physical hub for this transformation is currently being set up at Bertramshof in the middle of Frankfurt. On 2,000 m², a startup space with room for the startup community, offices, co-working spaces and event areas is created – a central hub of Futury to meet, share and implement in the startup ecosystem. Bertramshof, located in the heart of Germany, brings together science, industry, capital and talents. 

This initiative by Futury, with its strong regional roots and national and international compatibility, positions the Rhine-Main region as a pioneering startup space: connected, academically excellent, practice-oriented and focused on growth. 

About  Futury

Futury is an innovation and startup platform headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. In close cooperation with universities, companies, investors and politics, Futury supports entrepreneurial thinking, sustainable startups and the structured transfer of scientific excellence into the market. The aim is to establish a dynamic innovation ecosystem with a strong professional network. The minister-presidents of the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate have jointly endorsed the initiative. Futury is currently participating in the Startup Factories lighthouse competition of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the winners of which will be announced in the second quarter of 2025.