STARTPLATZ

Name

STARTPLATZ

Legal name

Familie Gräf Holding GmbH

Website

https://startplatz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator and Incubator Services

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Management Consulting Services (54161), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAAAM

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Venture Capital Firms

SECONDARYEDAMAHAB

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAMADAC

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Robotics, Engineering & Makerspaces

SECONDARYEDAMAHAC

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYFSANAHAD

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator
• Coworking spaces
• Corporate innovation
• AI education
• Pitch events

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Coworking & Office Rentals: Flexible coworking spaces, team offices (2-30 persons), and business addresses in Köln and Düsseldorf. Day passes available from €10, monthly memberships from €10
2. Conference Room Rentals: Hourly bookable conference rooms for 4-80 persons with hybrid conference technology at both locations
3. Accelerator Programs: KI Accelerator (4 months, 10 startups) and Open Incubator programs with associated fees
4. AI Academy Education: AZAV-certified AI training programs, masterclasses, and workshops. Funded through government education vouchers (Bildungsgutschein)
5. Corporate Innovation Services: Business Club membership, Corporate Enablement, Corporate Activation, and Hackathon-as-a-Service for enterprises
6. Events & Sponsorships: Event hosting including Meetups, Hackathons, Rheinland-Pitch with potential sponsorship revenue

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

STARTPLATZ operates the largest startup hub in North Rhine-Westphalia, providing flexible coworking and team offices, conference rooms, a 4-month KI Accelerator program, an Open Incubator, AZAV-certified AI training through its AI Academy subsidiary, Germany's largest startup pitch series (Rheinland-Pitch), and corporate innovation services (Business Club, Corporate Enablement, Corporate Activation, Hackathons). The business model combines physical workspace subscriptions, membership fees, accelerator/education program revenue, and enterprise professional services engagements.

Product overview

STARTPLATZ is a startup inkubator and accelerator ecosystem operating from Köln (Mediapark) and Düsseldorf (Mediahafen) locations. The offering combines physical infrastructure (coworking spaces, private team offices, conference rooms, and business address services) with startup development programs (KI Accelerator NRW, Open Incubator, Gründungsstipendium NRW) and community platforms (Rheinland-Pitch, Speed Networking, Mentoring). The AI Hub and subsidiary AI Academy extend the ecosystem into AI education and training, offering AZAV-certified courses with four progression stages. For corporates, STARTPLATZ provides Business Club membership, Corporate Enablement (in-house training), and Corporate Activation (innovation days). The portfolio totals 4,500m² in Köln and 2,000m² in Düsseldorf, supporting over 1,500 startups since 2012.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Hub Rheinland: AI-focused ecosystem connecting builders, researchers, and companies; includes AI Fridays, Mistral Meetups, and the Franco-German Open-Source AI initiative (Köln × Paris).
• KI Accelerator NRW
• Rheinland-Pitch
• Open Incubator / Open Accelerator
• AI Academy (STARTPLATZ KI Akademie)
• Gründungsstipendium NRW
• Corporate Enablement / Corporate Activation

Products and services

• Coworking Spaces (Köln & Düsseldorf) Flexible coworking workspaces in Köln Mediapark and Düsseldorf Medienhafen offered via €10 day passes and monthly memberships, providing members 24/7 access and ecosystem networking.
• Team Offices (Teambüros) Private office space for teams of 2-30 persons in both Köln and Düsseldorf, targeted at growth-stage startups and small companies needing dedicated space.
• Conference Rooms (Konferenzräume) Hourly bookable meeting, workshop and event rooms accommodating 4-80 persons at both locations, including hybrid conference technology for remote participants.
• Business Address (Geschäftsadresse) Prestigious Geschäftsadresse service with postal handling for startups and small companies needing a registration address without physical office presence.
• KI Accelerator NRW 4-month cohort program for 10 AI startups per batch, providing mentoring, investor access and pilot projects with corporate partners. Batch 1 launched in 2025-10; Batch 3 is open for applications for Summer 2026.
• Open Incubator Incubation program for early-stage startups providing support, infrastructure and resources for founders developing their business concepts.
• Gründungsstipendium NRW Founding scholarship program for early-stage startups in North Rhine-Westphalia, providing financial support for entrepreneurs in the pre-launch phase.
• Rheinland-Pitch Germany's largest startup pitch series, running regular competitive events that connect startups with investors and corporate partners.
• AI Academy AZAV-certified AI education platform with four stages (Einstieg, Vertiefung, Spezialisierung, Dranbleiben) plus Masterclasses, Intensivprogramme, KI Campus and Inhouse training; financing available through Bildungsgutschein education vouchers.
• Hackathons 48-hour AI-themed hackathons including open hackathons, corporate hackathons and Hackathon-as-a-Service for enterprises seeking innovation solutions.
• Business Club Membership program for established companies seeking innovation partnerships, startup networking and structured access to the STARTPLATZ ecosystem.
• Corporate Enablement In-house training programs for corporate teams to build AI capabilities and digital transformation skills, delivered through the Corporate Academy offering.
• Corporate Activation Innovation Day programs enabling companies to engage with startup methodologies and rapid prototyping, structured as facilitated corporate innovation sprints.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ startups fostered since 2012
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OVHcloudcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020OVHcloud startup program partner offering up to €100,000 cloud credits for startups. French cloud provider with European data sovereignty focus, supporting GAIA-X initiative.
• HubSpot for StartupsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUp to 90% discount for first 12 months for startups with financing < €2 million. 50% discount for startups with financing > €2 million.
• KravagminorOthersInsurance partner offering group insurance plans with up to 40% discounts for startups through BVIZ.
• QontominorOthersBusiness banking partner for startups.
• BestGruppeminorOthersInsurance broker partner providing business insurance solutions for startups.
• Techniker KrankenkasseminorOthersHealth insurance partner providing special rates for startups and coworking members.
• Wirtschaftsministerium NRWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government ministry supporting NRW startup ecosystem and funding programs.
• Köln BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCologne economic development agency supporting local startup ecosystem.
• WiFö DüsseldorfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDüsseldorf economic development agency supporting startup ecosystem in the city.
• STRATOSFAREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration initiative with Miele, Dr. Oetker, WAGO, it's OWL, and Fraunhofer IEM connecting startups with established companies for innovation projects.
• Startup Nation Central (Israel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for STARTUPNATION TO MITTELSTAND program connecting Israeli startups with German corporations.
• IHK KölnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of commerce providing guidance on founding, financing, internationalization, innovation and law through mentorship programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mindspace: European flexible office and coworking operator with locations in Germany (Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt). Comparable in coworking, team office, and event space offerings; less focused on accelerator and community programming.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus located in Paris. Comparable as a mega-hub combining coworking, accelerators, and corporate programs; STARTPLATZ's Franco-German AI initiative directly leverages this neighboring ecosystem.
• Y Combinator: The benchmark global startup accelerator. Comparable in cohort-based accelerator model and alumni network effects; STARTPLATZ operates at a regional scale with more emphasis on physical hub and corporate services.
• Rocket Internet: Berlin-headquartered company builder and incubator active across global markets. Comparable in incubation and startup development model, though Rocket Internet operates a venture studio approach with equity stakes rather than membership/fees.

Direct peers

• Techstars: Global startup accelerator operating mentorship-driven cohorts with corporate partner networks. Directly comparable in accelerator model, mentor structure, and corporate innovation services, though at a much larger, global scale.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Corporate-backed global accelerator providing cohorts, mentorship, and corporate pilot access. Comparable in accelerator-plus-corporate-innovation model, with broader geographic reach and corporate backing from Telefónica.
• Factory Berlin: Berlin-based startup campus combining coworking, events, and corporate innovation programs. Comparable in coworking-plus-community positioning and corporate membership model, but serving a different German metro market.
• Betahaus: Berlin-based coworking and event-driven community hub. Comparable in coworking, event programming, and community-led GTM, though more focused on general creators than AI/tech specialization.
• Spin Lab: Cologne-based accelerator and innovation hub (HHL SpinLab in Leipzig + SpinLab Cologne). The most direct local competitor in the Köln startup ecosystem, with overlapping accelerator, coworking, and corporate partnership offerings.

Regional players

• Hubs by The Family: Paris-based startup community and education platform supporting European founders. Comparable in education-plus-community positioning and Franco-European founder support; serves a different geography but is a relevant cross-border peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StartPlatz
• Facebookfacebook.com/StartPlatz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startplatz
• Instagraminstagram.com/startplatz_accelerator

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments11 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STARTPLATZ