Sirius Minds

What Sirius Minds does

Sirius Minds GmbH is a German education and consulting firm operating as an An-Institut (associated institute) of the University of Oldenburg. Founded in 2012, the company delivers training, coaching, and consulting services primarily to early-stage technology startup teams receiving EXIST funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), as well as to female founders participating in the EXIST-Women program. Its core products are the 1.5-day in-person EXIST Gründungsteam and EXIST-Women Gründerin seminars, held in Berlin and supported by pre-seminar eLearning preparation courses and post-seminar follow-up sessions. Adjacent offerings include customized Start-up Workshops on topics such as marketing channels and financing, individual coaching and moderation for founders, and corporate consulting on agile innovation and digital transformation for established German companies.

The technology layer consists of a tutor LMS eLearning platform that delivers structured curricula via two AI-generated virtual coaches, Alex (for the EXIST-Women path) and Daniel (for team development), enabling consistent content delivery and rapid updates. Sirius Minds combines Silicon Valley methodologies (Lean Startup, MVP, Lean Analytics, Personas and Customer Journey) with academic research grounding, and packages these into reusable frameworks such as the TREO team roles model and IKIGAI concept. Operating geographies span Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with research outputs also covering Thailand and blockchain/token economics topics.

The business model is hybrid. EXIST program seminars are provided free of charge to participants and are funded through BMWE/EXIST reimbursements via Projektträger Jülich. Custom workshops and corporate consulting engagements are fee-based, scoped per team or project. The company has served over 1,000 EXIST-funded startup teams since 2012 and reports annual contact with 150+ high-tech startups. Customer acquisition relies on university partnerships and the EXIST program channel, supplemented by content marketing (website, blog, YouTube) and direct event registration.

Name

Sirius Minds

Legal name

Sirius Minds GmbH

Website

https://sirius-minds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sirius Minds is a German education and consulting firm affiliated with the University of Oldenburg that delivers seminars, eLearning, and coaching services for EXIST-funded startup teams and female founders across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Education and Entrepreneurship Training

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAHAC

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators

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

SECONDARYEDAFAIAC

Creator-Led Course Hosting & Monetization Platforms

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Education Marketplaces & Course Platforms (MOOCs, Cohort-Based, Creator Platforms)

Keywords

• Startup consulting services
• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Digital transformation consulting
• Team development workshops
• ELearning for founders

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EXIST Seminar Services: Free seminars for EXIST-funded startup teams as part of government-sponsored entrepreneurship support programs. The company is paid through the EXIST program funding from BMWE (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy)
2. Custom Startup Workshops: Tailored workshop programs developed based on individual startup team needs. Topics include marketing channel development, financing strategies, and other custom curriculum areas
3. Consulting Services: Individual consulting, moderation, and coaching services for startups and established companies undergoing digital transformation. B2B services delivered to corporate clients under standard consulting agreements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sirius Minds operates as an An-Institut (associated institute) of the University of Oldenburg, delivering structured startup support programs including 1.5-day in-person seminars in Berlin (EXIST Gründungsteam and EXIST-Women Gründerin), customized start-up workshops, and AI-supported eLearning preparation courses. Services are funded through the federal EXIST program for EXIST-funded startup teams and through fee-based consulting contracts with established companies undergoing digital transformation.

Product overview

Sirius Minds operates as an An-Institut (affiliated institute) of the University of Oldenburg, providing startup support and digital transformation consulting services. The portfolio consists primarily of educational programs (seminars, workshops, eLearning) for EXIST-funded startups, complemented by research publications on innovation and startup ecosystems. The main products are the EXIST Gründungsteam Seminar and EXIST-Women Gründerin Seminar, both featuring in-person 1.5-day components in Berlin paired with digital pre-work (Onlineakademie eLearning modules) and follow-up sessions. Additional offerings include customized Start-up Workshops and research publications including the Startup Report Thailand and the Digitale Innovation im Mittelstand study. The company also developed AI-powered virtual coaches (Alex and Daniel) for their eLearning content delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EXIST Gründungsteam Seminar

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 startup teams supported since 2012
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universität Oldenburg (University of Oldenburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSirius Minds operates as an 'An-Institut' (associated institute) of the University of Oldenburg, providing academic grounding and institutional legitimacy to its programs. This partnership enables research-backed methodologies and university connections for startup support.
• BMWE / EXIST Program (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSirius Minds is an approved service provider for the EXIST-Gründungsteam and EXIST-Women programs. The company delivers seminars as part of this federally-funded entrepreneurship support initiative, with programs funded through BMWE and implemented via Projektträger Jülich (PtJ).
• HIIG (Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on the 'Digitale Innovation im Mittelstand' (Digital Innovation in Medium-Sized Enterprises) study conducted in 2019, supported by HypoVereinsbank.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UnternehmerTUM: Munich-based center for innovation and entrepreneurship at TU Munich running startup education programs, workshops, and accelerators. Highly comparable to Sirius Minds as a university-affiliated German provider of startup training and team-development services for founders.
• BayStartUP: Bavarian startup network offering coaching, seminars, and financing preparation for early-stage founders. Closely comparable to Sirius Minds in mission (startup team development), target audience (German founders), and workshop-based delivery model.
• German Accelerator: Government-funded program supporting German startups with mentoring, workshops, and market-entry support. Comparable as a federally backed German founder-support organization that combines structured programs with partner-driven delivery.
• Science4Life: Frankfurt-based initiative running startup academies, coaching, and competitions for science-based founders in Germany. Overlaps with Sirius Minds in delivering structured curriculum and workshops to early-stage, often academic, founding teams.
• Founders Foundation: Bielefeld-based founder program offering bootcamps, education, and community for German entrepreneurs. Comparable in combining structured curriculum, in-person workshops, and a community/peer-network layer for startup teams.
• Berlin Startup School: Berlin-based educational program delivering workshops, bootcamps, and mentorship for early-stage founders. Comparable in city focus (Berlin) and workshop-driven delivery for German-speaking startup teams.

Broad incumbents

• Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin (HWR) — Startup Competence Center: Public Berlin university offering broader startup support, seminars, and EXIST-related services through multiple in-house centers. Comparable as a larger institutional player providing overlapping entrepreneurship training to similar Berlin-based startup audiences.
• Start-up BW (Landesinitiative): Baden-Württemberg state-level initiative coordinating startup events, training, and accelerators. Comparable as a publicly funded German program bundling seminars and founder education at scale across a federal state.
• Munich Startup: Munich-based ecosystem platform and community offering founder education, events, and resources. Comparable as a community-led, content-driven German organization serving startup teams with educational programming and networking.

Regional players

• ENABLER Founders: European startup ecosystem builder running programs and community events for founders. Comparable in operating structured programs for early-stage startups, though primarily active in other European markets rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SiriusMinds-Start-upsandIn-h1f
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sirius-minds-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sirius Minds