JUGEND GRÜNDET

What JUGEND GRÜNDET does

JUGEND GRÜNDET is a German nationwide student entrepreneurship competition and educational platform operated by SIE - Steinbeis Innovation Education gGmbH, headquartered in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 2003 and funded entirely by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), the program invites secondary-school students and vocational trainees to develop written business plans in an autumn-winter cycle and then operate virtual companies in a business simulation game (Planspiel) from February onward. Top teams advance through regional Pitch Events to a national Bundesfinale hosted by main sponsor Porsche AG at its Stuttgart training center. The platform is recommended by the Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK), enabling schools to recognize participation as a 'besondere Lernleistung' (special academic achievement).

The technical stack is a TYPO3-hosted web platform comprising an online business plan editor, a simulation game engine, a knowledge quiz module, real-time team rankings, the Business Academy knowledge portal, an exclusive Lehrerzimmer portal for registered teachers, and an alumni mentoring module. Webinars run on alfaview and self-hosted Big Blue Button to keep data residency German. The core go-to-market motion is product-led and community-led: students self-register via jugend-gruendet.de, while state-level Landesbeauftragte, five regional IHK partnerships, and returning teachers drive top-of-funnel demand at near-zero acquisition cost.

The economic model is grant-funded rather than commercial. BMBF covers platform operations, the ~12-person team, events, and materials; corporate sponsors (Porsche AG as Hauptsponsor, plus Volkswagen, McKinsey, CK Holding, ALTANA, and pikepartners) contribute in-kind prize packages, event hosting, and jury participation that reduce the cost base but are not revenue. Participation is free for all students and teachers. In the 2025/2026 cycle — the 23rd edition and a record — the platform processed 6,519 student participants and 1,461 business plans, with 10 finalist teams reaching the Bundesfinale.

Name

JUGEND GRÜNDET

Legal name

SIE - Steinbeis Innovation Education gGmbH

Website

https://jugend-gruendet.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JUGEND GRÜNDET is Germany's longest-running, BMBF-funded student entrepreneurship competition, operated by SIE gGmbH from Pforzheim. It offers free business-plan and business-simulation cycles to secondary-school students and trainees nationwide, with KMK endorsement and Porsche AG as main sponsor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAHAB

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

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

SECONDARYEDAMAHAE

Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance

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

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship competition
• Business plan competition
• Entrepreneurship education platform
• Business simulation game
• Youth startup education

Headquarters

HQ city

Pforzheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public funding (BMBF): JUGEND GRÜNDET is 100% publicly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) since 2003. The funding covers platform operations, staff, events, prizes, and outreach. No commercial revenue is generated from participant fees.
2. Sponsor contributions (in-kind and prize donations): Corporate sponsors (Porsche AG as main sponsor, along with VW, McKinsey, CK Holding, ALTANA, pikepartners, and others) contribute prize packages, host events, and provide organizational support. These are non-monetary contributions that reduce the program's cost base rather than generating revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JUGEND GRÜNDET operates an online annual student competition and learning platform where German students (school and vocational trainees) develop and submit business plans and then operate virtual companies through a business simulation game. The platform is complemented by an educational knowledge portal (Business Academy), an alumni mentoring program, and a teacher resource portal (Lehrerzimmer). All participation is free of charge and the program is fully funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Product overview

JUGEND GRÜNDET is a unified educational platform and student competition focused on entrepreneurship education. The core offering is the annual online competition where students develop business plans and run virtual companies through two sequential phases. The platform is structured as a single integrated system with complementary modules: the Business Academy for foundational knowledge, Alumni Mentoring for peer support, the Lehrerzimmer portal for teacher resources, and Webseminare for live guidance. The platform also facilitates regional Pitch Events and culminates in an annual national Bundesfinale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Academy: Educational platform providing startup knowledge including legal forms, team building, marketing strategies, and social entrepreneurship tips.
• Lehrerzimmer
• Alumni Mentoring

Products and services

• JUGEND GRÜNDET Wettbewerb (Competition Platform) The main online competition platform where German students develop and submit business plans and then run virtual companies through a business simulation game, culminating in regional Pitch Events and a national Bundesfinale hosted by Porsche AG in Stuttgart.
• Business Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,519 students participated in the 2025/2026 competition year, submitting 1,461 business plans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SIE - Steinbeis Innovation Education gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe conceiver, developer, and operator of JUGEND GRÜNDET since its inception. SIE is responsible for all aspects of program management including platform operations, event coordination, teacher support, alumni relations, and strategic development. Led by project director Franziska Metzbaur, the SIE team executes the vision funded by the BMBF.
• Porsche AGflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor (Hauptsponsor) of JUGEND GRÜNDET. Porsche hosts the annual Bundesfinale at its training center in Stuttgart, provides the grand prize (Grand Tour Europe), and contributes to jury panels. Porsche's involvement as main sponsor since multiple years provides significant credibility and attracts premium press coverage.
• Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Conference of German Ministers of Education officially recommends JUGEND GRÜNDET to schools nationwide. This institutional endorsement enables schools to formally recognize student participation as a special academic achievement (besondere Lernleistung), removing a key barrier to classroom integration.
• Volkswagen AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards the 'Social Start-up' and 'Planspiel-Sonderpreis' special prizes at the Bundesfinale. Volkswagen also hosts winning teams at its Wolfsburg headquarters, providing exposure to the automotive industry's innovation ecosystem. Has sponsored special prizes since 2018.
• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards the 'Diversity-Sonderpreis' at the Bundesfinale, recognizing teams that demonstrate diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Winners receive an Innovation Day at a McKinsey Germany office, gaining exposure to consulting career paths and business methodology.
• CK HoldingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards the 'Sonderpreis Künstliche Intelligenz' (AI Special Prize) at the Bundesfinale, including a high-performance computer as prize. CK Holding supports recognition of AI-driven student innovations.
• ALTANA AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards the 'ALTANA Sonderpreis Chemie' (Chemistry Special Prize) at the Bundesfinale, recognizing innovative chemistry-related business ideas among student teams.
• pikepartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards the 'Sonderpreis Bester Businessplan' at the Bundesfinale, recognizing excellence in business plan development.
• Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) Regional OfficesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional IHK offices in Munich/Oberbayern, Nordschwarzwald, Nord Westfalen, Pfalz, and Ulm partner with JUGEND GRÜNDET to offer regional support events, mentoring, and recognition for participants from their districts. They provide local infrastructure and publicity for the competition.
• Initiativkreis Gründung in SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-organizational initiative promoting entrepreneurship education in schools. JUGEND GRÜNDET is a founding member, collaborating with other stakeholders to advance entrepreneurial education policy and practice in German schools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• European Innovation Academy (EIA): European summer program running intensive entrepreneurship bootcamps and pitch competitions for students. Comparable in entrepreneurship-curriculum-plus-competition format, though targeting older students and operating fee-based.
• DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): International student organization running business competitions and entrepreneurship programs for high school and college students. Comparable in student-competition model and corporate sponsorship structure.

Direct peers

• School-Challenge / business@school (The Boston Consulting Group): BCG's German student business competition on real-world business challenges, with school-based teams and a national finale. Highly comparable in audience, competition structure, and corporate-sponsor backing.
• NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship): International non-profit delivering entrepreneurship education to young people, including competitions and classroom curricula. Closely comparable in mission, methodology, and student/young-adult target audience.
• JUNIOR (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft): German student entrepreneurship program running company simulations and business plan competitions in schools. Direct comparable in audience, school-based delivery, and entrepreneurship focus.
• Junior Achievement Germany (JA Germany): German arm of the global JA network, delivering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness programs to students through school programs, competitions, and workshops. Highly comparable in target audience and educational mission.
• Planspiel Börse (Börse Stuttgart): Germany's largest student stock-trading simulation competition. Runs an annual nationwide competition for students to learn financial markets, with similar audience, school-network distribution, and competition format.
• STARTUP TEENS: German non-profit initiative that empowers students to learn entrepreneurship and build ventures. Closely matches JUGEND GRÜNDET in mission (student entrepreneurship), audience (German students), and delivery model (free, founder-led exposure).
• Enactus Germany: German branch of the global Enactus network, running student-led entrepreneurship projects and a national competition. Comparable as a student-competition platform with sponsor and educational institution support.

Others

• Founders4Schools: UK-based non-profit connecting students with entrepreneurs through employer encounters and events. Adjacent comparable in mission (entrepreneurship exposure for students) but different delivery format (in-person employer visits vs. structured competition).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcH3PTf_0IM5MUJbU707gvw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jugend-gruendet
• Instagraminstagram.com/jugend_gruendet/?hl=de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 JUGEND GRÜNDET