Kilometer1

What Kilometer1 does

Kilometer1 is a publicly funded startup-support initiative (Gemeinschaftsprojekt) jointly operated by four public universities in Germany's Bodensee (Lake Constance) region — Universität Konstanz, HTWG Konstanz, Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten, and Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen — with Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen as an associated partner. The initiative serves as the central point of contact for students, doctoral researchers, and postdocs seeking to develop entrepreneurial ventures, offering free consulting, workshops, structured programs (Bodensee Startup School, IDEA CUP, START(C)UP Bodensee, Ideas & Cheers), mentorship matching, infrastructure access (Gründungsraum, Open Innovation Lab, FabLab), and methodology tools such as the Road to StartUp framework and Methodenbox. Its portfolio includes the federally funded EXIST Women @Bodensee program supporting up to 30 female founders per cohort with stipends of up to €3,000/month and €2,000 material allowances, plus a mentor network and a Profil+ certificate track at the Universität Konstanz Career Service.

The initiative does not generate commercial revenue and operates as a non-profit, funded through institutional budgets from the partner universities and public programs including the EXIST program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the state of Baden-Württemberg's Start-up BW and NXTGN initiatives. It coordinates the Gründungsnetzwerk Konstanz regional founding consortium and is part of the broader Start-up BW state campaign. Notable alumni-founded companies showcased on its Wall of Fame include Personio, KNIME, Holidaycheck, Blackroll, fruitcore robotics, followfood, Coliquio, and Polytalon. Distribution is exclusively campus-based through dedicated physical spaces at each university, supplemented by a monthly newsletter and active presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and X.

The operating team comprises approximately 10 staff distributed across partner campuses with named project leads at each university (e.g., Prof. Dr. Christina Ungerer at HTWG Konstanz; Jana Kaiser, Andreas Luible, and Anja Weidenmüller at Universität Konstanz; Niko Hotea and Birgit Demuth at the I3E Institute in Sigmaringen). Underlying technology is limited to standard open-source website tooling (Matomo/PIWIK, Borlabs Cookie) plus integration with the ASAP Academy online learning platform; the initiative does not develop or operate proprietary technology products.

Name

Kilometer1

Legal name

Kilometer1

Website

https://kilometer1.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kilometer1 is a publicly funded, non-profit startup-support initiative jointly operated by four public universities in Germany's Bodensee region, offering free consulting, workshops, mentorship, and infrastructure access to students, doctoral researchers, and postdocs interested in founding companies across its five partner institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Konstanz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding / Institutional Support: Kilometer1 is a joint project (Gemeinschaftsprojekt) of four public universities — Universität Konstanz, HTWG Konstanz, Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten, and Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen. It operates as a non-profit initiative funded through institutional budgets and public funding programs (including EXIST program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection). Services are provided free of charge to students and researchers at partner institutions. No commercial revenue is generated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Kilometer1 is a university-backed startup support initiative providing free consulting, workshops, competitions, networking events, and access to physical prototyping infrastructure for students, doctoral researchers, and postdocs at its five partner universities in the Bodensee region. The offering centers on Gründungsberatung, Fördermittelberatung, structured workshop programs, startup competitions with prize money, the EXIST Women @Bodensee program, and access to mentors, investors, and a co-founder matching platform.

Product overview

Kilometer1 is a startup hub and entrepreneurship support initiative for the Lake Constance region (Bodenseeregion), operated as a joint initiative of the University of Konstanz, HTWG Konstanz, Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten, and Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen. Its offering is organized as a portfolio of interconnected support programs rather than a single software product. The core offering consists of consulting services (Gründungsberatung and Fördermittelberatung), workshop programs (Abenteuer Startup, Innovation & Startup Basics, Entrepreneurs in Science, Bodensee Startup School), and startup competition/event formats (IDEA CUP Bodensee, START(C)UP Bodensee, Ideas & Cheers). Supporting tools include the Road to StartUp structured roadmap, the Methodenbox (Methodenkarten, Value Proposition Canvas, Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas), and infrastructure access (Gründungsraum, Open Innovation Lab, FabLab). The initiative also administers the federal EXIST Women @Bodensee program for female founders and provides access to a mentor network and a Profil+ certificate track. All services are free for members of the partner universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gründungsberatung (Startup Consulting)
• Fördermittelberatung (Funding Advisory)
• Abenteuer Startup (Adventure Startup Workshop)
• Innovation & Startup Basics
• Bodensee Startup School
• Entrepreneurs in Science
• IDEA CUP Bodensee
• START(C)UP Bodensee
• Ideas & Cheers
• Road to StartUp
• Methodenbox (Method Toolbox)
• Infrastruktur (Infrastructure Access)
• EXIST Women @Bodensee
• Mentor:innen-Netzwerk (Mentor Network)
• Profil+ Zertifikat (Certificate Program)
• Startup Together (Co-Founder Matching)

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ alumni-founded companies showcased on Wall of Fame, including internationally recognized companies such as Personio, Holidaycheck, KNIME, and Blackroll
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NXTGN (Gründermotor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKilometer1 is a Startup-Partner of NXTGN, a state-funded Landesinitiative (excellence program for entrepreneurial culture at universities) in Baden-Württemberg. The initiative involves universities, startup and community partners, and investment and corporate partners from across the state. NXTGN enables networking across the state, connecting innovative ideas from Konstanz with entrepreneurial know-how from Mannheim and technical solutions from Aalen.
• Start-up BWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKilometer1 is part of the Start-up BW state campaign initiated by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Housing to strengthen the state's competitiveness and reputation as a founding location. Within Start-up BW, Kilometer1 belongs to the Bodensee Ecosystem. The campaign provides an internet platform listing regional ecosystems, relevant institutions, contact details, funding programs, and startup competitions.
• Gründungsnetzwerk KonstanzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKilometer1 is an integral part of the Gründungsnetzwerk Konstanz, a consortium of institutions and contact points for founding-interested individuals, founders, and startups in the Konstanz area. The network members meet regularly for exchange and coordination of joint offerings and activities. Further information is available at www.konstanz.farm.
• cyberLAGOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnercyberLAGO is a startup and IT network in the Lake Constance region. Its representatives serve as jury members for the IDEA CUP and START(C)UP Bodensee competitions, providing expert evaluation of startup pitches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Kilometer1_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYuGF4OsJLd_gnAAPVRWx1g
• Facebookfacebook.com/KilometerEins
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kilometer1
• Instagraminstagram.com/kilometer1_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Kilometer1