MAFEX - Marburger Zentrum für Entrepreneurship und Innovation

Name

MAFEX - Marburger Zentrum für Entrepreneurship und Innovation

Legal name

MAFEX - Marburger Zentrum für Entrepreneurship und Innovation

Website

https://mafex.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Support Services

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• University entrepreneurship center
• Startup advisory services
• Innovation incubation
• Prototype development facility
• Social entrepreneurship program

Headquarters

HQ city

Marburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University-funded operations: MAFEX is funded as part of Philipps-Universität Marburg's transfer and innovation ecosystem. The center provides free services to entrepreneurs, with operational costs covered by university and potentially state/federal funding programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MAFEX provides free startup support services to university-affiliated entrepreneurs, including one-on-one startup consulting, qualification programs, dedicated initiatives for social innovators and female founders, and access to physical infrastructure such as a Makerspace, Prototype Laboratory, and Start-up Lab. Services span ideation through company formation, delivered directly on the Philipps-Universität Marburg campus and supplemented by programs such as the Flash ideation platform.

Product overview

MAFEX is a multi-service entrepreneurship center at Philipps-Universität Marburg offering a comprehensive ecosystem of startup support services. The portfolio includes advisory services (Gründungsberatung), specialized programs (Sozialinnovator Hessen, Female Entrepreneurship Support), training (Qualifizierung), and physical facilities (Makerspace, Prototypen Labor, Start-up Lab). The center also runs Flash, an ideation platform. Together, these offerings provide entrepreneurs with end-to-end support from idea generation through prototype development and company formation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gründungsberatung (Startup Consulting) Startup consulting and advisory services providing guidance for entrepreneurs through all phases of founding a company, delivered free of charge to university-affiliated founders.
• Sozialinnovator Hessen Program supporting social innovators in the state of Hessen, fostering socially impactful entrepreneurship, delivered by MAFEX in partnership with Land Hessen.
• Female Entrepreneurship Support Dedicated support program for female entrepreneurs at Philipps-Universität Marburg to encourage and facilitate women-led startups.
• Qualifizierung (Qualification) Educational and qualification programs providing training for aspiring entrepreneurs, delivered free of charge through MAFEX.
• Makerspace On-campus workshop facility equipped with tools and equipment for prototyping and hands-on maker activities, available free of charge to MAFEX users.
• Prototypen Labor (Prototype Laboratory) On-campus laboratory facility for developing and testing product prototypes, available free of charge to MAFEX users.
• Start-up Lab Dedicated lab space and resources for startup teams to develop their business concepts, located on the Marburg campus.
• Flash - Dein Geistesblitz Ideation program providing a platform for generating and developing creative business ideas among the university community.

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Philipps-Universität MarburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAFEX is an organizational unit of Philipps-Universität Marburg, operating under the university's Transfer division. The center leverages the university's 21 faculties, research infrastructure, and institutional resources to support entrepreneurship.
• Land Hessen (State of Hesse)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe state of Hesse supports MAFEX through programs like 'Sozialinnovator Hessen' (Social Innovator Hesse), which is a state-funded initiative for social innovation. MAFEX participates in and promotes state-level entrepreneurship support programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Entrepreneurship: Frankfurt-based university entrepreneurship support also operating within Hesse. Geographically the closest comparable to MAFEX, targeting similar student/researcher founders within the same state's ecosystem.
• Science4Life: Frankfurt-based (Hesse) startup support platform focused on life sciences and chemistry startups, offering coaching and competitions. Comparable to MAFEX in regional Hesse focus and founder-support mission, though with an industry-specific lens.

Broad incumbents

• Founder Institute Berlin: Global pre-seed accelerator with a Berlin chapter; offers structured founder-support programs (mentorship, validation) comparable in function to MAFEX's Gründungsberatung and Qualifizierung, but operates independently of a university.
• EXIST (BMBF program): German federal program supporting startup initiatives at universities, including grants and qualification measures. MAFEX aligns with and is likely a participant of EXIST-funded activities, making EXIST a relevant umbrella incumbent.

Direct peers

• UnternehmerTUM: The entrepreneurship center of the Technical University of Munich, offering startup consulting, maker spaces (MakerSpace), incubation, and qualification programs to students and researchers — directly analogous to MAFEX's role at Philipps-Universität Marburg but at significantly greater scale.
• RWTH Aachen Entrepreneurship Center: Startup and transfer services at RWTH Aachen supporting student and researcher founders through advisory and incubation, comparable to MAFEX's portfolio at Philipps-Universität Marburg.
• KIT Gründerkubus: Entrepreneurship center at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology offering startup consulting, qualification, and incubation for KIT students and researchers. Same university-affiliated startup-support model as MAFEX.
• TU Berlin Centre for Entrepreneurship: University-based entrepreneurship hub at TU Berlin providing startup advisory, qualification, and incubation services to its academic community. Closely comparable mission and operating model to MAFEX within a larger Berlin university ecosystem.
• HTW Berlin Startup Support: University of Applied Sciences (HTW) Berlin operates startup advisory and incubation services for its students, sharing MAFEX's mission of university-based, free-of-charge founder support within a public higher-education setting.

Emerging players

• Social Impact GmbH: Hamburg- and Frankfurt-based organization running social entrepreneurship support programs (incl. Social Impact Lab), comparable to the Sozialinnovator Hessen program delivered via MAFEX.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCYYr5nvvA18hI-hpPhQtDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PhilippsUniversitaet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marburger-institut-f%C3%BCr-innovationsforschung-und-existenzgr%C3%BCndungsf%C3%B6rderung-mafex
• Instagraminstagram.com/mafexmarburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MAFEX - Marburger Zentrum für Entrepreneurship und Innovation