Profund Innovation - Freie Universität Berlin

Name

Profund Innovation - Freie Universität Berlin

Legal name

Freie Universität Berlin

Website

https://profund.fu-berlin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Technology Transfer Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• University technology transfer
• Innovation consulting
• Startup support services
• Intellectual property advisory
• Research commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public funding and university support: Profund Innovation operates as a publicly-funded technology transfer office of Freie Universität Berlin. Services are provided at no direct cost to university affiliates. Revenue is derived from public funding, university budget allocations, and successful transfer activities that may generate licensing or equity returns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Profund Innovation is the knowledge and technology transfer office of Freie Universität Berlin, offering free innovation consulting, funding advisory for transfer-related third-party funds, startup support through the Science & Startups ecosystem, and facilitation of business cooperations between researchers and industry partners. Additional services include intellectual property/patent advisory via PULS, the K.I.E.Z. AI startup program, and idea competitions.

Product overview

Profund Innovation (Wissens- und Technologietransfer) at Freie Universität Berlin operates as a unified service portfolio connecting research with industry and society. The core offerings include Innovationsberatung (innovation consulting) as the entry point for commercialization, Fördermittel (funding advisory) for transfer-related grants, Start-up Support through the Science & Startups ecosystem for company formation, and Wirtschaftskooperationen (business cooperations) for industry partnerships. Specialized services include FUB Innovation GmbH (a wholly-owned subsidiary for contract research), PULS (patent and licensing service), and the K.I.E.Z. AI startup program. The portfolio also includes idea competitions such as 100 to 100 and Ideenwettbewerb Bioökonomie. Together, these services form a comprehensive technology transfer ecosystem supporting the entire innovation lifecycle from idea validation through to startup formation and industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Science & Startups: A joint startup ecosystem of Berlin's universities including Freie Universität Berlin, offering comprehensive startup support services.
• K.I.E.Z.
• PULS

Products and services

• Innovationsberatung (Innovation Consulting)

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

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

• Science & StartupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience & Startups is a consortium of Berlin universities providing comprehensive startup ecosystem support. Profund Innovation participates as the Freie Universität Berlin representative, offering the complete startup ecosystem through Science & Startups branding and shared resources across participating institutions.
• K.I.E.Z. (KI-Entrepreneurship-Zentrum)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerK.I.E.Z. is a program for identifying, financing, and founding successful AI companies. It is part of the Science & Startups network of Berlin universities. The program provides specialized AI startup support with dedicated funding and mentorship resources.
• FUB Innovation GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFUB Innovation GmbH is a commercial spin-off of Freie Universität Berlin serving as a partner for scientifically grounded services. It extends the reach of university research to external clients through commercial service delivery.
• PULS (Patent- und Lizenzservice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPULS (Patent and License Service) answers all questions regarding legal protection of research results for members of Freie Universität Berlin. Provides intellectual property consultation and management services.
• 100 to 100minorGTM or Marketing Partner100 to 100 is an idea competition within the Science & Startups ecosystem that allows participants to test their business ideas and compete for support and resources.
• Ideenwettbewerb BioökonomieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBioeconomy Idea Competition is a project funded by Projektträger Jülich (PTJ) that provides a platform for bioeconomy-related startup ideas and innovation challenges.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Oxford University Innovation (OUI): OUI is one of Europe's most established university technology transfer and venture creation offices. Relevant as a broader incumbent peer for benchmarking the operating model, IP, and startup-creation functions.
• Cambridge Enterprise: Cambridge Enterprise provides technology transfer, consulting, and venture creation for the University of Cambridge. Comparable as a larger-scale European university transfer incumbent with a similar full-lifecycle service set.
• ETH Zurich — ETH transfer: ETH Zurich operates a larger and more established technology transfer and entrepreneurship function. It is a broader incumbent peer operating at greater scale but in an analogous European university context.

Others

• Science & Startups Berlin: Science & Startups is the umbrella consortium of Berlin universities' startup support ecosystems in which Profund participates. It is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, but materially shapes Profund's service delivery.

Direct peers

• RWTH Aachen — Technology Transfer: RWTH Aachen runs a comparable tech transfer and startup support function for a large technical university with strong industry ties, particularly in engineering. Highly relevant as a German university transfer peer.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM) — TUM ForTe: TUM ForTe is the central transfer office of one of Germany's strongest technical universities, offering a similar portfolio of innovation consulting, IP protection, startup support, and industry cooperation. It is a national benchmark peer.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) — Innovation & Transfer: KIT operates an innovation and transfer service portfolio similar in scope to Profund, covering IP management, startup support, and industry partnerships for a leading German research university.
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin — Technology Transfer: Humboldt University is the third major Berlin university in the Science & Startups consortium and runs comparable transfer and IP services for its researchers, making it a direct peer to Profund within the same city ecosystem.
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf — Technology Transfer: Another German public university with a transfer office providing consulting, IP, and startup services. Relevant as a German regional peer in the same regulatory and funding framework.
• TU Berlin — Technology Transfer Office: TU Berlin operates its own technology transfer office within Berlin's university landscape and is a fellow Science & Startups partner. It is the closest peer in terms of geography, mandate, and target research community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profund-innovation---freie-universit%C3%A4t-berlin
• Instagraminstagram.com/entrepreneurship.fu_berlin/?hl=de

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 Profund Innovation - Freie Universität Berlin