Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC)

What Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC) does

Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC) is the central transfer and startup center of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), a public German university. Established to translate academic research and student talent into market-ready ventures, WSC provides free, publicly funded services to students, researchers, and early-stage founders across all disciplines. Its service portfolio spans individual startup consulting (Gründungsberatung), one-on-one mentoring, funding application support, patent advisory, and a Toolbox of resources, alongside structured programs including the Business Developer Programm for MINT scientists, IDEA Lab for aspiring founders, FACE@RUB for female academics, EXIST-Women scholarships, and WORLDFACTORY International for cross-border entrepreneurship. Five sector-specific incubators (Start4Chem, Smart Systems, Materials, Cube 5, Health+) provide verticalized support across chemistry, intelligent systems, materials science, and healthcare.

WSC's core physical asset is the RUB-Makerspace — a 1,800 m² open prototyping facility in the former Opel administration building at the MARK 51°7 technology campus, equipped with metal and woodworking workshops, digital and design labs (circuit boards, sensors, 3D printers, laser cutters), a media lab with VR/AR capabilities, and specialized processing areas. Co-working is delivered through partnerships at the Bochumer Funkhaus (city-center offices for startup teams of 3+) and the G DATA Campus (24 offices across ~1,000 m²). WSC holds the 'Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW' designation (one of six in NRW) and is funded through the federal EXIST-Potentiale program, supporting 678+ mentored founding projects and 26+ spin-offs in 2023 alone.

The revenue model is non-commercial: WSC operates as a government-backed transfer center with all services provided free of charge to users. Funding flows from federal (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) and state (NRW Ministry for Economic Affairs) grant programs, supplemented by in-kind support from RUB and partner companies (Bochum Wirtschaftsentwicklung, G DATA, UniverCity Bochum). WSC is a member of the BRYCK Startup Alliance with TU Dortmund and University of Duisburg-Essen, which won the federal 'Startup Factory Deutschlands' award in July 2025. Customer segments are university-affiliated students, MINT researchers, international founders, and early-stage startup teams — none of whom pay for services.

Name

Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC)

Legal name

WORLDFACTORY - Transfer- und Start-up Center (WSC)

Website

https://worldfactory.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC) is the publicly funded transfer and startup center of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, providing free consulting, mentoring, prototyping facilities, and incubation programs to students, MINT researchers, international founders, and early-stage startup teams across all disciplines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Startup consulting services
• University technology transfer
• Prototype fabrication facilities
• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Co-working office spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (Federal & State): WORLDFACTORY International is funded through the EXIST-Potentiale program by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The center carries the 'Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW' designation from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, receiving special funding as one of six university centers in NRW. All services are provided free of charge to users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSC is the central startup and transfer center of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, providing free consulting, mentoring, funding application support, patent advisory, and entrepreneurship education to student founders, researchers, and aspiring entrepreneurs. It also operates the RUB-Makerspace (a 1,800 m² prototyping facility), free co-working spaces at the Bochumer Funkhaus and G DATA Campus, sector-specific incubators, and the WORLDFACTORY International program supporting international founders and cross-border entrepreneurship.

Product overview

WORLDFACTORY Start-up Center (WSC) is a comprehensive university-based startup support ecosystem at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, offering a multi-tiered portfolio of advisory services, programs, and physical facilities. The core offering includes Gründungsberatung (startup consulting), Mentoring, Finanzierung (funding support), Patente (patent support), and a Toolbox of resources. The RUB-Makerspace provides a 1,800 m² prototyping facility with advanced equipment including metalworking, digital labs, VR/AR studios, and specialized workshops. Specialized programs include IDEA Lab for aspiring founders, the Business Developer Programm for MINT researchers commercializing research, FACE@RUB for female academics, Entrepreneurship Education initiatives, and WORLDFACTORY International for cross-border entrepreneurship. Physical workspace is offered through Team-Spaces & Co-Working at the Bochum Funkhaus and G DATA Campus. Sector-specific support is provided through five specialized incubators: Start4Chem, Smart Systems, Materials, Cube 5, and Health+. The center is recognized as an 'Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW' and operates under the EXIST-Potentiale funding program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RUB-Makerspace: A 1,800 m² open workshop and prototyping space located at MARK 51°7 technology campus in the former Opelwerk building, providing equipment for metalworking, woodworking, digital labs, 3D printing, and more for students and startups.
• Team-Spaces & Co-Working (Bochum Funkhaus)
• Business Developer Programm
• G'85 - Not a garage (G DATA Campus)

Products and services

• Gründungsberatung (Startup Consulting)

Quantifiable outcome

• 678 founding projects mentored across all time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BRYCK Startup AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2025BRYCK is a multi-university startup alliance led by the University of Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), which includes Ruhr-Universität Bochum, TU Dortmund, and University of Duisburg-Essen. UA Ruhr Transfer GmbH acquired a stake in BRYCK Startup Alliance in 2025. The consortium won the EXIST Leuchtturmwettbewerb 'Startup Factory Deutschlands' award from BMWi. WORLDFACTORY serves as the RUB member within this alliance, pooling resources across three major universities to increase startup activity in the Ruhr region.
• Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuhr-Universität Bochum is the host institution of WORLDFACTORY. RUB provides the physical infrastructure (campus, Makerspace), institutional backing, and access to research talent. WORLDFACTORY serves as the university's official transfer and startup center, operating under the rectorate's strategic direction.
• Bochum Wirtschaftsentwicklung (Bochum Economic Development Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bochum Wirtschaftsentwicklung to provide free office spaces for WORLDFACTORY startup teams at the Bochumer Funkhaus. The agency provides fully equipped offices in the city centre, meeting rooms, and communal facilities. WORLDFACTORY teams are co-located with teams from the WERK X incubator, fostering cross-team networking.
• G DATAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerG DATA, a Bochum-based cybersecurity company, provides 24 office rooms in a nearly 1,000 m² standalone building on the G DATA Campus for early-stage startups, scale-ups, and creative freelancers. The Start-up Center 'G'85 - Not a garage' is operated in partnership with WORLDFACTORY, with first contact via [email protected].
• UniverCity BochumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWORLDFACTORY cooperates with UniverCity Bochum, a university-business network in Bochum, as indicated by the logo partnership displayed on the WORLDFACTORY website footer.
• International Board for Transfer and Entrepreneurship (RUB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA high-level expert advisory board comprising five members from academic and non-academic science and business sectors, serving in leading positions with particular expertise in transfer and entrepreneurship. The board advises the rectorate of RUB on the strategic development of transfer and entrepreneurship areas. Members are appointed by the rectorate for three-year terms.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UnternehmerTUM: Comprehensive entrepreneurship center at Technical University of Munich offering startup programs, maker space (Munich Fabricate), industry partners, and funding support — comparable as a leading German university-based startup hub with similar mission, programs (consulting, mentoring, incubators), and public-private funding mix.
• SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator (Leipzig): Established German startup accelerator with structured programs for early-stage founders — comparable on consulting/mentoring offering but operates as a private-sector entity with equity participation rather than as a public university transfer center.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator running structured founder programs across multiple cities including Germany — comparable on mentoring, structured curriculum, and ecosystem building for early-stage founders, though operates as a private program rather than a public university center.

Direct peers

• RWTH Aachen - Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business (CEIB): Another Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW with university-anchored startup programs at RWTH Aachen — directly comparable on funding source, program structure (consulting, mentoring, incubators), and North Rhine-Westphalia footprint.
• TU Dortmund - Center for Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET): Member of the BRYCK Startup Alliance alongside WORLDFACTORY; comparable Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW designee with similar university-based consulting, mentoring, and EXIST-aligned funding.
• University of Duisburg-Essen - Start-up Center (UDE): Third BRYCK alliance member and Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW; comparable mission of supporting student and researcher founders with similar public funding and program structure.
• Heinz Nixdorf Institut / Paderborn University Entrepreneurship: Another NRW Exzellenz Start-up Center — directly comparable as one of six centers sharing the same state designation, federal EXIST funding framework, and university-based entrepreneurship program model.
• KIT Gründerschmiede (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology): University-based startup center at one of Germany's leading technical universities — comparable as a technical-university entrepreneurship hub with consulting, mentoring, EXIST funding access, and similar incubation programs.
• TUB Entrepreneurship (Technische Universität Berlin): Major technical university's startup support hub offering comparable programs (consulting, mentoring, incubators, funding access) and similar public funding via EXIST — directly comparable as a German university startup center.
• University of Stuttgart - Entrepreneurship Center (ESC): University-based startup support at a leading German technical university, offering consulting, mentoring, transfer programs, and access to EXIST funding — directly comparable in mission, structure, and target founder segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/80526332

Compliance3 records

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 Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC)