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Green light for Franconian entrepreneurial spirit: ZOHO Factory takes off!
The University of Würzburg wins the “Startup Factories” competition and strengthens Northern Bavaria’s start-up culture with the ZOHO Factory.
Green light for Franconian entrepreneurial spirit: ZOHO Factory takes off!
An exciting day for the start-up culture in northern Bavaria: On July 10, 2025, the ZOHO Factory at the University of Würzburg was chosen as one of ten prize winners out of 120 applications as part of the “Startup Factories” competition of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). This initiative aims to create the conditions for a thriving start-up ecosystem in Germany and provide valuable support for knowledge-based spin-offs. The initiative is intended to send a positive signal, particularly in structurally weak regions such as Franconia, and to significantly boost start-up dynamics, as [Federal Ministry of Economics] reports.
The celebratory award ceremony took place in Berlin, and the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katherina Reiche, did not miss the opportunity to congratulate the award winners. The ZOHO Factory will be the only project from Bavaria to receive up to ten million euros in federal funding over the next five years. Those responsible are relying on close cooperation between science, research, the private sector and investors in order to jointly develop innovations and sustainably promote start-up activity.
Founding culture and international ambitions
Matthias Bode, Vice President of the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, sees this success as an important step towards a vibrant start-up culture at the university. Over 20 entrepreneurs and investors from Franconia have already contributed financially to the project. Co-partners such as Siemens Energy and Sparkasse Erlangen underline the regional and national ambitions of the ZOHO Factory, which has set itself the goal of establishing northern Bavaria as a central start-up hub.
What does this mean specifically for students and founders in the region? So-called “factory labs” are to be set up at four universities in northern Bavaria, including FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. These workshops provide space for creative ideas and their implementation and will help fresh ventures thrive in a supportive environment.
European networking and future prospects
A look beyond the borders shows that the ZOHO Factory doesn't just think locally. With additional locations at seven European universities, including in Paris and Madrid, the project aims to achieve international visibility and create broad networking in the European start-up ecosystem. The successful implementation of this idea could create a model that is similar to the UnternehmerTUM concept in Munich, which serves as a model for innovative start-up concepts.
Supported by the EXIST funding programs, which were launched in 1998, the ZOHO Factory becomes part of a more comprehensive system to support start-up projects in Germany. These programs not only promote innovative start-up ideas, but also help to create sustainable business structures at universities. According to the [Federal Ministry of Economics], more than 3,600 start-up projects have benefited from this support since 2007, which has led to around 30,000 new jobs subject to social security contributions.
Construction of the ZOHO Factory will begin this year. There is great anticipation and those responsible are sure that this will significantly strengthen the region and make a significant contribution to the dynamic development of the Bavarian and German start-up market.