Time and again, we at TFU ask ourselves the “question of purpose”—in discussions with other accelerators, incubators, technology and startup centers, but above all with our startups and our shareholders.
It’s actually quite simple: we want to make sure that anyone who wants to get something off the ground can do so—with appropriate support from society. No matter how old a person or company is.
This works very well because:
We don’t screen; we give people a chance. This is what sets us apart, for example, from commercial accelerators and incubators, which have very selective criteria and, as a result, don’t accept many great ideas and people. With us, it’s the opposite: the barriers to joining are very low. We believe that anyone who wants to give something a try deserves a chance.
We require a contribution and provide funds only indirectly. We charge rent and a service fee. Neither covers our costs. The rest is therefore covered by our shareholders—that is, all taxpayers. We have a very open discussion about what constitutes a fair distribution between the startup and society. My personal opinion: a rent in line with local market rates is fair. We don’t want to provide subsidies that others can’t access simply because they choose not to join a startup center. Nevertheless—or perhaps precisely because of this—the total package, including infrastructure, support, consulting, and networking opportunities, remains unbeatably affordable.
We don’t just entertain—we care. No trendy events? Probably not (though sometimes we do). Why? It’s simple: with three locations and the travel involved, very few people ever show up. We don’t focus on events anyway—there’s really plenty of that on offer already. We focus on highly personalized support, literally 7 days a week, and even at midnight if necessary.
This support is the very purpose of the TFU. That’s how we see it.
