Our Expertise — Your Confidence
Certified and recognized by leading institutions
BVMW member
Recognized by BAFA
Co-financed by the EU
Our clients love us!
Your funding advisor — fully remote. BAFA-listed, available online for the Lichtstadt and university city of Jena and all of Thuringia.
Successfully delivered
Secured for our clients
Due to quality issues
In business founding
Certified and recognized by leading institutions
BVMW member
Recognized by BAFA
Co-financed by the EU
Our clients love us!
Three ways to launch your business in Jena with public funding — pick the one that matches your case.
We discuss your situation and identify which funding programs apply to your case.
We verify your eligibility (AVGS, Gründungszuschuss, Einstiegsgeld, BAFA) and plan the sequence.
We guide you through the entire process: application, business plan, Tragfähigkeitsbescheinigung (German viability assessment, mandatory for Gründungszuschuss applications), and approval.
From more than 200 successfully delivered business plans — voices of clients across Germany.
"Thanks again for the great work, we are very satisfied."
"A very good collaboration and a successful business plan in such a short time."
"Everything was excellent. Professional advice and fast execution."
As Thuringia's second-largest city and the heart of Germany's „Optical Valley", Jena is a dynamic business location — named by the IHK Ostthüringen as one of Germany's top-10 tech start-up centers. The Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU) (founded 1558) runs the K1 Gründungsservice, supporting 60+ start-up projects per year across all faculties. The Beutenberg Campus (with Fraunhofer IOF/ITMP, MPI institutes and the Hans Knöll Institute) hosts the Lichtwerkstatt Jena as a maker-space for optics and photonics start-ups, and the OptoNet network (130+ companies, institutes and universities) anchors the Optical Valley industry cluster. Thuringia supports founders with the Gründungsrichtlinie / Gründungsprämie of the Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB), the ThEx network (state-wide start-up service hosted at the TAB) and guarantees from the Bürgschaftsbank Thüringen.
Important for Bürgergeld recipients: The responsible authority is the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit" (joint institution of the city of Jena and the Agentur für Arbeit Thüringen-Ost, at Stadtrodaer Straße 1) — not the separate "Jobcenter Saale-Holzland-Kreis", which covers only the surrounding rural district.
Special for Jena founders: The Agentur für Arbeit Jena and the Jobcenter „jenarbeit" share the same address (Stadtrodaer Straße 1, 07749 Jena) — both your AVGS application (ALG I or Bürgergeld) and your Gründungszuschuss or Einstiegsgeld application route through this single location.
| Institution | Address & Contact | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Agentur für Arbeit Jena (German Federal Employment Agency, Jena office) |
Stadtrodaer Straße 1, 07749 Jena 0800 4 5555 00 (toll-free) |
AVGS and Gründungszuschuss (for ALG I recipients) |
| Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit" |
Stadtrodaer Straße 1, 07749 Jena 0800 4 5555 00 (free) |
AVGS and Einstiegsgeld (for Bürgergeld recipients) |
| IHK Ostthüringen zu Gera (East-Thuringia Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Jena office hours) |
Gaswerkstraße 23, 07546 Gera (Sprechtag in Jena at TIP Jena, Hans-Knöll-Straße 6), 07749 Jena 0365 8553-0 Qualified expert body contact: the IHK Ostthüringen Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner (single point of contact, 0365 8553-211), Tel. 0365 8553-211 |
Qualified expert body, founder consulting |
| Handwerkskammer Erfurt (Chamber of Crafts Erfurt, responsible for all of Thuringia including Jena) |
Fischmarkt 13, 99084 Erfurt 0361 6707-0 |
Qualified expert body for craft trade founders |
| JenaWirtschaft (Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Jena mbH) |
Leutragraben 2-4, 07743 Jena 03641 87300-0 (Markus Henkenmeier, funding consulting: 03641 87300-31) jenawirtschaft.de |
Location consulting, founder ecosystem, funding consulting in cooperation with the Thüringer Aufbaubank |
Since 2019, we have been supporting founders and entrepreneurs with professional business plans. With more than 20 years of combined experience in business consulting, we are your reliable partner on the path to self-employment.
Online consultation for Jena and Thuringia: From Heidelberg, we support founders in the Lichtstadt and university city of Jena online — flexible scheduling, no waiting for in-person appointments, with full BAFA funding expertise. Local agency appointments (Agentur für Arbeit, Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit", IHK) you attend in person.
You apply for the AVGS (Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein — German Activation and Mediation Voucher, § 45 SGB III) at your responsible authority: if you receive ALG I (unemployment benefit I, contribution-based), at the Agentur für Arbeit Jena (German Federal Employment Agency, Stadtrodaer Straße 1, 07749 Jena, Tel. 0800 4 5555 00). If you receive Bürgergeld (German basic welfare benefit since 2023, formerly ALG II), at the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit" (Stadtrodaer Straße 1, 07749 Jena, Tel. 0800 4 5555 00 (free)). The AVGS fully funds a certified founder coaching at 100%.
For residents of the city of Jena, the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit" is responsible (the municipal Jobcenter of the Lichtstadt and university city of Jena, Stadtrodaer Straße 1, Tel. 0800 4 5555 00 (free)). The separate "Jobcenter Saale-Holzland-Kreis" covers the surrounding rural district — if your residence is in the city of Jena, it is always the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit".
No official processing time is published for Jena — it depends on the completeness of your documentation (business plan, qualified expert opinion, Tragfähigkeitsbescheinigung) and the workload at the Agentur für Arbeit. Plan for several weeks as a precaution, and submit all documents in full to avoid delays.
The agency accepts opinions from freely chosen fachkundige Stellen (qualified expert bodies) — for example the IHK Ostthüringen zu Gera (contact: the IHK Ostthüringen Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner (single point of contact, 0365 8553-211), Tel. 0365 8553-211, Gaswerkstraße 23, 07546 Gera (Sprechtag in Jena at TIP Jena, Hans-Knöll-Straße 6)), the Handwerkskammer Erfurt (for craft trade founders), tax advisors, or BAFA-listed business consultants like Business Start EU.
Yes. Business Start EU (BAFA ID: 205985), based in Heidelberg, supports founders from Jena and all of Thuringia online — with flexible scheduling and no waiting for in-person appointments. We do not have an on-site location in Jena. Online consultation is officially recognized as equivalent to in-person consultation.
In addition to federal funding (Gründungszuschuss, AVGS, Einstiegsgeld), Thuringia offers state-level programs: the Thüringer Gründungsprämie (TAB) (monthly stipend for innovative, technology-oriented ventures, administered via the Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB)), the Gründungsrichtlinie of the TAB (up to €25,000 via TAB Thüringer Aufbaubank), as well as default guarantees from the Bürgschaftsbank Thüringen (€25,000–€2 million). Always check current terms at aufbaubank.de.
The Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU) (one of the oldest in the Mitteldeutschland region, founded 1419) runs the K1 Gründungsservice (FSU Jena founder service) with an early-stage incubator and incubation spaces. For optics and tech ventures, the Beutenberg Campus (BMBF Zukunftscluster, International Photonics Innovation Accelerator) is relevant; for the healthcare sector, the OptoNet — Photonics Cluster Thuringia cluster. The regional platform ThEx — Thüringer Zentrum für Existenzgründung connects founders across the federal state.
The Gründungszuschuss (§ 93 SGB III) is for ALG I recipients and is applied for at the Agentur für Arbeit Jena — up to 15 months of funding. The Einstiegsgeld (§ 16b SGB II) is for Bürgergeld recipients and is applied for at the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit" — up to 24 months, plus a potential investment cost subsidy under § 16c SGB II.
Call us for a free initial consultation. We will discuss your project and identify the right funding path together.
100% free through the Agentur für Arbeit Jena or the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit". Online consultation — flexible and without waiting times.
Learn moreUp to 15 months of funding from the Agentur für Arbeit Jena. We help with the application and the qualified expert opinion from the IHK Ostthüringen zu Gera.
Learn moreUp to 24 months of funding from the Jobcenter Jena „jenarbeit", plus an investment cost subsidy under § 16c SGB II up to €5,000.
Learn moreBank-ready, BAFA-funded up to 50%, ready in 14 days. Experience with Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland Jena, VR-Banken, and KfW programs.
Learn moreOnline consultation, BAFA-listed, active across the Lichtstadt and university city of Jena.