AVGS Coaching Brochure — Download
All key information about the AVGS one-to-one coaching, ready to print or hand to your caseworker at the Agentur für Arbeit Kaiserslautern-Pirmasens or Jobcenter Stadt Kaiserslautern.
Table of Contents
- 1. What is an AVGS and who is eligible?
- 2. AVGS in Kaiserslautern — where to apply
- 3. What happens during the coaching?
- 4. Which training provider is responsible in Kaiserslautern?
- 5. Kaiserslautern's founder landscape — universities and contact points
- 6. Common mistakes when applying for the AVGS
- 7. How we support you in Kaiserslautern
The AVGS (Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein — German Activation and Mediation Voucher) is the entry point into self-employment for many founders in Kaiserslautern. As the largest city in the Western Palatinate and one of Germany's leading IT and artificial-intelligence research hubs — nicknamed «Silicon Woods» — Kaiserslautern offers a diverse founder scene, from research and deep-tech spin-offs around the RPTU, the DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) and the Fraunhofer institutes (IESE, ITWM) to the skilled crafts and services that support the region's large international community around Ramstein. With the AVGS, you can receive your founder coaching completely free of charge.
Kaiserslautern: industrial tradition meets founder spirit
Kaiserslautern's start-up scene is strongly shaped by its research base — the RPTU, the DFKI and the Fraunhofer institutes IESE and ITWM form one of Germany's densest AI and software clusters. If you found a business here, you can combine the AVGS coaching in a targeted way with the university start-up structures — the Gründungsbüro RPTU & HS KL and the RPTU Gründungsservice. At the same time, the local AVGS coaching market in Kaiserslautern is thinly occupied — our strength: nationwide online support with the BAFA quality standard and full business plan expertise.
1. What is an AVGS and who is eligible?
The AVGS pursuant to § 45 SGB III (German Social Code, Book III) is a funding instrument of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). It allows you to receive professional founder coaching with 100% of the costs covered.
Eligibility for the AVGS
- ALG I: You currently receive ALG I (German unemployment insurance benefit, contribution-based), or
- Bürgergeld: You receive Bürgergeld (German basic welfare benefit since 2023, formerly ALG II)
- Intent to found: You plan to enter full-time self-employment
- Remaining entitlement: You still have sufficient remaining entitlement to benefits
- Suitability: You are personally and professionally suited for self-employment
Important: no legal entitlement
The AVGS is a discretionary benefit — you have no automatic right to it. The decision lies with your case worker. A convincing founder concept and professional preparation significantly increase your chances.
2. AVGS in Kaiserslautern — where to apply
Depending on which benefit you receive, a different authority is responsible for your AVGS application. Important for Kaiserslautern: the city is an independent urban district (kreisfreie Stadt), so the Jobcenter (German welfare/job placement office) for the city of Kaiserslautern is the Jobcenter Stadt Kaiserslautern — not the separate Jobcenters of the surrounding rural districts.
| Your situation | Responsible authority | Address |
|---|---|---|
| ALG I | Agentur für Arbeit Kaiserslautern-Pirmasens | Augustastraße 6, 67655 Kaiserslautern Phone: 0800 4 5555 00 (toll-free) |
| Bürgergeld | Jobcenter Stadt Kaiserslautern | Augustastraße 6, 67655 Kaiserslautern Phone: 0800 4 5555 00 |
Good to know: Kaiserslautern is an independent city
The Jobcenter Stadt Kaiserslautern serves Kaiserslautern's Bürgergeld recipients from its main office at Augustastraße 6 (right by Kaiserslautern central station) plus several district branches. The surrounding areas (rural district of Kaiserslautern, Wittelsbacher Land/Aichach-Friedberg, Donau-Ries district) are served by separate Jobcenters — so the responsible authority is not the same if you move outside the city.
The path to the AVGS — step by step
Step 1: meeting with your case worker
Day 1Inform your case worker about your intent to found a business and request a consultation about the AVGS.
Step 2: prepare your founder concept
Weeks 1-2Prepare a short summary of your business idea (1-2 pages is sufficient).
Step 3: select a coach
Week 2Choose an AZAV-certified coaching provider (AZAV is the German accreditation framework for training providers under SGB III; we cooperate with certified carrier providers).
Step 4: apply for the AVGS
Weeks 2-3Submit the application to your case worker together with the provider's Maßnahmenbeschreibung (German measure description).
Step 5: start coaching
After approvalOnce approved, coaching can start immediately — with us also fully online.
3. What happens during the coaching?
AVGS founder coaching is not a theoretical training course — it is intensive 1:1 support on your way into self-employment.
Typical coaching content
- Business model: sharpening your idea, target group, unique selling proposition
- Market analysis: competitors, market potential, positioning in the Western Palatinate (Westpfalz)
- Financial plan: capital requirements, revenue forecast, liquidity planning
- Business plan: bank-ready documentation for funding applications
- Administrative steps: trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung with the City of Kaiserslautern), IHK Pfalz (the Palatinate Chamber of Industry and Commerce) / Handwerkskammer der Pfalz (Chamber of Skilled Crafts for the Palatinate), tax office
- Funding: Gründungszuschuss (German start-up grant), BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control), ISB (Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz) (Rhineland-Palatinate state development bank — Mittelstandskredit 665/667), KfW-StartGeld
Number of hours
A typical AVGS founder coaching consists of 80-120 coaching units spread over several weeks to months. The exact duration depends on your individual needs.
4. Which training provider is responsible in Kaiserslautern?
The AVGS can only be redeemed with an AZAV-certified training provider. Business Start EU cooperates with certified carrier providers who meet the formal requirements — while we, as your coach, take care of the actual content work.
Our model
We ourselves are not AZAV-certified; instead, we cooperate with established carrier providers (e.g. Starthilfe Bildungswerk GmbH). The result for you is identical: professional coaching, 100% free of charge via the AVGS — but with the BAFA quality standard that we bring as a listed consultant.
5. Kaiserslautern's founder landscape — universities and contact points
Kaiserslautern offers a dynamic founder landscape — from industrial engineering to applied research. As a founder, you benefit from:
Universities and founder centres in Kaiserslautern
| Institution | Founder program |
|---|---|
| Gründungsbüro RPTU & HS KL | Joint start-up office of the RPTU (Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau) and the Hochschule Kaiserslautern: free consulting, workshops, networking and EXIST application coaching for founders from both institutions |
| RPTU Gründungsservice | The RPTU's own start-up service: idea validation, team building and technology-transfer support; focus on IT, AI, engineering and natural sciences |
| DFKI — German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence | Major Kaiserslautern AI research site and spin-off environment; technology transfer and deep-tech co-operation for AI start-ups (part of the local «Silicon Woods» cluster) |
| Fraunhofer IESE & ITWM · MPI-SWS | Applied software-engineering, industrial-mathematics and software-systems research institutes in Kaiserslautern — a strong technology-transfer base for deep-tech founders |
Local contact points and networks
- Gründungsbüro RPTU & HS KL — the joint university start-up office; free coaching, workshops and networking for founders from the RPTU, the Hochschule Kaiserslautern and the local research institutes
- Referat Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Kaiserslautern (City of Kaiserslautern economic development office, Rathaus, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, 67653 Kaiserslautern) · advises on business locations, site questions and new founders
- IHK Pfalz (Industrie- und Handelskammer Pfalz — the Palatinate Chamber of Industry and Commerce) — Europaallee 14–16, 67657 Kaiserslautern, founder consulting: 0631 41448-0, email service.kl@pfalz.ihk24.de · responsible for the entire IHK district of the Palatinate (city of Kaiserslautern plus all 9 rural districts of the Western Palatinate)
- Handwerkskammer der Pfalz (Chamber of Skilled Crafts for the Palatinate) — Am Altenhof 15, 67655 Kaiserslautern, business consulting: 0631 3677-0, email info@hwk-pfalz.de · responsible for all skilled crafts in the Western Palatinate (city of Kaiserslautern plus all 9 rural districts)
- ISB (Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz) (Rhineland-Palatinate state development bank) — Mittelstandskredit (investment and working-capital loan of up to €5 million, available before and after founding, with a liability exemption) and ISB venture-capital financing (equity capital for innovative growth companies); the application must be filed BEFORE the project starts
6. Common mistakes when applying for the AVGS
The most common reasons for problems with the AVGS application:
- Applying too early: without a clear founder concept, the funding does not appear effective
- No coach selected: without a concrete provider/coach, the case worker cannot process the application
- Weak concept: if the viability of the idea appears doubtful
- Poor communication: if the case worker cannot see the benefit for your placement into work
Our advice
Come to us before you apply for the AVGS. We help you with the preparation and ensure your application meets all success criteria.
7. How we support you in Kaiserslautern
Business Start EU (BAFA No. 205985) supports founders from Kaiserslautern and the wider metropolitan region online, with flexible scheduling and the quality standard you can expect from a BAFA-listed consultant. Personally, I have supported over 200 founders across Germany in recent years. We do not have an on-site office in Kaiserslautern; all consultation sessions take place by video or phone.
Our approach
- Free initial consultation: we clarify your situation, funding options and next steps
- AVGS preparation: we help you present your business idea to the case worker
- Provider matching: we connect you with a suitable AZAV-certified provider
- Coaching: intensive 1:1 support by our experienced coaches
- Follow-up perspective: Gründungszuschuss, BAFA funding, bank meeting (e.g. with the Sparkasse Kaiserslautern)
What a BAFA-listed coach brings to the table
As BAFA-listed consultants (No. 205985), we meet strict quality criteria. Over 200 business plans, €55+ million in financing volume for our clients, zero rejections due to quality issues — that is our track record.