Was ist die Startup- und Scaleup-Strategie der Bundesregierung?

Die im Juli 2026 vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie veröffentlichte Strategie bündelt 152 Maßnahmen in acht Handlungsfeldern, darunter Finanzierung, Bürokratieabbau, Vergabe, Fachkräfte und Internationalisierung. Sie ist die Weiterentwicklung der Startup-Strategie von 2022 mit neuem Fokus auf die Wachstums- und Skalierungsphase.

Welche Förderungen gibt es für Startups im ländlichen Raum?

Ein eigenes Programm für den ländlichen Raum enthält die Strategie nicht. Relevant sind vor allem der KfW-Gründerkredit StartGeld bis 200.000 Euro, zinsvergünstigte Nachrangdarlehen der Landwirtschaftlichen Rentenbank bis 800.000 Euro für agrarnahe Startups sowie die neue Direktauftragsgrenze von 100.000 Euro für öffentliche Aufträge, von der auch Kommunen in der Fläche profitieren.

Was ändert sich bei öffentlichen Aufträgen für Startups?

Seit dem 1. Juli 2026 können öffentliche Auftraggeber Leistungen bis 100.000 Euro direkt an Startups vergeben. Das Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz vereinfacht zusätzlich Eignungskriterien und Nachweispflichten für junge Unternehmen.

Wie unterstützt Founders Bay Startups im ländlichen Raum?

Founders Bay ist ein equity-free Impact-Accelerator mit Sitz auf Rügen. Wir verbinden Early-Stage-Startups mit dem deutschen Mittelstand und einem Netzwerk aus über 150 Mentorinnen und Mentoren, komplett ohne Abgabe von Unternehmensanteilen.

Germany's Startup Strategy 2026: What the 152 measures mean for founders outside the metros

Photo: Vincent Eisfeld / Unsplash

In July 2026 the German federal government released its new Startup and Scaleup Strategy. 152 measures across eight fields of action, from financing to cutting red tape to public procurement. We read the full paper and answer the question that interests us most: what does all of this deliver if you''re not founding in Berlin or Munich, but in Vorpommern, in the Sauerland or on Rügen?

The context: a record year for founding

Germany is founding more companies than ever. In the first half of 2026 alone, 3,053 new startups were launched — a 52 percent jump compared to the second half of 2025. Around 522,000 people now work in startups, and with 36 unicorns the German ecosystem has visibly caught up internationally. The strategy wants to ride that momentum and puts a stronger focus than before on the growth and scale-up phase.

The four most important measures for founders

Founding faster, fewer trips to the authorities

The flagship project "Schneller Gründen" ("faster founding") aims to fully digitalise the company formation process. Tax number, commercial register, social security and trade registration are meant to be captured in a single flow. A dedicated Founding Acceleration Act is announced for the end of 2026. Anyone who has ever set up a UG through a small local court knows how much time there is to be saved here.

The state as a reachable customer

Since 1 July 2026, public buyers can award contracts of up to 100,000 euros directly to startups — without a classic public tender. For young companies that used to fail on reference lists and proof-of-suitability requirements, this opens a door that was closed for a long time. Municipalities and districts outside the big metros are actively looking for digital solutions and can now find them more easily with startups from their own region.

More capital, also beyond venture capital

The KfW founder loan "StartGeld" was raised to 200,000 euros and now also funds part-time founders. For agri-adjacent startups, the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank offers subsidised subordinated loans of up to 800,000 euros, and the "Growth Alliance" accelerator will be re-tendered this year. If you''re building in AgTech or FoodTech, this is one of the most interesting funding addresses in Germany.

SMEs and startups are meant to collaborate more closely

The strategy names a problem we see in our daily work: only around 56 percent of startups still cooperate with the German Mittelstand and industry — six years ago it was more than 70 percent. The government''s answer is venture clienting and a tighter integration of the Mittelstand-Digital centres with the startup ecosystem. This is exactly the point where regional accelerators make the difference, because the Mittelstand doesn''t sit in Berlin Mitte. It sits in East Westphalia, in the Allgäu and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

For all the good things in the strategy, one thing jumps out immediately. The word "rural" does not appear anywhere in the document. Founding, implicitly, happens where it already happens: in the metros, at the large universities, in the established ecosystems.

Impact fares similarly. There is a scaling unit for sustainable consumption and a "Sustainable Digitalisation" community — both sensible starting points. But impact has not received its own field of action. For comparison: security and defence has been added for the first time as a complete field of its own. You can understand these priorities given the state of the world. You can also name what falls off the table because of it.

What this means for you as a founder

The tools in the strategy are good and you should use them: faster formation, direct contracts, higher loans, agri-adjacent funding. Whether these tools actually reach the regions, though, is not decided in Berlin — it''s decided on the ground. In programmes, networks and partnerships that connect startups with the regional Mittelstand.

That''s exactly why we built Founders Bay. As an equity-free accelerator on Rügen we support startups founding in rural regions or growing with the Mittelstand, with a network of more than 150 experts. No equity taken, clear impact focus.

Are you founding right now or ready for the next step? Then apply to our programme.

Sources

Frequently asked questions about the 2026 Startup Strategy

What is the German government''s Startup and Scaleup Strategy?

Published in July 2026 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the strategy bundles 152 measures across eight fields of action, including financing, cutting red tape, procurement, skilled workers and internationalisation. It builds on the 2022 Startup Strategy with a new focus on the growth and scale-up phase.

What funding exists for startups in rural regions?

The strategy does not contain a dedicated rural programme. The most relevant instruments are the KfW founder loan StartGeld up to 200,000 euros, subsidised subordinated loans from the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank up to 800,000 euros for agri-adjacent startups, and the new 100,000-euro direct-award threshold for public contracts, which also benefits municipalities outside the metros.

What is changing for public contracts with startups?

Since 1 July 2026, public buyers can award contracts of up to 100,000 euros directly to startups. The Procurement Acceleration Act additionally simplifies suitability criteria and proof requirements for young companies.

How does Founders Bay support startups in rural regions?

Founders Bay is an equity-free impact accelerator based on Rügen. We connect early-stage startups with the German Mittelstand and a network of more than 150 mentors — completely without taking equity.