Structured work result

Landscape

A deliberately small first selection of comparable initiatives, to see where the Entrepreneurs’ Fund connects and where it sets itself apart.

Initiative	Ownership & finances				Target group & value proposition		Allocation			Impact				Reach & transparency
Initiative	Ownership	Funding	Revenue streams	Cost structure	Target group	Value proposition	Allocation mode	Volume per grant	Conditions	Impact goals	Impact measurement	Beneficiary reach	Time horizon	Partnerships	Scalability	Transparency	Started
Mein Grundeinkommen	Mein Grundeinkommen e. V., non-profit association	Donation- and member-funded, non-profit	Recurring micro-donations, one-off donations, complemented by foundation grants	Platform operations, communications, small core team	Private individuals of all ages, regardless of plans	Unconditional basic income as a visible experiment, community, accompanying research	Lottery among all applicants	12 × €1,000 (€12,000 basic income for 1 year)	None, funds are unconditional	Make basic-income subsistence visible, public debate around UBI	Accompanying scientific research (e.g. DIW), storytelling	Direct: lottery winners. Indirect: public debate	1 year per winner, recurring programme, systemic discourse shift	Science (e.g. DIW Berlin), media, foundations, reach multipliers	Nationwide, digital model in principle highly scalable	Very high, public financial reports, stories on all winners	2014
Businessplanwettbewerb Berlin-Brandenburg	Investitionsbank Berlin with partners from business and public administration	Public funds and corporate sponsoring	Sponsoring, public funds, no entry fee	Jury effort, coaching, events, communications	Aspiring founders and young companies in Berlin-Brandenburg	Structured guidance with feedback, coaching, visibility, plus prize money	Jury evaluation across several competition rounds	Over €50,000 in total prize money across three phases, €10,000 in Phase 1, €15,000 in Phase 2, plus audience and sustainability awards	Submission of a business plan, participation in the competition stages	More foundations, more professional plans, regional economic activation	Quantitative: foundations, employees, follow-on revenue, annual reports	Direct: founding teams. Indirect: Berlin-Brandenburg region	Competition year, one-off prize money, network and visibility extend the effect	Investitionsbank Berlin, state ministries, universities, banks, chambers of commerce	Regionally limited to Berlin-Brandenburg, comparable competitions across Germany	Moderate, annual reports and press work	1995
Deutscher Fonds für Demokratie	Planned federal foundation, the Democracy Promotion Act has not been enacted since 2023, the government is running an evaluation in summer 2026; the operational federal programme "Demokratie leben!" runs in parallel via BMFSFJ	Federal funds	Tax-funded (federal budget)	Administration, allocation processes, grants paid out	Civil-society initiatives and pro-democracy projects	Long-term public funding of democracy-strengthening projects	Application and approval by expert panels	Multi-year project grants, variable	Application formats, reporting requirements, use of funds	Strengthen democracy, action against hate and incitement	Reports on funded projects, qualitative case studies	Direct: civil-society initiatives. Indirect: public sphere	Multi-year structural funding	Federal ministries, civil society, science	Nationwide	Public funding overview, supported projects visible	Democracy Promotion Act not enacted (as of 2026), federal foundation under discussion; the operational comparable programme "Demokratie leben!" has been running since 2015
Karma Capital	Karma Capital II non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH), Berlin, founded in 2018 by Sebastian Klein (Blinkist co-founder)	Sebastian Klein's donor wealth, complemented by institutional investors for Fund I	Investment returns, management fees	Investment management, due diligence, reporting	Companies under steward ownership and public-interest media ventures	Capital plus active support, explicitly not geared towards returns maximisation	Investment decision by the Karma team, equity stake in a steward-ownership construction (shares or convertible note)	Tickets from approx. €200,000 (Fund I minimum investment as per self-report)	Commitment to a steward-ownership structure (or transition to one), impact reporting	Regenerative economy and societal impact over returns maximisation, strengthening public-interest media	Impact reports following frameworks (e.g. IRIS+, GIIN), portfolio reporting	Direct: steward-ownership companies and public-interest media. Indirect: their users and impact groups	Multi-year investments, permanently bound to steward-ownership logic	Foundations, other impact funds, steward-ownership network, institutional investors for Fund I	Germany-focused, mainly Berlin and the DACH region	Impact reports public, individual deals partly confidential	2018
bcause	Private B Corp with a charitable trust foundation, registered as a non-profit, based in Berlin	Platform fees, returns on parked donation balances, equity	Service fees, margins on impact investments, returns on parked balances	Platform operations, foundation administration, compliance, marketing	Individual donors, businesses, philanthropists, non-profits, social enterprises	"100% of your donation reaches the organisation", easy foundation set-up, integrated impact investing	Direct donations to registered non-profits, foundation vehicles, impact investment portfolio	Variable per transaction, from micro-donation to large foundation endowment	Recipients must be registered non-profits, KYC for larger transactions	Make giving easier, lower the threshold for starting a foundation, open impact investing to individuals	Donation receipts, foundation reports, no publicly stated external impact frameworks	Direct: recipient non-profits and social enterprises. Indirect: their beneficiaries	Lasting foundation vehicles, plus one-off transactions	Banks and payment providers in the background, no publicly listed foundation or ministry partners	Germany-focused, in principle EU-scalable	Recipients visible after donation flow, individual foundations can optionally be "published" to invite contributions	approx. 2021
Startnext	Startnext GmbH, commercial, certified B Corporation	Platform commissions and equity	Commissions on successfully funded campaigns, service fees	Platform development, marketing, payments, support	Creative, social and entrepreneurial projects	Reach, community-building and pre-financing via crowdfunding	No classic allocation mode, the crowd decides via co-funding	Campaign targets vary, from a few thousand to six figures	All-or-nothing threshold, delivery of promises to backers	Make the variety of creative and entrepreneurial projects visible	Platform metrics: funded projects, success rate, totals	Direct: project initiators. Indirect: backer communities	One-off campaigns, some initiators repeat, communities persist	Banks, foundations, media, universities, BMWK and EU as SONAR programme funders	DACH region, platform model highly scalable	Very high, every campaign public and live-trackable	2010
EXIST	Federal funding programme (BMWK), implemented via universities and project agencies	Federal funds, EU and ESF co-financing possible	Tax-funded (federal budget, EU funds)	Grant administration, selection process, mentoring	Founders from universities and research institutions	Scholarship, coaching and network in the early founding phase	Review by jury and coaches	Monthly scholarship in tiers: €1,000 (pupils / students), €2,000 (graduates), €2,500 (master), €3,000 (with doctorate), plus €150 per child and up to €2,000 in monthly material costs, typically funded for 12 months	University affiliation, participation in coaching, reporting	Knowledge and technology transfer, innovation out of research	Scholarships, spin-offs, employees, public evaluations	Direct: founders from research. Indirect: industry and universities	Multi-year funding phases and transfer programmes	Universities, research institutions, project agencies	Nationwide	Programme reports public, individual ventures less visible	1998, evolving
RaiseNow	Swiss tech company (private)	SaaS revenue and equity	Licence and service fees from NGOs	Product development, sales, support, compliance	Mid-size and larger NGOs and foundations	Digitise donation processes, improve conversion	Contract signing as SaaS provider	Variable per client via licence fees; over €900 million in total channelled through more than 54,000 organisations (platform self-report)	Contract, data protection, onboarding	Scale NGO impact through better donation processes	Platform metrics (donation volume, conversion), customer success	Direct: NGOs. Indirect: their donors and beneficiaries	Long-term SaaS relationship	Banks, payment providers, NGO associations	International (DACH and EU), SaaS model scales well	B2B product, limited external transparency	2012
FundraisingBox	German tech company (Wikando GmbH)	4% transaction fee on actual donations, equity, no fixed subscription pricing	4% transaction fee on actual donations, plus consulting and service revenue	Product development, consulting, support	Small and mid-size NGOs	NGO software for donations, CRM, newsletters	Contract signing as SaaS provider	Variable per client via the 4% transaction fee	Contract, data protection	Professionalise NGOs, raise donation efficiency	Platform metrics, customer ROI reports	Direct: NGOs. Indirect: their impact groups	Long-term SaaS relationship with consulting	Tax advisors, NGO associations, payment providers	Nationwide, SaaS model scales well	B2B product, limited external transparency	approx. 2008
FundingBox	Private European tech and service company	Services, EU project funds, equity	Service fees, consulting mandates, EU project funds	Platform operations, consulting, community building	Startups, SMEs, research institutions across Europe	Facilitator for EU cascade funding, with 350+ funding opportunities accessible via the OnePass platform	Service contract or project award via EU programmes	Variable per mandate; over €780 million in total channelled via the OnePass platform (platform self-report)	Project compliance, reporting	Strengthen innovation and competitiveness across Europe	Supported startups, funds disbursed, EU programme metrics	Direct: startups and SMEs. Indirect: European innovation ecosystem	Project-based, plus community membership	EU institutions, accelerators, research institutions	Active across Europe	Public calls for proposals, allocation data transparent	2014
Wavelab	Innovation lab and startup centre of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (HMTM), public institution	University and public funds, complemented by a partner network (exact distribution not publicly disclosed)	University budget and public grants, partnerships with cultural and tech companies	Programme leadership, coworking space, event formats, mentors	Students and founders in music, fine art, film, theatre, media plus tech specialists, at the intersection of creative industries and technology	Idea check, workshops, a six-month incubator, free coworking, a broad partner network	Application with a business idea, the selection process is not publicly detailed	No cash prize stated, in-kind value through programme, coworking, coaching	Affiliation with HMTM or with the music, arts or media field	Innovation at the intersection of art and technology, support for creative ventures	Not publicly published	Direct: students and founders in the music, arts or media field. Indirect: Bavarian creative and cultural industries	Six-month incubator as the programme run, plus recurring complementary events	GEMA, DEAG, SevenOne Entertainment, UnternehmerTUM, WERK1, HFF München, Native Instruments, audEERING, Deutsches Stiftungszentrum (excerpt, Wavelab self-report)	Munich-based, focused on Bavarian cultural and tech ecosystems	Moderate, programme and partners public, allocation mechanics and cohort sizes not detailed	presumably from 2022 (copyright notice; founding year not stated)

Status: first draft. Cell content is based on publicly available information and needs to be curated.

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