Looking beyond early-stage startup funding?

Public funding is one of the most valuable and most overlooked resources available to founders. Opportunities exist in Berlin, across Germany, and at the European level, but knowing which ones are relevant, and which fit where your company is today, is often the hardest part.

In this session, you'll get a practical overview of the public funding landscape so you can navigate it with confidence.

About The Delta Campus Masterclass Series

The Delta Campus Masterclass series brings experts into our community to teach what they know best, from product and venture design to legal, finance, and growth. Each session delivers hands-on knowledge founders can immediately apply to strengthen their ventures.

This Session: General Funding Overview

Hosted by Anne Le Rolland, Startups Program Manager, and Philipp Scherer, Senior Project Manager for Finance & Funding, both at Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie, the business and technology development agency for the State of Berlin.

Anne works with founders through Berlin Partner's startup programs, supporting local and international teams as they build and grow their companies in Berlin. Philipp advises companies on finance and funding, helping them identify and access the public funding and financing instruments that fit their projects.

Together, they bring a view of the funding ecosystem from inside one of Berlin's key economic development institutions, working with companies at every stage.

What We'll Cover

  • How the public funding landscape is structured: regional, national, and European levels, and how they connect

  • Berlin-level programs, including support from Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) for early and growth-stage companies

  • Key national instruments, from EXIST and KfW programs to R&D incentives like the Forschungszulage

  • European opportunities, including Horizon Europe and the EIC Accelerator

  • Which programs fit which growth stage, from pre-seed to scale-up

  • How public funding can complement, rather than replace, private investment

What You'll Walk Away With

✅ A clear map of the public funding ecosystem across Berlin, Germany, and the EU

✅ A shortlist of programs that match your current growth stage

✅ A practical sense of how eligibility, timelines, and application effort differ between programs

✅ Concrete next steps to start exploring the right opportunities for your company

Who It's For

✅ Founders looking beyond early-stage funding and exploring what comes next

✅ Teams who want to extend runway or fund R&D without giving up more equity

✅ Anyone curious about public funding who doesn't know where to begin