In 2002, entrepreneur Susanne Klatten recognized a critical gap in Germany's innovation landscape: brilliant research from technical universities was often left sitting in labs, never making it to market as viable businesses. Together with the Technical University of Munich, she founded UnternehmerTUM as a non-profit center dedicated to bridging this gap - turning raw inventions into thriving startups that could drive real economic impact. What started as a bold experiment has evolved into Europe's largest center for innovation and business creation, annually supporting over 100 high-growth technology startups and partnering with 500+ established companies.
Today, UnternehmerTUM empowers innovation enthusiasts to take entrepreneurial action, addressing society's biggest challenges from climate change to digital transformation. The organization has become an innovation engine that strengthens Europe's competitive resilience, helping established companies and ambitious founders navigate the complex journey from first idea to market leadership. With a focus on deep tech sectors like artificial intelligence, mobility, healthcare, and sustainability, UnternehmerTUM has nurtured successful ventures including Celonis, Konux, FlixBus, Lilium, and Isar Aerospace. The Financial Times has repeatedly recognized UnternehmerTUM as Europe's leading startup hub - a testament to the vision that sparked its founding two decades ago.