The GrantGPT Hive – Feb'25

Your Monthly Dose of Grant Gems

Author

Iwa Eck
February 25, 2025 • Reading Time: 6 minutes

You don’t need a lot to stay on top of your funding game: Just a monthly check-in and five links every month.

1. Hottest Grant: ERMA Booster Call, 1st cut-off date: March 24, 2025

2. Brain Food: Mapping investors for European innovators about funding and the role of patents in innovation

3. Quick Win: What to include also in your grant application when Using Pilots, POCs, and LOIs to Build Trust and Scale 

4. Event Picks:

5. Startup Story: How Competify, a start-up from Brandenburg, prepared and applied for EXIST scholarship – successfully! Here’s the short interview with Competify’s CEO, Heiko:

How did you discover this grant opportunity and decide to go for it?

I came across the EXIST grant through various online sources, such as podcasts and articles about startup financing. I wanted to explore different ways to fund my startup, and the EXIST grant stood out as a great opportunity. After checking the eligibility criteria online, I realized that apart from forming a team, I met most of the requirements. That’s when I decided to book an appointment with the entrepreneurship network at the Technical University of Brandenburg, where I had completed my Master's degree. They encouraged me to consider applying for the EXIST program. Once I found two like-minded co-founders, we decided to take the plunge and apply for the grant together.

How did you tackle the grant process?

The first step was understanding the requirements thoroughly. I compared them against our startup's current state and identified the areas we needed to work on. After assembling a team, we started drafting our application. The process was quite intensive; it felt like creating a comprehensive business plan. We worked through product descriptions, market analysis, go-to-market strategies, and financial planning. It was a detailed and structured approach, but with support from the university's network and good collaboration within the team, we navigated the process successfully.

Another tip for the application: It’s beneficial if your application includes Letters of Intent from potential test customers and partners. I reached out to people in my network and provided them with pre-written texts, so they only had to review and sign them which made the process much easy for them to help me.

What were your learnings about yourself, your startup, and the funding opportunity?

The grant application process taught me a lot about my industry and startup. Writing the application was like diving deep into every aspect of our business — it helped me clarify our vision and sharpen our strategies. It also reinforced the importance of teamwork. As co-founders, we learned to work together effectively and discovered each other's strengths. The process was a good test of our ability to collaborate under pressure.

On a broader level, I learned that grants like EXIST are invaluable but come with a lot of responsibilities. It’s not just about securing funding; it’s also about maintaining a high level of accountability and navigating bureaucratic requirements, even after the grant is approved.

What advice would you give to fellow founders?

Grant opportunities like EXIST are fantastic and definitely worth pursuing. However, founders should be prepared for the significant effort involved in the application process. It’s not just about paperwork; you’ll need to invest time in market research, financial planning, and team coordination. Additionally, keep in mind that the administrative workload doesn’t stop after receiving the grant — you’ll need to manage reporting, presentations, and other compliance requirements throughout the funding period.

That said, the experience is incredibly rewarding. It provides the freedom to focus entirely on your idea without immediate financial pressure. Despite the challenges, I’d absolutely do it again. The grant has allowed us to dedicate 12 months to building our startup with full commitment, which is invaluable.

If you’re a founder considering the EXIST program and have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to share insights and connect you with the entrepreneurship network at my university — they were an incredible help during our application process.

Thank you for sharing your journey, Heiko!

Stay connected to Competify:

📣 Have you also acquired public funding? Share your story with the start-up community – just answer to this email!

💌 Do you know someone whose start-up got funded? Ask them to record their journey and send it to us.

☕ If you enjoy this newsletter, forward it to that one person with whom you are chatting about your start-up over a cup of coffee – everything is easier together!

For more updates, let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Cheers,
Your GrantGPT team