Press Start: Founding Grant Games

The Press Start: Founders’ Grant for Games is a nationwide open funding program that supports selected game developers with a practice-oriented education and networking program in founding their own game studios. As a grant, the scholarship supports creative minds in the field of digital games in building entrepreneurial structures and developing business models. The program is organized by the Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur gGmbH in cooperation with game – the German Games Industry Association and funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Through workshops, coaching, and industry events, participants receive valuable impulses to sustainably position their projects in the market and expand their network within the German games scene.

Interested parties are founders and developers already active in the games sector who can prove their residence or place of business in Germany. There is no fixed application deadline, as submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. The scholarship is equally aimed at individuals and start-ups who wish to transform their innovative game ideas into viable business models. The goal is to strengthen the entrepreneurial foundation of young studios while promoting the cultural diversity of the German games industry. Through targeted advice in the areas of corporate financing, training and further education, as well as coaching, a sustainable foundation for long-term success in the dynamic digital games market is created.