35 – Government Funding

Board‑game designers and Kickstarter creators are incredibly helpful when it comes to pretty much any question that comes up. But one thing I’ve never seen anyone talk about is government funding. This topic is discussed far too rarely! I know that the available funding varies from country to country, from state to state, and even from city to city. But these grants can be incredibly helpful. We’re talking about a significant amount of money, and they exist to support small companies or new founders — not just big companies that grab every opportunity.

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

At least in Austria, there are many different types of funding, and many different organizations, associations, and institutions offer them. But they’re hard to find, because even these organizations often don’t have an overview of who is offering what. Many people don’t know anything about them. Please talk about this topic more! I received funding for starting my company and also for international advertising. These grants are, of course, only available in Austria — but if you want to know more, feel free to write to me. They do come with extensive requirements and regulations, which I’m happy to explain. Don’t let the rules scare you off. The contact persons will tell you whether your company qualifies anyway.

I’ve also heard of several grants for tech companies and research support in Austria, which don’t apply to my company, but they might be interesting for yours. In Germany, there also seem to be startup grants, research scholarships, and support programs for tech companies. Usually, all these funding programs have one thing in common: you need to have a clear picture of your product or company.

If you’re founding a company or have already founded one, write to me and I’ll share my experiences with you. And if you’ve received funding in Austria, Germany, or anywhere else, I’d love to hear about your experiences — I’m in close contact with many German designers, and your tips might be helpful for others as well. Maybe there are even EU‑wide grants, though I don’t know anything about those yet.