School leavers & students
Abitur, Realschule, BOS/FOS, or a uni side project nobody takes seriously yet. Done defaulting to what everyone else does.
In their words
Apply now ↗
ZOLLHOF Impact Fellowship 2026
Founding is a career.
Be brave.
Try.
Three months. Full-time. Real money to live on. A proven incubator behind you.
You don't have to be ready. You have to start.
What's a
Fellowship?
A Fellowship is a funded, full-time program where you work on your own startup idea with the support of mentors, coaches, and a cohort of peers. You don't need to bring your own idea — we'll help you find one.
Made
for you?!
Made for first-time founders: students, school leavers, career changers, anyone with ambition but no typical startup résumé.
The need
Talent is everywhere. Courage is rare.
You were prepared for a world that's already gone. Careers shift. Roles get rewritten. The problems worth solving aren't waiting until you're "ready."
We've met hundreds of you. Brilliant minds are everywhere but courage is rare.
The deal
Apply now ↗
You can only win.
Learn to found a startup. You get mentors who have actually built companies, plus access to the ZOLLHOF ecosystem from day one.
What is the ZOLLHOF ecosystem?
ZOLLHOF is Nürnberg's startup incubator, a place where founders, investors, coaches, and companies work side by side. As a Fellower, you are not just attending a program. You are plugged into a network of 100+ startups, experienced mentors, and real funding opportunities. If your idea takes off, the path to the next stage is already open.
3
months, full-time
≤ €1.000
per month to live on
Limited
spots per cohort
Positive outcomes, no matter
which direction you take.
A
You build something that works.
We keep going with you through funding, coaching, and the full ZOLLHOF incubator.
B
You walk away stronger.
Worst case? The idea doesn't work out, it happens to the best of us. But you'll leave with skills no classroom teaches: ownership, speed, and a clear head when things get chaotic.
One thing at a time.
This program is full-time. For three months, it's the only thing on your plate, no parallel studies, no side job.
The program
12 weeks. Real evidence.
Every week has a clear question to answer and a concrete output to show.
+
Week 1
Match & Frame
Who are you building with, and what does this take?
Cohort kickoff, founder-mindset workshop, and picking your lane. Arrive with a problem, or find one here.
+
Weeks 2–4
Problem
Is there a real problem here worth solving?
Problem discovery, customer segments, and weekly sparring — until a stranger gets it in one read.
+
Weeks 5–7
Validate
Do real people have this problem and would they act?
Customer interviews, signal vs. noise, willingness to pay. You end with evidence, not opinions.
+
Weeks 8–11
Build & Revalidate
Does the smallest possible solution create real value?
A low-fi prototype tested with real users, with the business case built alongside. Three structured mentor check-ins throughout.
+
Week 12
Decision Day
Do you fight for this, or kill it and start fresh?
Showcase to mentors, ZOLLHOF, and partners. Present your evidence. Own your call. Go or no-go — both count as a win.
Always on
Throughout all 12 weeks
- Daily standups with mentors
- Weekly project reviews & 1:1s
- Bi-weekly workshops with external founders
- Weekly peer sparring
- A business case that grows from day one
The people
The profiles the traditional pipelines miss.
International background
You have already pulled off the hardest startup of all: moving countries and building a life from scratch. You bring the grit, we bring the network.
Hustlers & builders
Sold something, organized something, built something from nothing? You already have the founder muscle most people spend years trying to learn.
Brave women
We want you as founders. Because founding is one of the boldest moves you can make — and you are more than ready for it.
“Too young, too unconventional, too early.” That's the profile we're looking for.
550+
Talents incubated
The proof
Built bypeople who'vedone it.
ZOLLHOF — Financial Times ranked European startup hub. 550+ talents incubated across 100+ startups since 2017.
The backers
The backers behind the program
Albert Wenger grew up in Franconia, studied at Harvard and MIT, and became one of the world's most respected startup investors — today Partner at Union Square Ventures in New York, backing some of the sharpest founders on the planet. Gigi Danziger is an entrepreneur and investor, founder of Ziggeo and DailyLit, with a track record spanning tech, publishing, and social innovation. Together, they fund this program — a personal commitment to the region that raised Albert and to the next generation of founders coming out of it.
Limited spots. October 2026.
Applications open 1 July. Application deadline 15 September 2026.Nobody remembers the one who played it safe.
Still “thinking about it”?
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Still wondering
FAQs
Do I need my own idea?
No. Come with one or come with none. You'll find your problem inside the program — and the people to build it with.
What does it cost me?
You keep everything you build, we do not take equity. And you get a monthly stipend, so you can go all in — no side hustle, no rent panic.
Who is this for?
Anyone interested in founding something, roughly 17–25. No startup on your CV. No perfect pitch. Just drive, curiosity, and the nerve to try.
What happens at the end?
Twelve weeks in, you make a call: go or no-go. Both are wins. Building the company is a win. Knowing it's not the one — also a win. You leave sharper either way.
Full-time? Where?
Three months, full-time, partly on-site in Nuremberg. This isn't a weekend thing. You show up — we back you the whole way.