Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Karlsruhe

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Employment Agency Karlsruhe-Rastatt is responsible (Brauerstraße 10, 76135 Karlsruhe; phone 0800 4555500). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), the Jobcenter Stadt Karlsruhe is your point of contact (depending on the postal code where you live: Brauerstraße 10 or 14, 76135 Karlsruhe, or Badener Straße 3, 76227 Karlsruhe-Durlach). In both cases your caseworker decides on the AVGS. In-person visits are only possible by appointment; we prepare you flexibly online for the conversation.

You can find an official list of AZAV-certified providers in the KURSNET of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). We, UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, are an AZAV-certified provider (provider certificate Z-000392-2, area 1) based in Leverkusen that offers AVGS programs nationwide. Our programs are delivered entirely online, flexibly and without travel. We offer two programs: “Businessweg” (Z-000482-2) for start-up coaching and “JobWeg” (Z-001366-3) for applicant & job coaching.

The approval time depends on your caseworker and the current workload of the Employment Agency in Karlsruhe-Rastatt. It typically takes 2–4 weeks from application to approval. For well-prepared applications with a clear rationale and a viable concept, the approval rate is considerably higher. We prepare you for the conversation with your caseworker, online and at flexible times that suit you.

Karlsruhe in the TechnologieRegion (technology region) has developed into one of Germany’s leading IT and innovation locations. Particularly well represented are software and IT, driven by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the CyberForum/CyberLab as one of the largest tech start-up centers in the region; energy and environmental technology with networks such as fokus.energie and the AXEL accelerator; and medical technology and pharma. In addition there are creative B2B and deep-tech start-ups around AI, mobility, and digitalization, supported through the KIT Gründerschmiede (KIT founders’ forge) and the (x)Lab of Hochschule Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences). Pavel Deuble and his nationwide team have supported many founders from Karlsruhe in these industries, entirely online and regardless of location.

Primarily ALG I recipients whose caseworker sees a need for counseling get an AVGS. People receiving basic income support (ALG II) can also receive an AVGS in certain cases. Issuing the AVGS is at the caseworker’s discretion; there is no legal entitlement to start-up coaching. Important: you must apply for the AVGS BEFORE the counseling begins, otherwise later funding is not possible.

With an AVGS voucher: 100% funded after written approval, so you pay nothing at all. The costs are billed entirely through your activation voucher. If you do not receive an AVGS, there are alternative routes: BAFA-funded consulting with a reduced personal contribution, or self-pay consulting. In the free initial consultation we clarify which route fits your situation.

AVGS coaching comprises up to 120 teaching units (UE), spread over 2–6 months. The exact number is stated in your AVGS voucher. We align the schedule flexibly with your availability, for example 2–3 sessions per week of 90 minutes, online via Zoom or Teams. Content: business plan, financial plan, marketing, and preparing the start-up grant application.

The AVGS is a COUNSELING voucher for coaching (for example start-up coaching). The start-up grant is direct FINANCIAL support for your living costs during the start-up phase (6 months of ALG I plus €300 per month). The two can be combined: AVGS coaching can be exactly the way to prepare your start-up grant application professionally.