Michael Wild Coaching Institute
Build your business in Germany.
We support founders, freelancers and business owners – from the first business idea through registration in Germany to growing the company. In English, online across Germany.
- Over 100 founderspersonally supported, from craft businesses to apps
- International management experienceincluding Commerzbank, Credit Suisse, KPMG, eToro and Binance
- Advice in English and Germanonline across Germany, in person by arrangement
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Experience from building
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Starting up in Germany is different. Not harder, if you know the route.
Germany is a great place to build a company: a large market, strong infrastructure and solid funding programmes. But the process is organised differently from what many international founders expect, and much of it happens in German.
Paperwork in the right order
Trade office, tax office, chamber, bank account, insurance: what applies to you, and in which sequence.
Numbers that convince Germans
Banks and funding bodies expect a business plan and a financial plan in a particular style. We build them with you.
Someone who speaks your language
We explain the German business environment in plain English and prepare you for meetings held in German.
Entrepreneurial support that goes the distance.
Every stage of building a company brings different questions. We meet you exactly where you are, in English.
Founder coaching – also with AVGS
Test your idea, build the business plan and financial plan, prepare financing. Possible with an AVGS voucher via our partner, the AZAV-certified training provider Firmenkompass GmbH.
Business mentoring
A sparring partner over months: sales, pricing, growth and the decisions you do not want to take alone.
Business services
Business plan and financial plan reviews from €390, pitch deck and business case reviews, also for investors, viability assessments and application support.
Digital business
Website, online shop, automation, AI and MVP, built around the way your business makes money.
Leadership & mental performance
Mental coaching, mentoring and team training with Jana and Uwe, whose clients range from Coca-Cola and Red Bull to the German Armed Forces.
Founders Lab
Support in exchange for an individually agreed stake, for selected ventures and by application only.
The person behind the institute
Entrepreneurial experience, not textbook advice.
I have led international companies, built business models and personally supported more than 100 founders. Today I use that experience to help people build and develop companies of their own – including many who came to Germany to do it.
- International leadership experience
- Building companies and business development
- Financing and strategic planning
- Personal founder coaching
Network
Connections included.
Good ideas rarely fail on the concept. They fail because the right people never hear about them. Michael Wild has built an international network through banking, consulting, fintech and his own companies, reaching far beyond Germany. When you work with us, you work with that network: we make the right introductions, prepare you for the conversations and open doors that would otherwise stay closed.
You do not just get advice. You get access.
Investors
Venture capital, business angels and private investors, once your venture is ready for a funding round.
Advisors
Experienced advisors and board members who strengthen your venture with their knowledge and their own contacts.
Corporates
Large companies and mid-sized firms as customers, partners or pilot partners.
Start-ups and founders
Founders who are a step ahead and share what they have learned.
Banking and finance
Contacts from banking, consulting and fintech, built over Michael Wild's own career.
Politics and economic development
The right people to talk to when location, regulation or public funding matter.
We make introductions and prepare conversations. We cannot promise commitments, funding or decisions by third parties.
Good ideas deserve a chance – even without capital.
Not every convincing business idea has the capital for advice and support. In the Founders Lab we invest experience, time and network in selected ventures: in exchange for an individually agreed stake instead of a fee.
- Apply with your concept
- Personal review and a first conversation
- Individual decision, no automatic admission
An application is not a promise of admission, a stake or funding.
Advice and support
Entrepreneurial support from idea to market entry: business model, business plan, financial plan and execution, with no fee upfront.
Access to investors
Once your venture is ready, we open doors to investors and funders from our network and prepare you for those conversations.
A network of excellence
Experienced entrepreneurs and specialists in software and AI, finance, sales and mental performance, plus experience from banking, consulting and fintech.
How we work.
- 01
Get to know you
We talk about where you stand and what you want to achieve.
- 02
Analyse
We look at your business model, your challenges and your options in Germany.
- 03
Implement
We define concrete measures and support you while you put them into practice.
- 04
Keep developing
If you want, we stay at your side as an entrepreneurial sparring partner.
Support may be eligible for funding.
Depending on your situation, suitable coaching and training can be supported by public programmes. We check with you which options may apply.
AVGS start-up coaching: with an approved activation and placement voucher, the employment agency or job centre covers the cost of the coaching.
- AVGS voucher
- Start-up coaching with an activation and placement voucher from the employment agency or job centre, delivered only within the approval of, and together with, the AZAV-certified provider Firmenkompass GmbH.
- Training funding
- For suitable training formats, where they are approved for the programme in question.
- Start-up grant and loans
- For example the start-up grant (Gründungszuschuss), KfW loans and the regional development banks of the German states.
Funding decisions are made solely by the responsible authority. We never promise funding.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners start a business in Germany?
In many cases, yes. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can generally set up a business on the same terms as Germans. If you come from another country, your residence permit decides whether and how you may be self-employed. Check this with the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) or an immigration lawyer before you register. The official portal Make it in Germany (opens in a new tab) is a good starting point.
What is the difference between a freelancer and a business owner?
Germany distinguishes between liberal professions (Freiberufler, for example many consultants, designers, doctors or engineers) and trade businesses (Gewerbe). The distinction affects registration, trade tax and bookkeeping. Where the line runs for your activity is decided by the tax office; we help you prepare that conversation.
Do I need a business plan?
Not by law. In practice you need one as soon as you want a bank loan, a funding programme, the start-up grant or a serious investor conversation, and it is the best way to test your idea before you spend money.
Can you help me in English?
Yes. Consultations, mentoring and written documents are available in English. If authorities or banks need documents in German, we prepare them with you.
Do you give legal or tax advice?
No. We are business consultants and mentors, not lawyers or tax advisers. Where you need legal or tax advice we tell you, and help you prepare the right questions.
Where our support ends
We are not lawyers, tax advisers or immigration advisers. We support you as entrepreneurs and business consultants. For legal, tax and residence-permit questions you work with a lawyer, tax adviser or the immigration office; we help you prepare the right questions so those meetings are short and useful.
Your next step in Germany starts with a conversation.
Business idea, registration or a decision you are stuck on: we talk it through and tell you honestly how we can help.
