With the SALTA IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP, we support passionate individuals and small, early-stage startup teams in the first stages of their entrepreneurial journey. For us, it doesn't matter whether you want to start a for-profit or non-profit company. What matters is that you want to create social value on a large scale!
Your startup has not yet been established as a company or business.
You have identified a clear user problem that you want to solve.
You are striving for a scalable business model.
We support and accompany you on your journey to becoming a sustainable company. Our goal is to develop and promote startups that not only pursue a strong social purpose, but also want to develop a scalable business model.
Through our program, we want to help you develop a product that effectively solves a social problem, delivers social value, and is based on a viable business model.
By the end of the program, you should have developed a product that is being used by your first paying customers. The startup's founding team should be ready to launch and able to convince initial angel investors or obtain other forms of third-party financing (e.g., grants).
During your time at DPS, as well as during any possible continuation of the program, we will provide you with office space in the city or district of Munich.
Our program supports founders on their journey from the initial idea to a startup with a market-ready product. It is divided into three key phases:
The hackathon is the preparation for the program and the selection of scholarship recipients, and takes place before the actual program. The special advantage for you is that not only the team that ultimately receives funding benefits, but many more!
Many highly qualified tech talents who want to be part of a founding team or a startup participate in the hackathon. They have training in software development, data science, interaction design, marketing, or similar fields. Depending on the skills available in your team, you can complete your team in the hackathon so that you ultimately have all the skills you need for further product development.
Together with the talents, you will further develop your product in the hackathon and prepare for the next steps in the application process.
These three intensive months are all about the so-called “problem-solution fit.” Together with our team, you will sharpen your understanding of the users and the problem you want to solve. You will define your target group and develop initial innovative solutions using an iterative approach, which you will test intensively with users. You will lay the foundation for your brand and gain your first users.
You will receive close support from the DPS core team, who will accompany you in validating your idea, building a user-centered product, and developing initial approaches for a viable business model.
The following six months are all about product-market fit. You will work specifically on further developing your product and acquiring your first paying customers. At the same time, you will refine your business model, prepare for discussions with angel investors, or secure funding that will enable you to sustainably develop and grow your business.
During this phase, we will be at your side with flexible, ad hoc support—together with our partner SALTA.
Submit Your Application!
Application process closed.
Selection will be made on an ongoing basis based on the applications received. So be quick and apply now—places are limited!
Applying is quick and easy: We need a short introduction to the existing team, preferably in video form. We also need a description of the problem you want to solve and the people affected. If you already have a product idea or an idea for solving the problem, please share it with us. We are also interested in your ideas regarding the business model, even if this plays a minor role at this early stage.
Applications are currently closed.
Participation in the Hackathon
3.5 Days @ Munich Urban Colab, Freddy-Mercury-Straße 5, 80797 Munich
After an initial selection based on your application, selected candidates and teams will be invited to a hackathon at Munich Urban Colab. At the hackathon, we will connect you with highly qualified tech talents who want to be part of a startup team. The goal of the hackathon is to further develop your product in the shortest possible time and be ready to present it to our jury.
The hackathon starts on Tuesday afternoon with team building and initial ideation sessions. On the second and third days, you will work intensively on your prototypes before presenting your ideas and developments on Friday afternoon/evening.
Pitch in Front of our Jury
Munich Urban Colab, Freddy-Mercury-Straße 5, 80797 Munich
After the hackathon, selected teams will have the opportunity to present their refined ideas to a jury. This jury will then make the final decision on who can participate in the program.
Participation in the Digital Product School
The program takes place in person at the UnternehmerTUM offices in Garching.
The winning team selected in the hackathon will participate in the three-month DPS program and receive intensive support in developing the problem-solution fit, the brand, and initial ideas for the business model.
Scholarship: €2,000 per person per month
Development Phase
Until May 31, 2026 @ office space in the city or district of Munich
The DPS is followed by a 6-month development phase to create a scalable business model. Admission to this phase is subject to certain criteria regarding product development and business model.
Scholarship: €2,000 per person per month
Office: We provide you with office space in the city or district of Munich.
Apply here using our form.
Selection will be made on an ongoing basis based on the applications received. So be quick and apply now—places are limited!
In the first step, we need the following information and documents from you:
Applications are currently closed.
The organizations behind the SALTA IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP.
The Salta Foundation gGmbH is a catalyst for positive change, operating at the intersection of health, nature, culture, and innovation. Inspired by the Spanish word saltar—to jump—we support communities and initiatives in taking bold and transformative leaps toward a more sustainable and equitable future. As a non-profit organization, we specifically promote social entrepreneurship that solves social or environmental problems through innovative, economically viable approaches. Our focus is on maximizing positive social impact rather than purely generating profit.
The Social Impact Republic is an initiative of several German startup- and innovation centers with the aim of building a bridge between the high-tech startup scene and the social entrepreneurship sector in order to promote technological innovations with a positive social impact.
The DPS is a three-month full-time training program offered by UnternehmerTUM. The program is aimed at students and graduates from around the world who want to gain practical experience in developing digital products. In interdisciplinary teams, participants work together in roles such as software developer, AI engineer, product manager, interaction designer, or product marketing manager to develop innovative, user-centered digital products that solve real-world problems.
UnternehmerTUM GmbH is Europe's leading center for innovation and startups and sees itself as an innovation ecosystem that connects startups, science, talent, and industry to develop technological solutions for the major challenges of our time.
