Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Berlin

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Berlin Employment Agency responsible for your place of residence is your point of contact (e.g., Berlin Mitte: Charlottenstr. 87-90, 10969 Berlin; phone 0800 4555500). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), your local Jobcenter Berlin is responsible. 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 relevant Berlin Employment Agency. 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. All three Berlin agencies can be reached at 0800 4555500, and your Jobcenter at the phone number for your district.

The Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg counted 43,200 business registrations in Berlin in 2025, including 40,013 new business formations; women registered just over a third of the newly registered sole proprietorships (36.4%). According to figures from the Startup-Verband (German Startups Association), which are not official statistics, 619 start-ups were founded in Berlin in 2025, more than in any other German city; per inhabitant, however, Munich was ahead. Students and researchers will find start-up centers at many Berlin universities, and innovative teams can apply for the Berliner Startup Stipendium (Berlin start-up scholarship). For Start-up Week Germany (Gründungswoche Deutschland), the official calendar lists the InspirationsLABOR-Marathon for women founders of international origin in Berlin on November 19, 2026.

That depends on the district where you live. The Employment Agency Berlin Mitte is responsible for Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (Charlottenstraße 87-90), Mitte (Beuthstraße 7), Lichtenberg (Gotlindestraße 93), and Marzahn-Hellersdorf (Janusz-Korczak-Straße 32). Berlin Nord covers Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Königin-Elisabeth-Straße 49), Pankow, Reinickendorf, and Spandau. Berlin Süd covers Neukölln (Sonnenallee 282), Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, and Treptow-Köpenick. You can reach all three at 0800 4555500; you book appointments online, and without an appointment you can only come in urgent cases.

The Jobcenter of your district is responsible; Berlin has twelve. Pankow (Storkower Straße 133, special team at 030 5555 34 4446), Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (Landsberger Allee 50/52), Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Goslarer Ufer 37), and Marzahn-Hellersdorf (Beilsteiner Straße 113) name their own teams for self-employed people. In Lichtenberg, every team has contact persons trained in start-ups. Bring a start-up concept to your first meeting; Pankow explicitly provides advice only then. The Jobcenter pays the entry allowance at its discretion for a maximum of 24 months; there is no legal entitlement to it.

For commercial start-ups based in Berlin, the IHK Berlin charges €70 plus VAT; you receive the invoice when you collect the opinion. You send the documents unbound by post or hand them in at the Service Center; the IHK does not accept them by email, and processing currently takes around four weeks. The documents include the agency’s original form, the signed agreement, your business plan, a capital requirements and financing plan, a revenue and profitability forecast or a liquidity plan for at least twelve months, your CV, certificates, and your private expenses. In the skilled crafts, the Chamber of Crafts issues the expert opinion free of charge according to its information sheet. For freelance professions, trade associations, chambers, or the Berliner Beratungsdienst der Wirtschaftssenioren (a consulting service of retired business experts), which charges according to effort, are options. Where the expert opinion fits into the start-up grant application is explained on our page Start-up grant in Berlin.

At the Ordnungsamt of the district where your business is located; there is no central trade office. Online registration works for sole proprietorships, GbR, GmbH, and UG with the BundID (the federal digital user account); you pay the €15 fee there by credit card. At the Ordnungsamt counter, registration costs €26, or €31 for a legal entity with one authorized representative. The Ordnungsamt forwards your registration to the tax office, the chamber, and the statutory accident insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft). You then send the questionnaire for tax registration via ELSTER within one month. The public service number 115 can also tell you which Ordnungsamt is responsible.

No. The three cities are in Brandenburg, where Brandenburg Employment Agencies and Jobcenters are responsible. Berlin state programs usually do not fit either: the IBB microloan requires business premises in Berlin, and “Coaching vor der Gründung” requires residence in Berlin. What the route looks like in Potsdam is described on our page AVGS coaching in Potsdam. Our start-up coaching with an AVGS takes place online and is therefore possible from anywhere.

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. What the start-up grant in Berlin involves is explained on our page Start-up grant in Berlin.