Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Cologne

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Employment Agency in Cologne is responsible (Butzweilerhofallee 1, 50829 Köln (Ossendorf); phone 0800 4555500 (toll-free)). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), your local Jobcenter Cologne 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; on request, an in-person meeting at our office in Cologne is possible. 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 Cologne. 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. In Cologne, you can reach the Employment Agency at 0800 4555500 and the Jobcenter at 0221 96443401.

For 2025, IT.NRW counted 12,360 business registrations in Cologne, including 10,690 new establishments. The economic development agency KölnBusiness offers free advice, organizes formats such as the GründungsWiese, and coordinates the Gründungsstipendium.NRW (the state’s start-up scholarship) in Cologne. In addition, there is the STARTPLATZ incubator in the Mediapark, the Gateway start-up services of the university and TH Köln for students and researchers, and the Mediengründerzentrum NRW for start-ups in the media industry.

From the age of 25, the location depends on your postal code. Mülheim, Wiener Platz 3: 51061, 51063, 51065, 51067, and 51069. Porz, Theodor-Heuss-Straße 60-66: 51105, 51143, 51145, 51147, and 51149. Kalk, Bergischer Ring 35-39: 50679, 51103, 51107, and 51109. Mitte, Oskar-Jäger-Straße 50: 50672, 50674, 50677, 50678, 50739, 50823, 50825, and 50827. Süd, also Oskar-Jäger-Straße 50: 50676, 50829, 50858, 50859, 50931, 50933, 50935, 50937, 50939, 50968, 50969, 50996, 50997, and 50999. Nord-Nippes, Neusser Straße 450: 50667, 50668, 50670, 50733, 50735, and 50737. Nord-Chorweiler, Athener Ring 4: 50765, 50767, and 50769. If you are under 25, go to the U25 location in Mülheim, entrance Clevischer Ring 4. Appointments are given by the ServiceCenter at 0221 96443401 or via the Jobcenter’s online appointment booking.

Yes, but only for trade business owners, that is, future members of the IHK. You need an individual business plan with a text section and a figures section. This includes a revenue and profitability forecast, liquidity planning for 24 months, an investment plan, a financing plan, and your private expenses. In addition, you need the Employment Agency’s form, your CV, and, if applicable, contracts. The IHK does not accept pre-written plans or boilerplate text. If you are starting a business in the skilled crafts, go to the Handwerkskammer zu Köln. The IHK refers freelance start-ups to the municipal economic development agency KölnBusiness; whether KölnBusiness itself issues an expert opinion is something you clarify there in the initial consultation. An overview of all qualified bodies in Cologne: Start-up grant in Cologne.

That depends on your start-up. For trade, services, and other commercial start-ups, the STARTERCENTER of the IHK zu Köln is responsible (Unter Sachsenhausen 5-7, 0221 1640-4567). For the skilled crafts, it is the STARTERCENTER of the Chamber of Crafts at Heumarkt 12 (0221 2022-346). The IHK refers freelance start-ups to KölnBusiness at Börsenplatz 1. By their own account, all three offer advice free of charge.

The easiest way is online via the Wirtschafts-Service-Portal.NRW. Then you do not have to appear in person and you download the trade license as a PDF. If you prefer to come in person, you need an appointment at the business registration office in the Stadthaus Deutz, east building (Ostgebäude), Willy-Brandt-Platz 3. The department is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to noon and is closed on Wednesdays. Registration costs €26 for sole proprietorships and €33 for a GmbH or UG. You then send the questionnaire for tax registration to the tax office via ELSTER within one month.

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 matters for the start-up grant in Cologne is explained on our page Start-up grant in Cologne.