The bank believes in your project, but you lack collateral? Then a Bürgschaftsbank (state guarantee bank) can step in, if your business plan convinces it. VENTUREPLAN helps you get there.
Starts with the “Loan Application (Bank & KfW)” template
Every German state has a Bürgschaftsbank (state guarantee bank). It provides default guarantees for loans to founders and small businesses when their own collateral isn't enough, usually for up to 80% of the loan amount. This lowers the risk for the lending bank and makes a loan possible that would otherwise fail for lack of collateral. Many Bürgschaftsbanken also offer a “Bürgschaft ohne Bank” (guarantee without a bank): you apply directly and then go to the bank with a guarantee commitment. Either way, your business plan is the basis for the decision.
The Bürgschaftsbank reviews like a bank: capital requirements, financing, profitability, cash flow and debt service for at least three years.
Traditionally, your Hausbank (your main bank) applies for the guarantee on your behalf. With the “Bürgschaft ohne Bank”, you apply yourself and go to the bank with the commitment, which strengthens your negotiating position.
There's often a personal meeting where you present your project and answer questions about assumptions and risks.
With the guarantee commitment, the bank signs the loan agreement. The guarantee covers the entire loan or a fixed portion of it.
During the term, the bank and the Bürgschaftsbank expect regular figures, such as annual financial statements.
Chapter by chapter: what the reviewer wants to see in each part.
01
Project, capital requirements, requested loan, guarantee needed and repayment, on one page.
02
Professional and business experience. Bürgschaftsbanken guarantee for people, not just numbers.
03
What you sell, to whom, at what prices and with what margin.
04
Demand, competitors and your advantage, ideally with evidence such as market data, pre-contracts or customer commitments.
05
Complete capital requirements and a financing plan that shows how your own funds, the loan and the guarantee work together.
06
Three years of profitability planning and monthly cash flow planning for the first year.
07
Interest and repayments must be payable from the cash flow after private withdrawals.
08
Openly named risks with countermeasures and an overview of the collateral you have. This is where it becomes clear what the guarantee is needed for.
This is how the people deciding on your application think.
The Bürgschaftsbank replaces missing collateral, not a weak business model. The plan has to convince on its own.
If you name no risks, you come across as inexperienced. Name them openly and show how you'll deal with them.
Without a repayment schedule and debt service calculation, the most important question goes unanswered.
If you only think of a guarantee after a bank rejection, you lose time. With the guarantee without a bank, you can reverse the order.
The chapter structure covers what banks and Bürgschaftsbanken review, including risks and collateral.
Enter loans, your own funds and grants. Capital requirements and financing plan, repayment schedule and debt service table are generated automatically.
A specialized AI advisor checks debt service capacity, plausibility and how you present risks, before the Bürgschaftsbank does.
Export the same plan for your Hausbank and the Bürgschaftsbank, cleanly formatted as PDF or Word.
Founders often combine these routes or weigh them against each other.
KfW's ERP-Gründerkredit – StartGeld: up to €200,000 through your Hausbank, with KfW taking on 80% of the risk. The bank requires a bankable business plan.
Read the guideHow to get a start-up or investment loan from your Hausbank with a bankable business plan: documents, the bank meeting and debt service.
Read the guideGrant from the Agentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) for people on ALG I (unemployment benefit) who go self-employed full-time. You need a viable business plan.
Read the guideWhen your bank would in principle finance the project, but your own collateral isn't enough. The Bürgschaftsbank then takes on part of the default risk.
Usually up to 80% of the loan amount. Maximum amounts and percentages vary by state and type of loan.
With this procedure, you apply directly to the Bürgschaftsbank before you talk to a bank. You then go to the bank with the guarantee commitment. Many Bürgschaftsbanken offer this, usually up to a certain guarantee amount.
Usually a one-time processing fee and an ongoing annual guarantee commission. The exact rates are set by each Bürgschaftsbank.
Yes, that's common. KfW partly releases the bank from liability, and the Bürgschaftsbank provides additional cover when collateral is lacking. Which combination fits is something you clarify with the bank and the Bürgschaftsbank.
The guarantee protects the bank, not you. You have to repay the loan in full, and the bank or Bürgschaftsbank often also requires personal co-liability.
You can create, edit and preview your business plan for free, no credit card required. To download it as PDF or Word, you upgrade the plan to Pro once, including AI credits. No subscription.
Last reviewed: 16 October 2026. VENTUREPLAN is an independent service and is not affiliated with any of the funding bodies mentioned. All information without guarantee; the current guidelines and the decision of the responsible body are what count.
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