Gründungsstipendium.NRW approved

On 10 June 2026 the notification arrived: the Gründungsstipendium.NRW, the NRW founders' grant, has been approved for CABITREE. The funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia runs through Projektträger Jülich, starts in mid-August 2026 and accompanies the founding for twelve months.

The road there was a chapter of its own: from the first concept paper in the summer of 2025, via the pitch to the jury of IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein, the regional chamber of commerce, and its letter of recommendation in March, to the application — and now the approval.

What this means for building CABITREE

The grant is tied to the founder as a person and secures the founding phase. In practical terms: twelve months of concentrated work on CABITREE, without a side job splitting the attention. It comes with regular coaching through the regional founders' network — an experienced outside view that insists on milestones and questions assumptions.

The plan itself is clear. At the centre stands the development of TreePass into an audit-ready platform for land, monitoring and documentation; alongside it, the further development of the paulownia-based material, and in the course of the funding year, the formal incorporation of the company.

We are grateful for the trust — and we take it for what it is: not a goal, but tailwind. From August on, what counts is what we make of it. We will report here as things move forward.