Interview with Steinbeis founders: financing and subsidies situation in 2023
Speaker

Steinbeis
The war in Ukraine and the consequences of the COVID pandemic have serious consequences for many companies. You are dealing with a high number of corporate clients in the area of financing and subsidies, how do you currently assess the situation?
Christian
The combination of inflation, significantly increased energy costs, the aftermath of the Corona pandemic and the general uncertainty has serious consequences for many companies. Current studies show that the Ukraine war could cost the German economy more than 260 billion euros in value added by 2030.
Steinbeis
But there are also industries that are not so affected
Christian
That's right. In our daily dealings with companies, a very differentiated picture emerges for us. Companies from the medical technology, software, building materials and packaging, semiconductors and sensor technology sectors, for example, have mostly reported very positive figures for revenue growth and profitability so far, even in the first three quarters of 2022. These companies have no problems obtaining additional funding for investments. However, public funding is also very exciting for these companies and in cooperation with us, companies receive funding quotas of up to 45% for many investment/innovation projects.
Steinbeis
What are currently the challenges for you and your clients in the area of corporate finance?
Dieter
COVID has been with us since 2020 and currently we have the energy crisis and inflation. For some companies it has been a successful year, for others it is already a very difficult situation. Financiers have become more restrictive in their financial policies. We see a need above all for the introduction and optimisation of reporting, in the preparation of bank discussions and the optimisation of financing conditions. Transparency and financial communication of companies is an essential point for successful negotiations with financiers. We support companies in this area with our expertise.
Steinbeis
What conclusions can you draw from the 2007/2008 financial crisis. What is important for companies today?
Dieter
Experience has shown that professional financial communication by companies of figures and development are crucial for successful talks. This builds trust with the financiers/banks. They are well informed and can assess their commitment well even in times of crisis. As a partner of the companies, we accompany the development of reporting and are available to the management as a sparring partner.