Success-based · no success-rate promises

About us

Your guide through the research allowance.

Zulagenlotse specialises in the difficult first part of the research allowance (Forschungszulage): the BSFZ certificate and the application preparation. We deliberately take a different approach from the market – with verifiable claims instead of advertising promises.

Engineering team discussing a development project

Why Zulagenlotse exists

The funding consultancy market is full of providers advertising with unproven rates like “98 % success rate”. That is legally questionable – and does not help companies. We deliberately do the opposite: genuine niche depth, a transparent evidence logic and radical transparency.

Our focus is on the BSFZ certification procedure – the part where most first-time applications fail. We translate your development work into a presentation that is in line with the review guidelines: knowledge gap, technical risk, systematic approach and a clean separation from routine.

Our principles

Zulagenlotse at a glance

  • Brand ofHebestreit Capital GmbH
  • Registered officeHamburg
  • FocusBSFZ certificate & application preparation
  • Fee10 % success-based

Radical transparency

Clear fees, an honest assessment, no unproven success rates. We will also tell you when an application is not worth it.

Evidence logic, not sales logic

We think like the BSFZ: knowledge gap, technical risk, systematic approach. “Research language instead of development language” is our craft.

Shared risk as partners

Success-based and with fair payment terms: we share the economic default risk with you until the funds are received.

Team

Who is behind Zulagenlotse

Portrait of Simon Hebestreit

Simon Hebestreit

Founder & funding consultant

Simon Hebestreit is the founder of Zulagenlotse and guides companies through the BSFZ certification process for the research allowance. His focus: demonstrating a project’s R&D activity so it holds up against the criteria of the Frascati Manual and the BSFZ review guidelines – from the knowledge gap and the description of risk through to the tabular work plan.

Qualifications & experience

  • Practice-tested application methodology from fully handling several BSFZ projects – validated iteratively with funding experts
  • Specialisation in “research language instead of development language” and the delineation under the BSFZ review guidelines
  • Cross-sector application experience – from software & AI to mechanical engineering

Contact: [email protected]

Are you eligible? Find out for free.

The funding check is free, non-binding and takes just a few minutes. You’ll learn whether – and roughly how much – a BSFZ application is worth for you.