Kirill founded BeFunded and GrantBite to simplify funding access and recover eligible R&D costs.
BeFunded and GrantBite were founded by Kirill Rubinstein to address two different challenges within the funding ecosystem: recovering eligible R&D costs and simplifying access to funding opportunities.
Germany-based BeFunded focuses on helping companies navigate the German Forschungszulage program, a government-backed tax reimbursement initiative that allows eligible businesses to reclaim up to 35% of their research and development expenditure.
The program has existed since 2020 and is available to taxable companies in Germany engaged in experimental development or research activities. Unlike competitive grant systems, the Forschungszulage is not limited by application quotas. Companies that meet the eligibility requirements can receive reimbursement for qualifying R&D expenses.
Despite the scale of the program, many eligible companies still do not apply.
One of the main reasons is the complexity of the process itself. Applications require detailed technical documentation, structured project descriptions, compliance with BSFZ requirements, and coordination with tax authorities. For many companies especially startups and mid-sized businesses the administrative workload becomes a significant barrier.
After successfully applying for the Forschungszulage for his own companies and recovering close to EUR3 million in R&D costs per company, Rubinstein launched BeFunded to support other businesses managing the same process.
Today, BeFunded works with companies across different industries, supporting them with BSFZ certification, technical documentation, project structuring, application preparation, and tax office submissions. The company also pre-screens projects before submission to assess eligibility and reduce unnecessary application risks.
According to the company, more than 60 clients have been supported since advisory operations began, with fewer than three rejected applications.
While operating in the German R&D reimbursement sector, the team identified another recurring issue affecting companies beyond Germany“s tax incentive framework.
Many businesses were struggling not only with reimbursement programs, but with funding discovery itself.
Across Europe and internationally, companies are faced with a fragmented ecosystem of grants, subsidies, accelerators, public funding schemes, and innovation programs. Each opportunity typically comes with different eligibility requirements, deadlines, application procedures, and regional restrictions.
For startups and growing companies, identifying relevant opportunities often requires extensive manual research or external consulting support. In many cases, potentially relevant funding programs are missed entirely due to lack of visibility or limited internal resources.
This led to the development of GrantBite.
GrantBite is an AI-powered funding discovery platform designed to help startups, companies, organizations, researchers, and individuals identify relevant funding opportunities worldwide.
The platform aggregates and organizes funding programs across multiple sectors and geographies, allowing users to search for grants, subsidies, competitions, accelerators, and innovation support programs through AI-assisted matching and filtering systems.
Where BeFunded focuses specifically on Germany“s Forschungszulage reimbursement process, GrantBite addresses the broader challenge of navigating the global funding landscape.
Although the two companies operate in different areas of the market, both platforms were developed around the same operational problem: access to funding information and funding processes remains highly fragmented and difficult to navigate for many businesses.
BeFunded approaches the issue through specialized support within Germany“s R&D reimbursement framework. GrantBite approaches it through scalable funding discovery technology designed for international use.
Together, the two platforms represent different stages of the funding cycle helping companies identify funding opportunities and helping them recover eligible innovation expenditure already invested into research and development activities.
As public funding programs, innovation incentives, and R&D reimbursement schemes continue expanding across Europe and globally, both companies position themselves within a growing market focused on improving access to non-dilutive funding and reducing administrative barriers for businesses.
GrantBite“s AI algorithms intelligently match organizations with relevant funding opportunities, reducing time spent searching across fragmented databases. Initial setup requires precise project details to improve accuracy. Still, strong filtering, real-time alerts, and centralized tracking make it ideal for nonprofits, startups, and research-driven teams seeking faster funding outcomes.
Contact
GrantBite
Kirill Rubinstein
Rathausgasse 17
12529 Schönefeld
Phone: +49176446028 13
E-Mail: 
Url: https://grantbite.com/
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