Getting fit for your own start-up
Without bold innovation, even outside large companies, the German economy is likely to have a hard time in the coming decades. Many of today’s internet giants may not have started in the proverbial “garage”, but they did start with an idea and the necessary entrepreneurial spirit to believe in this idea and develop it into a product. This spirit is what the THM’s currently running Ideeco-Summits, which are intended to prepare people to take part in the university’s own start-up competition Ideeco, aim to awaken. “The goal is to prepare people so well that they have a chance of passing the competition at the end,” says Christian Abt from the Friedberg Learning Factory, who organises the Ideeco and the Summits.
MK Versuchsanlagen und Laborbedarf e.K., a company that supports the summits both financially as a sponsor and with technical expertise, is also on board as a partner. More than 60 people interested in setting up a business are currently listening to online lectures, reports on the experiences of other founders and short training sessions. In three blocks of several days, the young innovators are to be given the tools they need to make it to the market and to survive there. In week one, Christian Abt, Anja Shabadi and Prof. Holger Rohn, all from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, taught techniques ranging from business plans to the necessary powers of observation and sustainable thinking.
In week two, MK Versuchsanlagen from Mücke was a main partner: the entrepreneur’s daughter and manager Annekathrin Walter spoke about business succession, Christopher Matych as head of finance and human resources presented the essential aspects of his field of activity, and Dr Christopher Keil as head of research and development allowed a glimpse into the life of a product from development to approvals to scaling. Christian Zinke, founder of Keimgrün from Leun, also spoke about e-commerce and sustainability.
The third and final week dealt with the topics of financial planning, funding and establishing a company or start-up story in order to be able to survive a presentation to financiers in a protected space, or at best later in real life. The Sparkasse Oberhessen, also a partner in the Ideeco competition, imparts knowledge and requirements.
28.6.2021 Text: THM / MK Versuchsanlagen