Start-up Summer School
Create your own start-up in 5 days: This is the Start-up Summer School organised by the Transfer Center enaCom (University of Bonn) and the Start-up-Manufaktur, the start-up centre of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (11-15 August 2025, 10 am - 5 pm). Here you will develop your own start-up ideas in a team. You will be supported by our experienced coaches and learn everything you need to know about founding a company. In addition, successful founders enrich our programme with authentic insights into the real start-up world. The Summer School takes place in the Transfer Centre (Brühler Str. 7, 53119 Bonn) and in the DIGITALHUB (Am Hauptbahnhof 6, 53111 Bonn).
No idea of your own? No problem - your enthusiasm is all you need!
Every interested member of the University of Bonn and H-BRS is welcome: Students, academics, employees, alumni.
The next Start-up Summer School will take place from August 10–14, 2026.
Program
The Summer School offers a varied mix: every day there is a professional impulse for the planned daily goal as well as method training with personal guidance. There is also plenty of time for research and individual or team work. In between, you will regularly present your results and progress and receive personal feedback from the trainers and the group.
Places are limited, so register quickly!
Agenda and course content
You will start with an introduction and get to know the other participants. After a creative brainstorming session, you will form teams and develop your first business models—supported by GenAI and Perplexity.
You formulate hypotheses about customer needs and test them directly in the field. Through interviews with potential users, you gather valuable feedback and refine your ideas iteratively.
After further interviews, you will analyze market size, competition, and trends. An inspiring keynote speech and testimonials from successful founders will give you valuable insights.
You develop initial prototypes or mock-ups of your products/services. Then you refine your pitches to present your business idea convincingly.
Professional communication training will prepare you for the stage. You will then present your ideas to a jury of experienced founders and coaches.
After five informative, exciting, and perhaps exhausting days of work at the Start-up Spring School, you will not only have gained important business experience, but you will also receive a certificate for participating in this professional training program.
Review
Start-up Summer School 2025
At the 2026 Summer School, participants gained practical insights into the various stages of idea development and key startup topics. They also had the opportunity to connect with established entrepreneurs and build a network.
Start-up Summer School 2024
The theme of the 2024 Summer School was “Ideas with Impact”: All of the concepts developed by the participants were required to address a social issue. In the final round, four projects were presented that offered both economic and social benefits.
Start-up Summer School 2023
At the 2023 Summer School, participants enjoyed an intensive week filled with learning, discussion, and the development of ideas. There was a particular focus on social entrepreneurship, which was reflected in the pitches presented to the jury at the end of the week.
Contact us
Dr. Alexander Küsshauer
Dr. Elina Hafer