“The Start-up Open Day has further strengthened my desire to create something of my own and something new. I received a lot of information on how I can bring my ideas to life,” said one participant. For example, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a speed start-up consultation, learn about funding opportunities for Female Founders, or see a 3D printer in action and learn how to use 3D printing for prototypes or visualizations.
Inspiring Hands-On Stations
The various hands-on stations included game tables where visitors could discover and test new games that aren’t yet on the market. Or they could step into the role of an entrepreneur in the specially developed role-playing game “Start-up Zero.” Visitors could also try out the LEGO® Serious Play method. “Overall, I feel well-informed, and I especially enjoyed the LEGO® workshop. I like how this method lets me shape an idea creatively and quickly,” said one participant from the LEGO® workshop.
From Theory to Practice
The Institute for Entrepreneurship demonstrated how a new start-up team formed during an entrepreneurship course and now plans to launch a soy-based protein bar. The students on the “Tofuel” team reported: “So far, we’ve mainly developed our start-up idea during our course module, so it was really cool today to see what other start-ups are out there at the university. The ideas were totally exciting!”
From Research to Practice
The other start-ups had similar experiences: “Today’s opportunity to meet other start-up projects and learn about the developments they’ve gone through was great,” said Dr. Marcel Hövels from the Sweethoven Biotech start-up team: “I also found the conversations with researchers—who are very focused on the academic path and haven’t yet given much thought to the options of starting a business or becoming self-employed—to be very motivating.” The two founders of the coaching service PhD Positive also felt encouraged: “We had great conversations today and learned, among other things, that the typical problems we help PhD students with are also being identified by master’s students and postdocs.”
A Well-Rounded Day with a Well-Rounded Program
In addition to the round scoops of ice cream that participants could enjoy to cool off, they also gained a well-rounded overview of the start-up scene at the University of Bonn. “It was exciting to see just how diverse enaCom’s offerings are! I found the opportunity to talk directly with the start-up teams and advisors particularly interesting today,” said one participant. One of the co-organizers is start-up coach Dr. Elina Hafer: “We’re thrilled that our program has generated such keen interest! Today I experienced great conversations, great start-ups, and great ideas!”
