This is YEEP
Take the next step into your entrepreneurial future
The 12-month scholarship programme consists of exciting modules such as regular mentoring sessions and practical projects. YEEP is designed to flexibly complement your full school day.
YEEP enables you to get to know companies and startups in practical projects and thus expand your knowledge of future-oriented technologies.
YEEP's primary goal is to support and guide you individually according to your needs and goals. We work with you to find the right path for you.
Through YEEP, you will get to know a wide variety of people from the Baden-Württemberg innovation ecosystem and beyond in order to build a network for the future.
YEEP gives you the opportunity to receive ECTS credits for your future university degree.
Aufbau
Organise your year at YEEP according to your needs
Over the course of one school year, you will complete four core modules
At the hut weekend in October, you will get to know the other participants and the YEEP team and start your YEEP Journey.
Work on practical projects from innovative companies, startups or on your own idea. These strategic projects can range from the conception of a product or prototype to the development of market entry strategies and pricing and are freely selectable.
hybrid learning | teams of 3/4 people | flexible time commitment
Visit the global players and innovative startups in our region on two exciting excursions and get to know the technologies of today and tomorrow. Get to know potential employers for internships, student traineeships or even the start of your career.
on site | groups | 4-6 hours/visit
Learn more about the topics that really interest you in monthly discussions and workshops. Have a say in what you learn in the hybrid expert sessions and decide whether you want to take part digitally or in person.
hybrid | groups | 2-4 hours/visit
Pursue your goals and let experienced experts in your field of interest accompany you for a year. Gain an insight into their industry and professional life and turn their experience into your ace up your sleeve.
by arrangement | individual | 1-2 hours/month
At the final event, we will celebrate your growth and the successes you have already achieved as part of YEEP.
Application phase
You want to be part of it? The current application period runs until 15.06.2025. After we have reviewed your application, you will be informed of our decision by email.
Conditions of participation
The scholarship for your entrepreneurial career
YEEP is just right for you if you are highly motivated and want to start your entrepreneurial future and the following criteria apply to you.
You’re a high school student or currently taking a gap year
You live in Baden-Württemberg
You’re aged between 16 and 20
You are entrepreneurially pre-qualified
For YEEP, you are entrepreneurially qualified if you have taken part in a partner programme or a student company or have gained private entrepreneurial experience.
Experts become mentors
Optimal support from experienced mentors
As part of the 1on1 mentoring programme, you will have a mentor at your side for a year with whom you can regularly exchange ideas.
Tom Plümmer
Founder & CEO
Wingcopter
1TP5Drone startup
#globalinnovator
As co-founder and CEO of Wingcopter, my mission is to improve the lives of people around the world through our delivery drones.
Munay Zamorano
Entrepreneur & Mentor
New Natural GmbH
#beauty&trade
#networking
My first job was as an entrepreneur. With me, there's plain language in the startup process!
Jochen Wolf
Coach and mentor for startups
Flores Farm GmbH & Jochen Wolf Coaching
#import
#givingresonance
In 30 years of entrepreneurship, I have got to know myself intensively. I will give you insights into my defeats and I am a sensitive and fearless counterpart.
Andreas Kratzer
Founder & Managing Director
frida+paul
#organisationalconsulting
#empathy
Approach every challenge as a beginner - because beginners are inquisitive, open, curious and want to learn - and I see these as important qualities for really penetrating and solving challenges in life and in the world of work.
Christin Matern
Organisational and personnel development
Media HoldingSouth
#mediaindustry
#systemiccoaching
As a qualified business psychologist (M.Sc.) and systemic coach, I support people and organisations in their development and growth process.
Rita Ehses
Managing Director
Novatec Consulting GmbH
IT consulting and software engineering
#relationshipbuilding
#leadership
I have been in the people business for around 25 years and still enjoy making a difference. I look forward to passing on my experience and supporting you in the realisation of your ideas.
Lucie Prinz
Chief People Officer
Volocopter GmbH
#aviation
#empathic
Lucie grew up in Belfast and came to Germany over 10 years ago, where she now takes care of HR issues at Volocopter as a mother of 3 children.
Manuel Heckmann
Associate Partner
Greencode Ventures
#venturecapital
#self-awareness
I am an experienced founder, entrepreneur and investor with 10 years of leadership experience. My entrepreneurial journey started at the age of 14 when I developed a vocabulary learning database for my school mates and myself. In a next life I would like to be a sea otter and until then I am collecting karma points as a vegan and yogi.
Marie Reger
Founder
femfeel
#femtech
#energy
With femfeel, we are on a mission to help women experience a symptom-free menopause. We founded femfeel straight out of university without external capital, sold our company after 2.5 years and are still working passionately on scaling femfeel. I look forward to sharing my learnings, asking you the right questions about current challenges and inspiring you to start your own business.
Jascha Mähler
Co-Founder & Impact Advisor
WILDPLASTIC
#sustainability
#socialenterprise
I can give an honest insight into starting a business straight after school, without having to go down the path of studying or training.
Florine from Caprivi
CRO & Co-Founder
reteach
#hr-tech #ed-tech
#serialfounder
Together with me, you will discover more talents and abilities in yourself than you realise, and I will support you in bringing them out of yourself.
Nicolas Wörn
Co-Founder
CacaoVida
#internalstartup
#entrepreneurship
As co-founder of the Ritter Sport startup CacaoVida and with many years of experience in various areas - from production and research & development to the management of training and further education - I have gained valuable experience from different perspectives.
Dörthe Möller
Senior Consultant Organisational Development
ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG
#outdoorpowerequipment
#relationshipbuilding
For almost 20 years, I have been gaining experience in different international companies in various industries and in different positions - a broad spectrum that I would like to contribute.
Tim Gegg
General Partner
Mätch VC
#venturecapital
#matchmaker
My path from mechanical engineer in product development, via digitalisation and corporate venturing into venture capital, has allowed me to gain a wide range of different experiences.
Roman Fehrenbach
Business Designer
Hansgrohe SE
#sanitaryindustry
#careersupport
With my experience in coaching startups and teams working on innovations, I help to recognise what is really critical about an idea and effectively reduce uncertainties.
Luciana Dinu
Digital Insights Practice Lead
Nagarro
#itserviceprovider
#leadership
I am all about building and strengthening first-class consulting teams for innovative companies. It's like turning the rules of leadership on their head - spreading transparency, bringing a human touch and breaking the status quo.
Patrick Nennewitz
COO & Investor
ex-NXTGN & ex-Kärcher New Ventures
#finance
#businessmodelling
As an investor, manager & co-founder, I have already taken on many perspectives in the startup world and got to know numerous business ideas.
Vivien Luhm
Change and communication manager, team coach
adesso SE
#it-services
#agilessoftwaredevelopment
I advise and support digital and agile product development and implementation in complex customer situations and organisations with a focus on change.
Florian Scherl
Co-Founder & CEO
FAST AI Movies
#artificialintelligence
#edtech
I can show you how you can achieve great things at a young age through self-learning and a passion for technology - whether it's teaching yourself to code, developing your first AI model or starting your own business.
Prof Dr Anja Höft
Professor for behaviour-oriented innovation and project management
Stuttgart Media University
#education
#product development
Innovation is my passion and has been with me for over 10 years - I would be happy to help you take your idea to the next level.
Philipp Bühner
Innovation Manager - Startup Engagement
Hansgrohe SE
#sanitaryindustry
#foundingexperience
With a passion for innovation & technology, my openness and creativity, I help you to turn ideas into reality and turn users into enthusiastic customers.
Gerald Schreiber
Founder and managing partner
Schreiber Holding GmbH
#customercare service
#plateedgeunknown
Full-blooded entrepreneurs have a responsibility for the success of their companies and a social responsibility.
Ann Stärkel
VP Partnerships & Growth
Flip App
#hr&communication
#growth
Ann Kathrin Stärkel is VP Partnerships and Growth at Flip and is responsible for (International) Partnerships & Expansion, while she is also active as an Investment Committee Member at Mätch VC.
Malte Busato
Chief Sales Officer
Southwest Media Network
#media
#digitaltransformation
My passion lies in working with people and developing marketing strategies, media, sales and organisational structures. Since 2010, I have been actively shaping the digital transformation in various publishing houses, always with the aim of connecting brands and media in a contemporary way and realising potential.
Stephan Dengler
Founder and Managing Director
chargeIQ
#e-mobility
#empathy
Found the way from "corporate-only"!
Bettina Lichtner
Chief Business Development Officer
AOK BW
#health
#relationships
For over 30 years I have been creating better connections and relationships, whether with our customers or with employees and managers - in the here and now and for the future.
Look forward to meeting many more mentors from different areas!
YEEP COMMUNITY
Making a difference together
Become part of the YEEP community and interact with unique personalities throughout your YEEP Journey and beyond. For example, visit the Young Founders Network events or network online with like-minded people from all over Germany.
Preliminary and follow-up programmes
These offers are an ideal complement to YEEP
Can't get enough? No problem! Here you will find an overview of various programmes, competitions and grants that we would like to recommend to you
ETA - Entrepreneurship Talent Academy
Community partnership
The Entrepreneurship Talent Academy - Discover your startup talent! scholarship programme encourages students to discover and develop their entrepreneurial skills.
FFI
Community partnership
The Future Founders Initiative offers the opportunity to develop a startup idea from scratch in an interactive workshop weekend with exciting people.
Youth Founding
Programme partnership
Jugend Gründet is a business plan and business game competition for students and trainees from all over Germany.
Startup Teens
Programme partnership
At the non-profit initiative STARTUP TEENS, you can learn how to realise your own ideas free of charge. No matter whether you want to become a founder, company successor or intrapreneur!
YFN - Young Founders Network
Community partnership
The Young Founders Network is a collective of young founders and startup enthusiasts. They share a passion for "tackling things themselves". They don't rely on the world to improve, but strive to be the change we've been waiting for.
YouStartN
Promotion partnership
With youstartN, the Stiftung Bildung offers support for sustainable student and trainee companies and co-operatives within schools and vocational training.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about YEEP
You can take part in YEEP if you are 16-20 years old, come from Baden-Württemberg, are a student or have just finished school and have previous entrepreneurial experience.
Do you meet all the participation criteria - i.e. are you 16-20 years old, are you or were you at school in Baden-Württemberg and already have previous entrepreneurial experience? Then you can apply now for the 2nd batch of YEEP..
Der aktuelle Bewerbungszeitraum läuft zwischen dem 01.04.2025 und dem 15.06.2025. Nachdem wir deine Bewerbung gesichtet haben, wirst du per Mail über unsere Entscheidung informiert. Anschließend laden wir eine ausgewählte Gruppe an Bewerber:innen zu weiterführenden Kennenlerngesprächen am 17., 24. oder 25.06.2025 ein.
Simply send your questions to aziza.lichtner@join-nxtgn.com.
Yes, thanks to the co-operation with the Vector Stiftung an the Karl Schlecht Stiftung, YEEP is a non-material scholarship and is therefore free of charge for everyone.
YEEP is designed to flexibly complement your full school day.
As soon as you have attended all the necessary basic modules, you will receive a certificate from us confirming your performance and the time you have spent on the programme. You can present this to the examinations office at your university or college once you have started your degree programme and will receive credit for your achievements from YEEP in the form of ECTS points.
From our perspective, you are entrepreneurially qualified if you have taken part in a partner programme such as Jugend gründet, the Entrepreneurship Talent Academy or Startup Teens. Alternatively, participation in a school company or private entrepreneurial experience are also valid.
We recommend that you participate in one of our partner programmes:
CONTACT
Ready to take off with YEEP?
Do you fancy YEEP, but aren't sure if you're ready for it yet? Then tell Valeria about your experiences so far.
Valeria Levtchenko
Programme Manager YEEP
YEEP is a project of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Stuttgart and the NXTGN state initiative, in cooperation with the Stuttgart Media University.
The project is funded by the Karl Schlecht Foundation and the Vector Foundation.
More information about YEEP is available on the Project page.
