ASAP Final #12 - "Sound-insulating bolt" becomes overall winner
On Tuesday, 16 July 2024, the ASAP Final (powered by NXTGN) took place for the twelfth time. This year, the 26 best university-related teams from all over Baden-Württemberg pitched their ideas live in the Zoom stream and via YouTube. High-calibre prizes awaited the winners - the overall winner was "Schall-Dämm-Bolzen" from Biberach University of Applied Sciences. This is the Academic Seed...
Federal Startup Factories competition: NXTGN in the next round
The federal Startup Factories competition aims to establish five to ten Startup Factories throughout Germany as central contact points for innovations. From Baden-Württemberg, a newly formed association consisting of leading institutions from science and industry is entering the next round of the competition. The association, which will be known as NXTGN in future, consists of the Karlsruhe Institute of...
Changed rules of the game in venture capital
As a Founding Partner at Mätch VC, Dr Tim Gegg is at the heart of the action between social tensions, trends, crises, investors and startups. In the following, he gives a brief insight into the current challenges he perceives, changed framework conditions, new opportunities and their influence on the financing of start-ups. This text was written by Dr Tim Gegg...
Tabularis.AI wins the ASAP BW Final #11
On 14 February 2024, the best university-related teams from all over Baden-Württemberg came together at the ASAP BW Final #11 to present their innovative ideas. Tabularis.AI from the University of Heidelberg and the University of Tübingen was named the overall winner. Picture: The moderators Christian Veit and Sebastian Demuth as well as June Nardiello (Director Gründermotor Landesinitiative - Hochschule der...
Developing new ideas with design thinking
What is design thinking? How do we develop creative ideas? How can we solve complex (customer) problems in our start-up in a targeted manner? Design thinking is an extremely valuable method for generating creative ideas, tackling complex problems and establishing a customer-centred approach. The method promotes collaboration, empathy and flexibility in teams and offers a proven method for...
Discussion event: How can innovations get from university to the world faster?
The start-up engine at the discussion event at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation in Berlin. Science Minister Petra Olschowski: "Baden-Württemberg offers the best conditions for innovative start-ups and spin-offs. With new funding for start-up hubs, we are reaching a new level". The strongest universities in the south-west are joining forces with Gründermotor. The advancing climate change, the energy crisis and the changing labour market pose...
Questions for the Stuttgart-based start-up PROSERVATION
Lisa, Sophia, Nils and Henning, four friends who share the conviction that business has a serving function within society, founded PROSERVATION at the end of 2022. Together, they are pursuing the mission of establishing ecologically and economically sound packaging solutions. The purpose of the company is the production and distribution of alternative, sustainable cushioning materials made from grain husks - plant residues...
New shareholders: Curt Michael Stoll and Dr Helmut Schelling strengthen the founding engine
With Curt Michael Stoll, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board at FESTO, and Dr Helmut Schelling, founder of Vector Informatik, Gründermotor GmbH has two new shareholders from the Baden-Württemberg business community. However, they are not traditional investors with profit expectations. At Gründermotor, profits are not distributed, but must be reinvested in the company's purpose - as stated in our articles of association...
5 good reasons why a community is so important for startups!
The power of community: We give you 5 good reasons why you as a founder should opt for a strong community. A strong and committed community forms the foundation for your startup. It is the foundation on which your success is built. By building a community of supporters and customers around your company, you create a strong and...
What exactly is "Mätch VC"?
Have you ever heard of Mätch VC? If so, you may have wondered what it is or how exactly Mätch VC is connected to the Gründermotor. We asked Adrian, Tim and Daniel, three of the seven founders of Mätch VC, about all this: Hi everyone, what exactly is Mätch VC and what...
Why is it so important to bring the various stakeholder groups together?
The aim of the Gründermotor is to bring start-ups, science and SMEs together in order to drive innovation in Baden-Württemberg. We take a closer look: Why are these three stakeholder groups actually so important for the network? Hey Nico, why are the corporate partners such an important stakeholder group for the Gründermotor? We start by asking Nico Bühler, Head...
Together in the right direction!
Only 1.4 % of the founding teams in BW are purely female-led, only 14 % are mixed, i.e. with at least one woman in the founding team. (Source: Female Founders Monitor & Startup Atlas BW 2021) These figures make it immediately clear that women are still extremely underrepresented in the start-up scene. Yet according to current studies...
