Campus Startup Day & Night: startup enthusiasts let their ideas fly in the new T3 Business Terminal
Never stand still and always keep developing – what applies to founders applies even more so to the largest start-up event at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS): this year, the "Campus Startup Day & Night" (CSUD&N) took place over two days, and for the first time at the T3 Business Terminal as an opening event in Sennfeld. Surrounded by all kinds of aviation paraphernalia, such as aeroplane seats and check-in boards, participants were able to let their ideas take flight.
"With TEO, homework is fun again!" E-commerce student Marius is convinced of this. His founding idea: with an app as a digital homework diary, teachers can not only note down homework assignments, including their level of difficulty and the time required, but also keep track of the overall workload for the class. Pupils are rewarded with points for completed tasks, which they can later use to customise their avatar. The use of "gamification" – i.e. video game elements to make unpleasant tasks more attractive – is intended to turn homework into exciting competitions. This will allow individual classes to compete against each other, while teachers can track the class's progress via a dashboard and see which pupils may need more support. "Originally, I had the idea mainly for children with ADHD, but in the end, everyone benefits," explains Marius. This approach also convinces CSUD&N participant Emilia. Now the Communication Design student is helping to distil the core message for a flyer.
Slowing down in everyday life
Next door, Thuyvy, also a Communication Design student, is working with Oliver from the University of Würzburg and Florian Zaschka from the Würzburg-based IT company IT-Schmiede to figure out how to combine the pitch for her idea with a compelling call to action. With her SLOMA coffee machine, the student wants to create an opportunity for a real break in everyday life. Slow-paced coffee enjoyment – more innovative than a portafilter machine, more transparent than a fully automatic machine: with a prototype in bright orange, coffee brewing is set to become a relaxing ritual. The student has been working on her idea since last semester and has not only brought a prototype with her, but has also designed a poster and shot several videos. The CSUD&N event is now intended to help better assess public interest and the market value of the idea.
The fact that the journey as a company founder does not follow a set pattern is evidenced by three start-up initiatives that have already been supported by the KickStart programme at THWS between the individual work phases. Professor Dr. Ulrich Gartzke from the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at THWS describes the development of "CareBells": the artificial intelligence-based support system offers a tablet designed specifically for senior citizens, which, for example, reminds them to take their medication on time with a bell, but can also answer direct questions to make everyday life easier. "We had a break in the meantime," reports Professor Dr. Gartzke, "but now we have received funding from the Vogel Foundation and are planning a field trial with ten people in March."
A start-up journey with many twists and turns
Founder Patrick Grimmeisen reports that starting a business is not always straightforward. Originally, he and his team set out to create a sustainable insulation material using mushroom mycelium. They then tried to manufacture equipment for Franconian viticulture in a sustainable way. Finally, they ended up with a product that had previously only been a by-product – the mushrooms themselves. They now run a mushroom farm in Würzburg under the name BetterMyco, with the aim of creating a sustainable meat alternative for the future.
"This is just one example of how different a start-up journey can be," comments Professor Dr. Volker Bräutigam, who founded CSUD&N. Of course, a two-day event is not enough to fully develop the ideas of students who are enthusiastic about starting a business. That's why the three best ideas receive further support. With a wild card, they can participate in the multi-week "Flight Accelerator" programme run by the Schweinfurt start-up initiative Startbahn27.
But first, they have to win over the jury with their pitch: Professor Dr. Stephanie Baumgarten (THWS Business School), Bernhard Beck (founder of the BELECTRIC group of companies), host and investor Michael Bleicher, and Lisa Grummet (RAUSCH Technology GmbH). Of the eight start-up ideas presented by the students, both SLOMA (2nd place) and TEO (3rd place) were impressive. The winner was the "Trash.B.Gone" initiative, a playful system for waste disposal: participants can use an app to document waste, confirm its disposal with a photo as proof, and receive a reward via a points system.
Initiator Professor Dr. Bräutigam is enthusiastic about all the start-up ideas: "What an inspiring two days at the T3 Business Terminal! Campus Startup Day & Night impressively demonstrated how much energy, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit our region holds. The open exchange, the palpable spirit of optimism, and the colourful diversity of approaches made the event a real success."
About start-up support at THWS
Through Campus Startup Night and Campus Startup Day, start-up support within the framework of the Startup Lab Werk:Raum has now evolved into the CSUD&N event. The event was organised in cooperation with the new THWS initiative Genes!s and local players such as Startbahn27, Synapsion GmbH, nineseven Club, and opting Value Consulting.
Interesting start-up ideas are submitted and pre-selected in advance, and during the event, the idea generators meet with other start-up enthusiasts to work on them together. The prizes include extensive start-up support, advice from mentors, and access to workshops where they can work on prototypes.
More about the Startup Lab Werk:Raum, the Schweinfurt start-up ecosystem Startbahn27, and the Genes!s project
About THWS
The Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Bavaria and has driven teaching and applied research since it was founded in 1971. With about more than 9,100 students, a wide range of more than 60 degree programmes, and two doctoral centers, THWS covers a broad spectrum ranging from technology to economics and social sciences, language and design. THWS is not only rooted in the region, but also has a strong international focus, which is reflected in numerous collaborations and exchange programmes worldwide and not least in a versatile English-taught degree programmes.
Contact:
Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Startup-Lab Werk:Raum
Professor Dr. Volker Bräutigam
Ignaz-Schön-Str. 11
97421 Schweinfurt
Press contact:
Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Angela Kreipl
Münzstr. 12
97070 Würzburg
+49 931 3511-8354
