Germany’s Start-up Week at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences

Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 2 December 2015: An innovative product or a creative idea alone is usually not enough to successfully launch a business. A solid business plan, a sound financial foundation and, above all, an entrepreneurial mindset are absolutely essential for starting a business. Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences offered support in this regard to its students, as well as to those interested in starting a business and to young entrepreneurs, as part of ‘Start-up Week Germany’ with a varied and exciting programme of events.

Once again this year, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences was a partner of ‘Start-up Week Germany’, held nationwide from 16 to 22 November 2015 under the patronage of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The primary aim of the series of events is to spark students’ interest in the topics of ‘business creation’ and ‘start-ups’ and to provide them with information on these subjects.

As part of Start-up Week 2015, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences organised an ideas and start-up competition for its students for the third time – the ‘Best Idea Cup’. Students were able to enter the competition in advance by submitting a start-up idea, a business plan or a newly established company. The Friends’ Association of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the Friends’ Association of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences – Cleve Campus and Wirtschaftsform Niederrhein awarded cash and non-cash prizes for the best entries. Selected entries were presented in a ‘business pitch’, which challenged the students to convince the audience and the judging panel of the merits of their business idea in a five-minute presentation.

Niklas Palm, a student on the ‘International Relations’ programme, was recognised for his idea for a smart anti-theft system in retail, which enables customers to pay via their smartphone and thereby deactivate the anti-theft device.  

Ralph Theodori, a student on the ‘Communication and Information Engineering’ programme, also impressed the jury and received a prize. With his ‘EyeCatch’ concept, he presented a way of turning a smartphone into an emergency assistance system. In emergency situations, for example, the smartphone can be used to locate victims or coordinate emergency services.

Another prize went to the students Luiz Bueno Henrique, Julian Peschel and Andreas Markwart from the degree programmes ‘Information and Communication Design’, ‘Media and Communication Informatics’ and ‘Communication and Information Engineering’, for their business idea for a kit for an automatic robotic arm, which they developed for use in schools and the education sector, for example. This can, for instance, introduce pupils to the fields of robotics and electronics in a practical, application-oriented way.

The participants received feedback and information not only from representatives of the support associations and the Business Forum, but also from Mateo Klemmayer, Managing Director of Polyoptics GmbH in Kleve. In an informative, inspiring and motivating talk, he conveyed to his audience his passion and experience in the field of start-up creation and management.

Another highlight of Start-up Week was the ‘Start-Up in Germany’ event, which was aimed in particular – though not exclusively – at international students at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Waldemar Nickel from the Federal Employment Agency answered all questions relating to entering the job market in Germany and presented starting a business as a possible route into the world of work. Nadine Förster from the IQ Centre for Migrant Economics then presented the new website ‘Wir gründen in Deutschland’ (‘We’re Starting a Business in Germany’), which provides important information in six different languages, particularly for international students. The event concluded with a ‘best practice example’: Luiz Henrique, a student and previous winner of the Best Idea Cup, spoke about his positive experiences in developing and implementing start-up ideas and offered his fellow students advice on starting a business: ‘Just do it!’.

In addition to these and numerous other events, the topic of ‘start-ups’ was brought particularly to the students’ attention through various courses at both campuses during Start-up Week. Dr Gerhard Heusipp, Head of the Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, and Andrea da Silva, who coordinates Start-up Week at the Faculty of Communication and Environment on the Kamp-Lintfort campus, aim to offer a varied programme again next year for students and anyone interested in start-ups. “It never ceases to amaze me just how many brilliant ideas our students have and how motivated they are to put them into practice. I’m already looking forward to next year’s contributions,” says Heusipp enthusiastically.