Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort: Karla Kaminski, Innovation Manager at the Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, is delighted with the large number of participants and the wide range of ideas. The competition entries cover, amongst other things, ideas relating to energy supply and sustainability, as well as service concepts and marketing ideas. The official awards ceremony for the winners took place last week at ‘Innovation Day’ in the main lecture theatre of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve.
First, Thorsten Kucklick gave a talk on ‘Bootstrapping – Start-up Financing without External Capital’, introducing students to innovative methods for implementing business ideas. Kucklick, the successful founder of MeinSpiel GmbH & Co. KG and author of a blog on start-up financing (www.digitalbetrieb.de), gave a practical account of his experiences in setting up a business.
Following a musical interlude by student Anastasia Gnusina, the competition winners were honoured. Marcel Dogotari, a student on the ‘Environment and Energy’ programme, impressed the university’s jury with his carefully crafted business plan on alternative energy supply options in Moldova. As the winner of the first “Best-idea-start-up-business-brains Cup”, he will not only receive an iPad – donated by Wirtschaftsförderung Kreis Kleve GmbH – as a prize, but also personalised consultancy from the City of Kleve’s business development agency.
The student team ‘Gesture Driven Home Environment’, led by project manager Lilian Wittig, came a close second. Their team developed a wardrobe controlled by gestures, which provides a cost-effective aid for people with limited mobility. This innovation has been rewarded with a cash prize of 500 euros, donated by the Friends of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences e.V.
Third prize went to student Niklas Palm, whose ‘Bierbaum’ is a gift idea that is now available online and in selected shops throughout Germany. The Wirtschaftsforum Kleverland e.V. also awarded this winner an iPad.
For Prof. Dr Peter Scholz, Vice-President for Research and Development at the university, the ‘Best-idea-start-up-business-brains Cup’ is also a great success: “The conditions for starting a business in Germany are generally considered to be good. Taking the step towards self-employment is a far-reaching decision for which many founders feel inadequately prepared. The event offers guidance, support and important insights for anyone wishing to embark on the adventure of setting up a business.”
Caption:
People, from left to right: Thorsten Kucklick, Nadine Deutschmann, Dr Gerhard Heusipp, Niklas Palm, Wilfried Röth, Lilian Wittig, Björn Herrmann, Nathalie Tekath-Kochs, Marcel Dogotari, Andreas Petker, Karla Kaminski
Photo: Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
