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Month: May 2021

  • Build, Measure, Learn – the Lean Startup Method set to music

    Build, Measure, Learn – the Lean Startup Method set to music

    “Build, Measure, Learn” – according to Eric Ries, the mantra for successful startups. The three buzzwords were the inspiration for our talented colleague Falko, who together with his band Yuri & Neil turned them into a catchy song and a funny video.

    “Remember what Eric said…” goes the lyrics. Silicon Valley entrepreneur and author Ries co-founded the Lean Startup methodology, which is the most important guiding principle for us at Startup Incubator Berlin. Taking a “lean” approach to founding a startup means advancing the development of a new business idea with minimal resource requirements, in short cycles and with regular customer feedback, in order to quickly reach a market-ready offering. According to Ries, these continuous phases of development, validation, and learning (“Build, Measure, Learn”) ensure success. His book The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses was published in 2011.

    Falko has been active as the singer of Yuri & Neil since 2014; the band’s name is made up of the first names of the two space pioneers Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong. In 2017, the five musicians recorded the single Dolphin, and the music video reached a million viewers in a short time. Appearances and interviews on German television followed (including ZDF, RBB, RTL2), as well as a record deal with a major label. At Startup Incubator Berlin, Falko works as a startup coach and is responsible for organizing our prototyping labs, and he oversees our newest format “JumpStart“!

    We are quite certain that “Build, Measure, Learn (The Lean Band)” will also become an earworm in no time — not just in the startup scene! Listen and see for yourself: the latest work by Yuri & Neil.

    For sharing, replaying, and saving – the song is also available here on all major music platforms.

  • Meet the Startups! Pitches and Speed Dating

    Meet the Startups! Pitches and Speed Dating

    The transfer between academia and business is part of the DNA of HWR Berlin, and startup foundations are one form of this. At the Transfer Day on June 4, 2021, the Startup Incubator Berlin offers three exciting startup pitches followed by Q&A with founders and HWR mentors.
    Under the motto “Shaping the Future Together,” the HWR Berlin Transfer Day focuses on future development in the German economy, teaching, and research. In this context, the Startup Incubator Berlin presents itself from its location in Siemensstadt2 with selected startups from current and previous funding rounds. Each team is introduced by their university mentor and presents their founding venture in a pitch. Afterwards, there is an opportunity for audience questions and direct discussion with the teams and mentors.

    Program and registration at: https://www.transfer-hwr.de/

    Our participating startup teams:

    Aam Digital offers user-friendly case management software for the social sector worldwide. Their software enables organizations to improve their effectiveness, inform project management, and measure outcomes. Aam Digital covers a wide range of use cases, such as tracking contact activities, participation in courses, or sports internships. With a software-as-a-service model, they address the growing demand from organizations with limited resources for greater efficiency and transparency.

    Funding program: Berlin Startup Scholarship since January 2021
    HWR mentor: Prof. Dr. Andrea Rumler

    Bearcover supports nursing home staff with robots during nightly routine checks and monitoring tasks. Bearcover’s robots operate in corridors and can perform basic health and movement checks — without entering residents’ rooms. Staff can then prioritize care based on real-time requirements. This allows robots to maximize the time caregivers spend with residents. Staff know where they are needed next and do not have to worry about missing something.

    Funding program: EXIST Gründerstipendium since March 2021, previously Startup Now
    HWR mentor: Prof. Dr. Dagmar Monett Díaz

    MySecondEar combines the benefits of the digital age with the traditional hearing care professional’s craft: consultations as well as the initial fitting and further fine-tuning of hearing aids are handled entirely online — conveniently, flexibly, and independently of the customer’s current location. Hearing aids are delivered to the door, eliminating the need for time-consuming appointments at a local specialist store. MySecondEar passes the cost savings achieved through digital technology and optimized processes directly on to its customers.

    Funding program: Berlin Startup Scholarship, January to June 2020
    HWR mentor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Afflerbach

  • Make It Lean Contest – Interview: Novaheal

    Make It Lean Contest – Interview: Novaheal

    At the Make It Lean Contest 2020/21 there was something special this year:
    Due to the very close vote between the two top-placed teams in the “Lean” category, the jury recommended awarding two special prizes this year as an exception. The Startup Incubator was happy to follow this recommendation and is awarding both prizes to teams that devoted themselves to a highly relevant social challenge — one with software, the other with hardware — and demonstrated their methodological approach in the best possible way.

    One of these winners is the team from Novaheal. For their idea of a learning app specifically for nursing education and preparation for a successful nursing exam, which combines proven learning methods with modern AI-supported learning analytics, they received €1,500 and the distinction of the special “Lean” prize. How did they come to participate and develop their solution, and what’s next for the founders? We asked them…

    How did you become aware of the Make It Lean Contest?

    We came across the Make It Lean Contest on LinkedIn, as I (Turan) have someone in my network who had shared a post about the competition. So it was more of a happy coincidence for us.

    How and when did you come together as a startup team?

    Samuel and Turan have been close friends since their school days, and Valentin and Samuel met in 2018 during their human medicine studies and quickly realized that both had nearly identical ideas about a “modern complement to nursing education.”

    How did you come across the problem you want to solve with your founding idea?

    Valentin and Samuel are both trained healthcare and nursing professionals and independently noticed during their training that many areas of the program could be improved. These include, for example, appropriate digital learning resources, engaging and interconnected learning content that truly bridges the gap between theory and practice, practical engagement with professional policy and ethics, and so on. In short, many things that ultimately help develop a professional nursing identity and learn this incredibly enriching profession.

    What is your most important goal in the next 3 months?

    We are fortunately currently receiving the EXIST founder’s grant and can keep ourselves afloat. However, we still need capital for our product development, so we are actively looking around. We are looking for someone who shares our vision with Novaheal and feels the same drive to make an impact.

    Who would you like to have a coffee or tea with? Why?

    A classic question — Ranga Yogeshwar and the Dalai Lama. The way Mr. Yogeshwar explains scientific topics is simply enjoyable, and our co-founder Sam would love to ask the Dalai Lama a few things.

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