We present our Berlin Startup Scholarship Teams from 2024!
Novostock
NovoStock is transforming efficiency in healthcare. By enabling seamless management of supplies in medical practices and clinics, healthcare professionals can focus entirely on delivering exceptional patient care. Founder: Isabel Orcun and Gregor Pölzing
Onni Care
Onni Care aims to provide reliable and individual support to women on their fertility journey, specifically egg-freezing. Each fertility path is deeply personal and emotionally charged. Onni Care understands that, and acts like a “big sister” – from discovering a starting point, to identifying reliable partners and securing the deserved aftercare. Founder: Anne Hartmann Website: https://www.onni-care.com
xounds
xounds is an AI-supported peer-to-peer platform to explore and share authentic audible pleasure in a safe(r) space for consensual, inclusive, and diverse audio content around erotic pleasure. xounds empowers people to share real pleasure in diverse audio formats (stories, sounds, tutorials, …) while giving them the option to stay anonymous and always keep control over consent and ownership of their data. The choice of freemium and premium allow inclusive access to exploration of audible pleasure. The »xoundcheck« ensures consent and policy adherence using advanced speech recognition AI. Founder: Cornelia Steinbock and Gabor Farkasch Website: https://xounds.de/
We are welcoming our first Batch for the Berlin Startup Scholarship Women at the Startup Incubator Berlin. The first month is over and we already accomplished the first steps: Mentor-Matching, Deep Dives, Lean Startup Canvas and more.
Dreamsome is an app that helps deepen self-understanding and improve well-being through dream journaling and lucid dreaming practices. Are you passionate about dreams? Or curious about lucid dreaming? Follow us and set on a journey of self-discovery -> https://www.instagram.com/dreamsome.space
Grains is the-first-of-its-kind non-profit hospitality school that helps displaced people to integrate into new communities and find jobs in the hospitality industry. Launched in Ukraine with the aim to help globally.
Periodly helps menstruating people understand their menstrual cycle and organize the life around it. The Periodly Chatbot sends information about what’s going on in a body according to each day of the cycle of users, every day providing nutrition and productivity tips to be efficient and have peace of mind.
With Space Egg the customer can use cutting-edge AI tools to create a unique art piece, then collaborate with top-tier artists to transform it into a stunning oil painting. Whether online or at exclusive offline events, it will be a personalised, high-quality art experience.
Unite gets refugees into good jobs faster by digitizing the recognition process for foreign nursing qualifications. Our automatic analysis of application documents reduces costs and waiting times, and migrant applicants receive targeted information on required qualifications and further training. Additionally, our solution enables companies to better compare foreign qualifications, allowing them to fill vacancies more efficiently.
Queer World will be a comprehensive platform that lists all queer bars, events, and gatherings, fostering a vibrant community. Users can connect with others and join activities together, enhancing the social experience within the queer scene.
Andrea Rumler is a professor of general business administration and marketing. Before her academic career, she worked for three years at the Bertelsmann publishing group, most recently as marketing director. She then co-founded and served as managing director of the furniture retailer Modern Living Inc. in New York, USA. In 1997 she was appointed professor at the FHTW, later HTW, Berlin. From 2002 to 2003 she headed a program there to promote entrepreneurship among women, “Fit für die eigene Existenz”. From 2003 to 2005 she was the academic mentor of the HAFEN Incubator for female entrepreneurs in Berlin-Marzahn. In 2012 she moved to HWR Berlin and has since mentored a number of startups (including Mello, Native Foods, whoelse.ai, Strayz, Aam Digital and UpLyft).
“I am very much looking forward to being part of the jury for the Berlin Startup Scholarship! Early support for good business ideas is very important to maintain the long-term competitiveness of our country. My thanks in advance to all applicants for their great ideas!”
Norbert has been dealing with uncertainties to create enabling environments, in Berlin, in Johannesburg and elsewhere. Since 2017 Norbert has been handling startup-affairs at Berlin Government, Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. He is keen on connecting with and better understanding and supporting the ecosystem. Before, he worked with the Berlin Institute of Technology, Centre for Entrepreneurship, eBay, Technology Foundation Berlin, and many more.
Furthermore he is supporting the Berlin Startup Report:
As principal of Siemens Energy Ventures, Aziz sets the framework to identify and onboard new startup technologies to help solve today’s key challenges in the energy industry. In this role he is particularly interested in investment opportunities in the climate tech for Siemens Energy and leads Siemens Energy’s Venture Client unit to pilot and adopt startup solutions.
In his 5+ years within the Siemens Group, he held several leadership roles, in which he established global partnership networks, implemented the transfer of innovative technologies, and developed strategies for new business fields. In his role at Siemens Energy Ventures, Aziz is committed to turning today’s ideas into the reality of tomorrow by driving effective and meaningful partnerships between Siemens Energy and top global Startups.
„Early support structures like the “Startup Incubator Berlin” is especially important for founders because these efforts set the company’s foundation for future success to acquire customers and funding. I would like to contribute with my work as a Jury Member but also Berliner to find and support the next great Startup success story from Berlin!”
Founder and CEO eat-star.de, Berlin (sold to Lieferando)
Founder and CEO mentavio.com, Berlin (now part of arztkonsultation ak GmbH, Schwerin)
Since December 2021 Head of Startup Dealflow at BACB e.V.
The members of the BACB invest primarily in teams that are at an early stage and welcome support from our business angels with expertise, network and capital. Participating in the SIB jury session gives me the opportunity to meet founders with exciting ideas and to discover new investment opportunities for our members.
The Startup Incubator of HWR Berlin
At the Startup Incubator of HWR Berlin, founding ideas are developed to market readiness. To this end, we support academic founding teams with know-how, infrastructure and scholarships. We create a shared platform for entrepreneurial thinking and action (mindset) with the Berlin business community (including Siemens AG). As a lean incubator, we focus on speed in developing and validating business models with customers.
Since 2016, the Startup Incubator Berlin has been supporting founding teams with the Berlin Startup Scholarship, now also with the REACT Startup Scholarship. Over 30 startups have been helped by this financial and non-financial support, combined with the infrastructure provided by the HWR Berlin’s entrepreneurship center, to successfully develop their business ideas and products. Well-known startups such as Wonder, Forget Finance, SunCrafter and startupdetector are today successfully active in the market. Forget Finance recently closed a seed funding round of €3.8 million.
Hello, my name is Janine Korbaniak and I have been part of the BPW team for 6 years. At BPW I coordinate the seminar program and serve as the point of contact for sponsors and universities. I am particularly pleased that, in this capacity, I get to be part of the jury of the Startup Incubator Berlin for the Berlin Startup Scholarship. Through my work at BPW, but also as part of the jury, I am time and again fascinated anew by the wealth of ideas and the drive of the founders.
Dr. Avo Schönbohm has been a Professor of Business Administration at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin since 2010. His research expertise lies in the areas of (strategic) performance management, enterprise gamification, and digital cultural transformation. Prior to his work at HWR Berlin, Avo held various international positions in the mechanical engineering industry and concluded his pre-academic career in 2010 as Vice President Strategic Planning at Voith Paper GmbH. With LUDEO, he founded an agency in 2016 that enables leadership and cultural transformations across various industries through playful interventions.
Norbert has been dealing with uncertainties to create enabling environments, in Berlin, in Johannesburg and elsewhere. Since 2017 Norbert has been handling startup-affairs at Berlin Government, Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. He is keen on connecting with and better understanding and supporting the ecosystem. Before, he worked with the Berlin Institute of Technology, Centre for Entrepreneurship, eBay, Technology Foundation Berlin, and many more.
As principal of Siemens Energy Ventures, Aziz sets the framework to identify and onboard new startup technologies to help solve today’s key challenges in the energy industry. In this role he is particularly interested in investment opportunities in the climate tech for Siemens Energy and leads Siemens Energy’s Venture Client unit to pilot and adopt startup solutions.
In his 5+ years within the Siemens Group, he held several leadership roles, in which he established global partnership networks, implemented the transfer of innovative technologies, and developed strategies for new business fields. In his role at Siemens Energy Ventures, Aziz is committed to turning today’s ideas into the reality of tomorrow by driving effective and meaningful partnerships between Siemens Energy and top global Startups.
„Early support structures like the “Startup Incubator Berlin” is especially important for founders because these efforts set the company’s foundation for future success to acquire customers and funding. I would like to contribute with my work as a Jury Member but also Berliner to find and support the next great Startup success story from Berlin!”
Born in Baku and raised in Berlin. Abitur in 2007, also in 2007 began studying “Entrepreneurship” (business founding & succession) at HWR.
Back then, nobody could make much of the cryptic word “Entrepreneurship”. However, I always knew that I wanted to create something myself and go into self-employment. Finished my studies in 2011 and since then have been active in various areas of entrepreneurship. My focus is in the area of project development.
My connection with the Startup Incubator came about when we owned the building at Rohrdamm 22 — essentially directly across from the Incubator. At the time I saw that it was curated by HWR together with Siemens and always wanted to pursue my further passion of helping to build up additional companies (startups). I saw the Startup Incubator as an ideal potential nucleus for this. On the one hand, I am connected to HWR as a former alumnus, and on the other hand I also wanted to bring some practical entrepreneurship to the place.
That is how the partnership developed, and I was already involved in the first Make-it-Lean Contest. Now we are developing further formats with the Incubator through the Blockathon, and so the opportunity to participate as a jury member in the pitches also came about quite naturally.
At the Startup Incubator of HWR Berlin, founding ideas are developed to market readiness. To achieve this, we support academic founding teams with know-how, infrastructure, and scholarships. We create a shared platform for entrepreneurial thinking and action (mindset) with the Berlin business community (including Siemens AG). As a lean incubator, we focus on speed in the development and validation of business models with customers.
Since 2016, the Startup Incubator Berlin has been supporting founding teams with the Berlin Startup Scholarship, now also with the REACT Startup Scholarship. More than 30 startups have been helped by this financial and non-material support, combined with the infrastructure provided by the founding center of HWR Berlin, to successfully develop their business ideas and products. Well-known startups such as Wonder, Forget Finance, SunCrafter, and startupdetector are successfully active in the market today. Forget Finance recently closed a seed financing round of €3.8 million.
Startup teams can apply now for startup scholarships until April 17, 2022. Next to funding, the Startup Incubator Berlin also offers coworking, coaching, workshops, labs and networking.
Apply online now and receive up to 54,000 € in funding
Do you have a good startup idea and want to further develop your business concept? Haven’t founded a company yet, but have already created a prototype and would like to bring it to the market?
Financial Support & More
Startup teams can apply for the Berlin Startup Scholarship and the REACT Startup Scholarship until April 17, 2022. For six months, the Berlin Startup Scholarship provides 2,000 euros per month and per team member from funds from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the state of Berlin. The REACT startup scholarship is financed from the same funds in cooperation with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (BHT) and is aimed specifically at founders in the healthcare industry. The funding period is nine months.
Application & requirements
In addition to an academic degree and a place of residence in Berlin, the prerequisite for applying for the scholarships is a first prototype or a prototype-like process, i.e. first concrete ideas for an entrepreneurial solution to a relevant problem. During the funding period, the teams in the Startup Incubator Berlin will receive extensive support and the ideal framework to further developing their prototypes and business ideas using the lean startup methodology and peer learning.
Infrastructure & Coaching
The coworking spaces of the HWR Berlin start-up center are located in Siemensstadt ² at Rohrdamm in Berlin. At this generous and modernly equipped startup hub, the teams can use a design thinking lab, a mixed reality (AR/VR) lab, a smart device & robotic lab and a prototyping lab (3D Printing and more). The coaching team of the Startup Incubator Berlin, external consultants, mentors from the HWR Berlin as well as sponsors of the large partner network of companies, public institutions and associations support the teams. There are also special training offers and regular events such as UX testing, investment pitches, diversity formats and co-founder matching.
Application period & initial interview
Interested founders can now apply for the scholarships now. The teams must consist of at least two and a maximum of three people. An individual preliminary interview with the coaching team at Startup Incubator Berlin is mandatory for the application. Appointments for this must be made by April 8, 2022 via the SIB website.
Until April 17, 2022, founding teams at HWR Berlin can apply for startup scholarships. The Startup Incubator Berlin also offers coworking, coaching, workshops, labs, and networking.
Do you have a great startup idea and want to develop your business concept further? Have you not yet founded a company, but already created a prototype and want to bring it to market? Then the Startup Incubator Berlin – the founding center of the Berlin School of Economics and Law – is exactly the right place for you!
The Startup Incubator Berlin (SIB) at the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin) supports founders in developing business concepts and prototypes through to market readiness. Starting in June 2022, new financial support will be available – in addition to coworking, coaching, fully equipped workshops and labs, and access to the extensive SIB network as part of Berlin’s startup ecosystem.
Financial Support & More
Founding teams can apply until April 17, 2022 for the Berlin Startup Scholarship and the REACT Startup Scholarship. For six months, the Berlin Startup Scholarship provides 2,000 euros per month per person from funds provided by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the State of Berlin. The REACT Startup Scholarship is funded from the same sources in cooperation with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (BHT) and is specifically aimed at founders in the healthcare industry. The funding period here is nine months.
Application & Requirements
In addition to an academic degree and a place of residence in Berlin, a prerequisite for applying for the scholarships is a first prototype or a prototype-like process — that is, initial concrete ideas for an entrepreneurial solution to a relevant problem. During the funding period, the teams at the Startup Incubator Berlin receive extensive support and optimal conditions to further develop prototypes and business ideas using the lean startup methodology and peer learning.
Infrastructure & Coaching
The coworking spaces of the HWR Berlin founding center are located in Siemensstadt ² at Rohrdamm in Berlin. At this generously and modernly equipped startup hub, teams can use a Design Thinking Lab, a Mixed Reality (AR/VR) Lab, a Smart Device & Robotic Lab, and a prototype workshop. The coaching team of the Startup Incubator Berlin, external consultants, academic mentors from HWR Berlin, as well as sponsors from the large partner network of business companies, public institutions, and associations support the teams. In addition, there are special training offerings and regular event formats such as UX testing, investment pitches, diversity formats, and co-founder matching.
Application Period & Initial Meeting
Interested founders can apply for the scholarships starting now. Teams must consist of at least two and a maximum of three people. An individual preliminary meeting with the coaching team of the Startup Incubator Berlin is mandatory for the application. Appointments for this must be arranged via the SIB website by April 8, 2022. Founders will receive concrete tips for preparing the application documents during the meeting. Afterwards, the application documents are to be uploaded.
The Startup Incubator of HWR Berlin
At the Startup Incubator of HWR Berlin, startup ideas are developed to market readiness. To this end, we support academic founding teams with know-how, infrastructure, and scholarships. We create a shared platform for entrepreneurial thinking and action (mindset) together with Berlin’s business community (including Siemens AG). As a lean incubator, we focus on speed in developing and validating business models with customers.
Since 2016, the Startup Incubator Berlin has been supporting founding teams with the Berlin Startup Scholarship, and now also with the REACT Startup Scholarship. More than 30 startups have used this financial and non-material support, combined with the infrastructure provided by the founding center of HWR Berlin, to successfully develop their business ideas and products. Well-known startups such as Wonder, Forget Finance, SunCrafter, and startupdetector are successfully active in the market today. Forget Finance recently closed a seed funding round of €3.8 million.
Applications for the REACT Berlin Startup Scholarship for startups from the healthcare sector including life sciences, digital health, and hardware development are now open.
Schedule an appointment via the initial consultation form with the coaches from SIB and BHT by April 8, 2022
Upload application documents (concept paper, pitch deck, various application forms) on the website by April 17, 2022
Important: Teams must consist of two to three people, all scholarship recipients require a registered address in Berlin, a bachelor’s degree, and the startup must not yet have been founded or must have been founded no more than 3 months before the application deadline.
What does the program offer?
The program combines the expertise of both university startup centers. This includes not only support from experienced coaches but also access to the infrastructure including a prototype workshop, Robotic Lab, Smart Device Lab, Video Studio, and co-working spaces.
The goal is to rapidly develop founding ideas to market readiness and to sustainably support teams through the existing network in the Berlin startup ecosystem. Teams in the programs are connected within the healthcare sector and beyond with pilot customers, business mentors, business angels, investors, and other stakeholders.
Great excitement about the new funding programs from Elli Strauven-Dejean (Beuth Startup Hub) and Christian Gurol (Startup Incubator Berlin).
A new scholarship program for health startups launches in January 2022, and the application process has already begun. With the REACT Startup Scholarship, the startup centers of the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin) and the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin (from October 1, 2021: Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology) are pooling the diverse competencies of both universities. Sought are innovative founding ideas that address medical topics and thereby make a social contribution to solving problems that arose from or became more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds come from the REACT-EU Initiative for better crisis recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and its social impacts. Startups are expected to contribute to a green, digital, and resilient economic recovery. Together with academic mentors and business partners, they can make intensive use of the know-how and infrastructure of both startup centers. The founding teams will receive methodological support and be prepared for market entry through a coaching offering focused on crisis resilience and ecological sustainability.
All information on the application process is available here, and our information events, in which we present all funding programs and answer questions, are listed under Events.
The full press release on the new funding program is available here.
The teams from the last round of the Berlin Startup Scholarship have raised over 2 million in funding capital. “This is the highest funding amount achieved within our BSS calls to date,” says Christian Gurol, Head of the Startup Incubator at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.
Four of the eight graduating founder teams had developed their concept ideas in the Startup Now program of the Startup Incubator Berlin (short: SIB) and had qualified for funding through the Berlin Startup Scholarship (short: BSS).
This enabled them to further develop their business models to market readiness within six months using the Lean Startup methodology. Mathias Kuhlmann, advisor for the European Structural Fund at the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, joins the Startup Incubator in celebrating the successes: “The fact that the startup teams here have the opportunity to develop their business model to market readiness over a total of up to 18 months across various programs, while already raising initial funding, demonstrates the value and benefit of the funding program.”
What makes the Lean methodology applied at SIB special is that it places the focus on early and continuous feedback from potential customers. Products are not first developed to completion and then offered on the market, but instead enter a development cycle: build – measure – learn. In addition to coaching, mentoring, and training offerings, the regular event formats UX Testing, Startup Dinner, and Co-Founder Matching are also considered valuable for the BSS teams at SIB. Peer learning between experienced and new teams also helped accelerate the teams’ development. At the end of the program, the graduating startups simultaneously take on a new role within the HWR Incubator community in the new Siemensstadt.
For example, Matchbase, the first on-demand football league as an app, and Wavy, which is renewing the yacht charter market as a kind of AirBnB for boats, are staying in close proximity to the incubator on site. The rental law startup Lawio is taking its next growth steps in Saxony-Anhalt, but remains part of the community, as do OTEK Bicycles and the green tech off-grid impact startup Suncrafter, who are pursuing their vision of supplying people without access to energy with solar power using recycled solar modules. The departure of some marks a new starting point for others. Homemade Studio, rvolt, My Help Buddy, Krenu, and Alvego have made the development leap from Startup Now to BSS. MySecondEar and Startupdetector are two teams that have qualified with platform solutions.
