At the Startup Port Gründungscamp 2023, ambitious founders came together to learn and network in a campus atmosphere. Last weekend, Hamburg’s Tempowerk technology park provided the backdrop for three days of intensive workshops, constructive discussions and innovative company presentations.
At the start-up camp, a team of expert speakers works with those interested in setting up a business to scrutinize the individual components of their knowledge-based business ideas and develop them into a fully-fledged business model. With the help of canvas models, rapid prototyping and various risk scenarios, the offer is concretized, the target group is sharpened and the revenue model is checked for feasibility and scalability in order to put the desired company on a solid footing.
Once again this year, participants not only received excellent training in a campus atmosphere, but also benefited from exchanging experiences with other young entrepreneurs: Concrete information on the most important start-up questions and problems, an examination of one’s own start-up personality and numerous individual advisory services rounded off the start-up camp.
“Sustainability and business ethics were particularly important to the participants. Environmental awareness, fair treatment of employees, gender – all of these have become increasingly important in recent years,” reports Tatjana Timoschenko (Hamburg Innovation / Startup Port). “Another special feature this year was that the participants were not allowed to use a traditional PowerPoint presentation for the idea pitch, but had to come up with alternatives. One participant even opted for a rap performance,” added Henrik Hopp-Piepho (Hamburg Innovation GmbH / Startup Port). The two speakers and start-up consultants also found the participation of an 18-year-old high school graduate unusual: “So far, we’ve only had students or graduates,” they said, surprised. But ultimately it’s not about age, but about the freshness of the vision and the energy with which the future is shaped, they said.
The start-up camp is the successor to the INNOTECH Summer School, which Tempowerk and Hamburg Innovation GmbH have been organizing together with Leuphana University Lüneburg every late summer for the past 15 years. The form of knowledge transfer has changed over the years, reports Nils Neumann, the speaker and start-up consultant who has accompanied the event for many years: “Today, the start-up camp is a workshop – we attach great importance to hands-on experience. Originally, we did more of a kind of frontal teaching, but over the years we have continued to optimize this in dialogue with the participants. The keen interest in our camp confirms this.”
The event is now so well attended that a repeat is already being considered for March 2024. Leuphana University in Lüneburg, the “cradle” of the event, is being considered as the venue: after all, Professor Reinhard Schulte, holder of the Chair of Start-up Management at Leuphana, developed the didactic concept of the seminar there a decade and a half ago – and is one of the three fathers of the summer school and start-up camp. He is still involved in the organization of the start-up camp every year. In conclusion, Lüneburg is always worth a visit and early registration is definitely recommended.
