Presentation of awards to start-up projects at the HfG in the in:it co-working lab
Jessica Lauren Passler, coordinator of the start-up center and co-working lab in:it, welcomed the winners, the jury, and the goHfG team. Afterward, the certificates were handed over and the project teams had the opportunity to inform about the current status of their start-up project as well as to give all participants an outlook on their further proceedings. The ideas presented ranged from a cooperative artificial intelligence to support medical professionals in the treatment of cancer, to handicraft courses for beginners, as well as a sustainable system for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables, an inclusion game, software for the design of guidance systems, and modular furniture systems.
Three of the six teams already won the goHfG award last semester and were, therefore, able to report on their experiences in the in:it co-working lab. They were very grateful for the many offers of advice and support from the start-up center and the goHfG team. In addition, the students and graduates benefited from the mediation of numerous contacts by the business development department of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd as well as by the start-up initiative, which is currently creating possible pilot projects. Afterward, all participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas personally, which led to many interesting conversations and further goal-oriented contacts.
A strong network for start-up ideas
The start-up campaign at Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences (goHfG) encourages, empowers and accompanies students and start-up teams from the idea to the successful foundation. At the Schwäbisch Gmünd School of Design, more than 500 socially relevant and market-oriented semester and final projects are presented each semester. However, many of these projects are never implemented. goHfG wants to activate this untapped potential for the future: with consultations, scouting by experienced entrepreneurs* during the semester exhibitions, workshops and knowledge transfer around start-ups, as well as the promotion of start-up networks with partner initiatives and of female start-ups. The start-up initiative is funded by EXIST (Start-ups from Science) and by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Another important component of the start-up initiative is the scouting event that takes place every semester, at which key players in the regional start-up ecosystem (scouts) systematically screen the exhibited semester and final theses and identify particularly promising projects and motivated students. Projects with potential therefore receive a so-called goCard and can be further developed in a targeted manner at goHfG workshops. Students who receive the goCard and have successfully participated in further workshops can then apply for the goAward. The jury, consisting of Alexander Groll, Head of the Schwäbisch Gmünd Economic Development Agency; Markus Schmid, Head of the IHK Start-up and Business Service; Jessica Lauren Passler, in:it co-working lab; as well as Prof. Gerhard Reichert, Head of the goHfG team and Dr. Andreas Ehrhardt, Managing Director of INNO‑Z Aalen, will decide. The winners will then be able to work on their project free of charge in the in:it co-working lab in the coming semester and benefit from all the advantages this brings.
