StartUP Factory 2023
From an idea to a viable business model in 48 hours - almost 50 people interested in starting up a company faced this challenge from November 11th to 13th as part of the StartUP Factory 2023. This was organized by the Digital Startup Initiative Oberpfalz (DGO) in cooperation with the BioPark Regensburg.
This started on Thursday evening with a welcome from BioPark Managing Director Dr. Thomas Diefenthal and TechBase Managing Director Alexander Rupprecht. After a keynote lecture by Prof. Sean Patrick Saßmannanshausen from the start-up center of the East Bavarian Technical University (OTH) Regensburg, the participants presented their business ideas to the plenum and formed ten specific teams. The aim was to develop viable business models, so-called "Minimal Viable Products (MVP)", from the ideas in just 48 hours, i.e., to work out the first minimally functional iteration of a product in order to identify a "useful" benefit as quickly as possible. Experienced mentors and coaches from the BioPark and TechBase networks were on hand to help the teams implement this task throughout the entire weekend. From the BioPark, Dr. Ilja Hagen, Clustermanagement and Michael Reinhold, Team Leader Techniker Krankenkasse were also there.
Things got exciting late on Saturday afternoon when the ten teams presented their results to the expert jury. Ideas ranged from mirrors with diopter inserts to supply chain tracking. With their idea to reprocess and resell hearing aids, the Rehear team secured first place and €1,500 in prize money. The team thus recognized a problem that exists in many European countries: the high cost and lack of subsidies for hearing aids, which is why many people cannot afford the devices they need. Rehear would like to counteract this situation and buy used hearing aids from Germany, refurbish them and resell them at a corresponding discount. Not only do they help numerous people, but they also avoid waste. Second place and €1,000 in prize money went to the Fitfoot team and their foot measurement system, which aims to make shoe returns in online retail a thing of the past. Third place and therefore €500 in prize money went to Team Pendulum and their solution for supply chain tracking of raw material suppliers. Although without prize money, other teams pursue their goals with even more focus and motivation. Team Biko is working on a hardware and software solution for e-bikes. With their app called Culinaria, the team of the same name wants to bring food and cooking fans together in new ways. Team Mycomate, on the other hand, brings children and environmental awareness together. Children can build a biodegradable insect hotel with the construction kit made from mushroom mycelium. Last but not least, the Ocularia team received great praise for their idea of a flexible mirror attachment with diopters. This means that glasses wearers can use eye drops or simply insert contact lenses without any hindrance.
Regensburg's mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer was pleased about this enthusiasm for innovation and emphasized the importance of young entrepreneurs for the region. She presented the winning team with the certificate at the award ceremony on Saturday.
The StartUP Factory was organized by both the technology and start-up centers of the City of Regensburg, BioPark and TechBase, together with the O / HUB Regensburg, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Upper Palatinate for Regensburg / Kelheim, the Economic Development of the City of Regensburg and Universities of Regensburg. The next StartUP Factory is planned for the coming year and will then take place again at TechBase Regensburg.
