Startup Weekend at BioPark Regensburg
The team "Senseason" was able to convince a jury – an app can make it possible in the future to find the optimal hairdresser. The target group "older people" was the focal point of a question to a decentralised smart home system: How is it possible to live longer and independently at home? This solution gave the new start-upers second place. The third team dealt with the theme of safety: "helbee" allows a person with the aid of a sensor to call for emergency help in a dangerous situation via an app within seconds. The receiver concurrently obtains the location of the caller and can send out for immediate help.
At the USA derived format of "Startup Weekends", the participants are lead through from their idea to a formed company at a weekend. The Startup Weekend is a worldwide network, which holds regular events for start-ups and other players in the start-up scene. The Startup Weekend has already initiated more than 1,500 events with 123,000 participants in over 700 cities in over countries.
The organisers from Regensburg with both the technology and start-up centres at the BioPark and the R-Tech/TechBase (formally it-speicher), the law firm KEYTERSBERG, the East Bavarian Technical University of Regensburg and the Business Development Corporation of the City of Regensburg were successful in bringing this successful concept to the cathedral city.
Lord Mayor Joachim Wolbergs appeared thrilled at his welcoming address on Friday evening that the theme start-up had acquired many well-known sponsors in Regensburg as participants. Above all Continental (platinum sponsor), IHK Regensburg and Techniker Krankenkasse (gold sponsors), R.KOM, Sparkasse Regensburg, Patent Lawyers V.O. Patent & Trademarks and City of Regensburg (silver sponsors) and Bayern Kapital and S-REFIT (bronze sponsors). The Mittelbayerische Zeitung was acquired as a media partner.
Following a brief presentation of the business ideas on Friday evening, the 50 participants worked in small groups until Sunday evening implementing the business ideas. They were supported by 17 coaches from different fields, the majority of which came from the region and had been or were many times themselves successful founders and companies. At the end of the Startup Weekend event the formulated ideas were presented to a jury, in which amongst others both managing directors of the municipal start-up centres were represented.
"I was surprised that so many young people were moved to come to a weekend almost around the clock at the BioPark, to work on their business ideas or simply be inspired", commented Dr. Thomas Diefenthal, Managing Director of BioPark Regensburg GmbH on the booked out event. Three of the 14 business ideas dealt with the theme of health and nutrition. Also Alexander Rupprecht, Managing Director of R-Tech / TechBase appeared enthusiatic: "This weekend has shown what great start-up potential the region has". As 9 business ideas use "online platforms", this format will certainly be on offer again in 2016, this time in the new TechBase.
