„startup your idea“: the "Gründungsideenwettbewerb" of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne

The aim of the start-up ideas competition is to promote innovative start-up ideas from all disciplines. Students of all faculties (Bachelor and Master students as well as doctoral students) can submit their ideas as a sketch. Prof. Dr. Schwens, who started the project "startup your idea" and is mainly responsible for the competition, informs in the following interview about the process and the goals of the competition, as well as about the rewards for successful participants.

Dear Mr. Schwens, how does the start-up competition work? Which steps do the participants go through?

We have made a conscious effort to make the process simple: interested students will be submitting a short idea sketch and a registration form during the application period. In this sketch, the founding idea and its unique position, the customer and competition, the team's skills and initial ideas for implementing the idea are presented. On the website www.startup.uni-koeln.de you will find the registration form as well as a Power Point template, which can serve as orientation for the idea sketch. If you would like to get further information on how to draw up an idea sketch, you can attend one of the short workshops organised by the Entrepreneurs Club Cologne. After the submission deadline, the submitted ideas will be evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives from science and practice.

What goals do you pursue with the start-up idea competition and how do founders benefit from participating?

With the start-up idea competition, we would like to sensitise people in particular to the fact that, in addition to the "classic" occupational profiles, there is also the option of starting your own business. We would like to give more visibility to the topic of founding and entrepreneurship and offer an incentive to think about one's own start-up idea. In this way, we would like to make a contribution to strengthening a culture of entrepreneurial thinking and action at the University of Cologne.

Which awards and honors can be earned?

The three best start-up ideas will be awarded prize money totalling 5,000 euros at an award ceremony. With this money, the winners can, for example, attend workshops that help to promote their own start-up idea or acquire a license or software that is important for the foundation. In addition, all participants can receive a certificate of participation upon request.

Dear Mr. Schwens, thank you very much for the interview!