The Gateway Excellence Start-up Center (ESC) of the University of Cologne is launching a brand new competition, the "C3 - Campus Competition Cologne", to select the best eight start-ups by students, researchers or alumni for its accelerator programme. The competition was launched together with Sparkasse KölnBonn and Kreissparkasse Köln and with the support of the Gateway Förderverein. The three first-placed teams will receive investment offers of 100,000 euros each from a venture capitalist. The competition is open to teams from the University of Cologne, the TH Köln, the Rheinische Fachhochschule, the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln and the Cologne Business School.
The C3 is intended to support the best university start-ups in turning innovative ideas into successful companies. The special feature: Even during the application phase, participating teams can establish connections with mentors from the Cologne region at networking events and receive support from them.
"With Sparkasse KölnBonn and Kreissparkasse Köln, as well as with the support of our Gateway Förderverein, we are raising start-up support at universities to a new level. Everything that start-ups need at the beginning comes together here: Expertise from mentors, qualification in our accelerator programme and initial funding for the three best teams," says Marc Kley, Managing Director of the Gateway ESC.
Applications can be submitted as of now. Participation in at least one of two networking events with mentors from the start-up ecosystem, either 10 August or 7 September, is mandatory. The competition language is German.
After the submission of a "Read Deck" - a set of slides covering all the contents of a business plan - by 21 September, the eight teams that will win a ticket to the Gateway Accelerator will be determined. At the big pitch final on 9 November, these eight will compete against each other to determine the three start-ups that will each receive an investment offer of 100,000 euros from a venture capitalist.
