Startup Founders in Ostwestfalen-Lippe

EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURS

Join us in shaping the future of entrepeneurship in the heart of the German Mittelstand together and learn how to build a technology-focussed B2B startup. Find your future co-founder and establish your business idea successfully on the market.

Discover more about the Ostwestfalen-Lippe and why the region is the ideal starting point for founding a startup, even outside the major conurbations.

For Founders in Ostwestfalen-Lippe

Are you passionate about entrepreneurship and tech trends? Do you want to help shape the future of Germany as an important center for economy and industry? Do you have want to apply your talent and your expertise to build a tech-based B2B startup in the OWL region? Then you have come to the right place.

Over the last six years we have made a name for ourselves by pioneering the creation of early-phase startups, especially in terms of business models and tech-based solutions in the B2B sector. The products we champion often help solve problems in the supply chain of tech or industrial companies.

In our work with startup founders, we rely on our very own tried and tested Founders Foundation Education Model. It is a concept for future-oriented and efficient learning that systematically models the startup lifecycle from the first idea, throughout the gestation process to the financing phase in successive and modular programs.

We help you to grow your entrepreneurial talents and to develop visionary business ideas. Throughout the whole process we strictly adhere to our motto “no equity, people first” and do not take any shares in the companies.

FOR TALENTS LIKE YOU

Raising Talents

Together with other like-minded talented founders, you receive an extension eduction in the basics of launching a startup as well as individual mentoring.

CO-FOUNDER MATCHING

We connect you with other top tier talents so that you can form strong founder teams where every member complement each other with their skills.

TOP MENTORS

Well-known founders and experienced startup experts join you in your journey and share their experiences.

COMMUNITY POWER

You also get access to our international network of top-notch experts, business angels, VCs, and founders as well as to our slack community with more than 400 founders and visionaries of the startup scene.

The Education Sector as Growth Market

There is a huge potential in developing technology, software solutions, or tools and services that assist with learning and teaching. Although the market for education technology (EdTech) has already undergone huge dynamic developments internationally, Germany still has some catching up to do.

Innovative solutions, new business models, and products can target both the public eduation sector, the education system, and the private sector. Especially the private sector represents an attractive growth market. Many comanies are in the midst of a digital transformation process and need well-trained employees for the job.

School

In 2017, there were barely any schools that treated digitalization as an important strategic issue – only 8% of principals or school directors recognized its relevance. Right before the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced schools to adopt digitalization strategies, 42% of teachers stated that they had need of training for “topics in digitalization”.

(Source: German Survey on Digitalization in the Education System (Studie Digitalisierung im Schulsystem), 2021)

Vocational Training

Especially in many small companies, application of digital solutions for co-operative vpcational training has not yet reached a stage of strategic relevance. Many companies demand that their apprentices or trainees should be better prepared in terms of digitalization by their vocational schools. Another subject of criticism is the lack of suitable advanced training courses for vocational school teachers and their counterparts, the on-the-job trainers, within the companies.

(Source: Job Qualification and Digitalization (Berufliche Qualifizierung und Digitalisierung) IW-Report 40/2020 J)

Advanced Training

Due to the lack of trained professionals, an increasing number of companies find themselves engaged in a “war for talent” – the current job market has become an employee-driven market. Consequently, “reskilling” and “upskilling” have become indispensable aspects for companies who want to be continously offer advanced training to their employees. Also, employees in Germany increasingly value companies who offer opportunities for advance training: almost 75% of employees wish for their superiors to support them with advanced training.

(Survey by Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences; commissioned by the German weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”)

University-level Education

Although Germany’s universitites and technical universities regularly produce innovative talents, the institutions themselves still have to catch up in terms of digitalization, for example in the area administration. Only 55.9% of German universities have either completely or partly implemented IT systems for ressource management.

(The State of Digitalization in Germany’s Instutions of Higher Learning in the Fields Research, Lecture, and Administration, 2019)

Founder Testimonials

Our Education formats are fertile soil for successful founders. This is what our alumni teams are saying about the programs:

Thanks to the Founders Foundation Accelerator, we at Valuedesk were able extend our business network. Many experts helped us to progress by daring us to do better.

The Founders Lab is the perfect place to make your idea more specific and get it “out of the garage” onto the street with perfect timing. I have already given a home to two startups in the Lab. I can only advise any founder to join because your work will be put to the test every day anew. That way, it will improve bit by bit.

As part of the Founders Foundation Accelerator Program, we had access to top-class mentors which were themselves founders and could gave as their take from a VC perspective. The mentors' support really helped us in preparing our first round of financing at the end of the accelerator.

From day one, the Founders Foundations has helped by providing the right knowledge, the right tools, and the right network to quickly validate our ideas and gain customers and investors. I could not have imagined better support.

During our Accelerator programs, we received unbelievably huge support from the Founders Foundation, the network, and the mentors. Now, we have more than 20 employees and a GMV of 2.000.000 Euros.

In the Accelerator, we really went full tilt. We were able to acquire our first customers, prepare for fundraising, and profit massively from the Foundation's network in general.

The mentoring and coaching throughout the Accelerator programm enabled us to succesfully close our first round of financing.

Thanks to the Founders Foundation Accelerator, we at Valuedesk were able extend our business network. Many experts helped us to progress by daring us to do better.

Top-Class Mentors

Profit from the extensive expert knowledge of our mentors, lectureres, and speakers – all of whom will actively help you on your entrepreneurial journey.

Jan Brinckmann

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy
ESADE Barcelona

Laura Tönnies

CEO
corrux

Josef Brunner

CEO
relayr

Kristina Walcker-Mayer

CEO
Nuri

Jana Görs

CEO
Zephram

Get to Know Our Network of Experienced Entrepreneurs Who Mentor Our Teams According to the Degree of Maturity of Their Business Ideas

Just Beyer

Product Expert and Angel Investor

E-Learning for the Entrepreneurs of the Future

You want to have access to the basic information that you need for your personal startup journey at any time and as often as you need? The free version of our e-learning course offers exclusive content provided first-hand by 20 founders and VCs from the German startup and tech scene and by our very own Founders Foundation experts. Start your very own startup journey with us!

You Have Questions?
Talk to us!

We are happy to answer your questions about our programs, our mission and the events we are hosting.

YOUR MONTHLY SHOT OF FOUNDER SPIRIT

Stay up to date with our newsletter – get all the exciting news on startups and events that are worth your time. We also supply everything you need to know about launching your own company.