The “Empowering Internationals” day of the Born Global Startup Festival gave those interested in founding a company valuable insights into the success factors of international startups. They were able to take home new knowledge and contacts for the realization of their start-up ideas and get up to speed on legal and financial challenges in three well-attended workshops.
After a welcoming address by Prof. Dr. Utz Dornberger from the SEPT Competence Centre at Leipzig University and Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell, Vice-Rector for Campus Development - Cooperation and Internationalization - at Leipzig University, the festival focused on empowering international participants to start a business in Germany:
Several successful international founders shared their entrepreneurial experiences and key insights:
- Akiko Takahashi (Gohan Power) took the participants on a journey through her start-up story along prototypes, support network and funding programs.
- Luis Bernal (Realists Training Technologies GmbH) encouraged risk-taking and the use of government support for international start-ups.
- Dilan Sinem Sert (SeDiDoc GmbH) explained how knowing the exact needs of the target groups helps to develop the start-up idea into a commercially viable business. In an inspiring panel discussion with Jazmín Ponce Gómez from Leipzig University's International Startup Office, the three panel guests generously shared further entrepreneurial experiences.
Informative workshops provided knowledge on funding opportunities and infrastructures of the startup ecosystem in Central Germany. The topics ranged from administrative and legal aspects of starting a business or becoming self-employed in Germany to funding through public programs and “hacks” for successful applications as well as prototyping opportunities in Leipzig. In addition to experienced mentors of international start-ups, successful founders such as the systemic consultant and coach Daria Schneider or the co-founder of Glashaus3D Copikishore Vayalthota also contributed practical knowledge to the workshops.
Following the workshops, the SMILE co-founder platform of the International Startup Campus was launched, which aims to bring together aspiring international entrepreneurs with suitable co-founders or team members and connect entrepreneurs with startup ideas with specialists and talented people in Germany. The SMILE Co-Founder Platform of the International Startup Campus also includes a Startup Talent Pool, where specialists can register their interest in working on startup projects.
To round off the evening, the International Innovators Award Central Germany was presented to Dr. Sergey Turtaev from DeepEn GmbH and the International Innovators Award Africa & Asia, followed by a summer party in and in front of the Plagwitz market hall with culinary delights from successful international start-ups from the start-up kitchen of the SMILE start-up initiative of Leipzig University and Egenberger Lebensmittel GmbH.
Get to know our award winners:
International Innovators Award Central Germany:
- DeepEn is a research transfer start-up from Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technologies in Jena, Germany. Driven by the vision to make high-performing hair-thin endoscopes available to users in medicine, neuroscience and industry, DeepEn’s multidisciplinary and international team embarked on its journey in 2021.
International Innovators Award Africa & Asia:
- Yesuenyeagbe Atsu Kwabla Fiagbe, Kente Weaver, KNUST Ghana
- Dr. Ojo Olabimpe Iyabode, WEMA Soap, MKU Kenya
- Nghĩa Đặng Kim, MediFind, VGU & HCMUTE, Vietnam
- Robertson Klaingar, CleanEnergy4all, IRGIB Africa University, Benin
Photos by: Christian Hüller
