In Germany there are four big cities that attract company founders like a magnet. Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne are regarded as thriving landscapes for people with an innovative business idea. The trend continues in Baden-Wuerttemberg, here too, the scene prefers to settle in the metropolitan area.
SME and family businesses as a springboard
In Stuttgart and Mannheim there is a strong local economy, Karlsruhe stands as a technology stronghold. But only because start-ups sprout up in the big cities does not mean that the location is also a success. This is the opinion of Philipp Kessler, who heads the start-up network Bodensee. He sees the economy on the lake – shaped by medium-sized and family businesses – as a springboard for founders who want to develop away from the brutal competition of the big cities.
Philipp Kessler of Startup Netzwerk Bodensee: “We have strong medium-sized companies looking for digital business models in order to remain competitive.” | Image: Startup Netzwerk Bodensee
Philipp Kessler must know, he founded his first startup in Berlin in 2009. Since 2013, he and his team have been bringing fresh entrepreneurial spirit to the start-up scene around Lake Constance. He organizes a meeting every month so that talents, founders and supporters can get to know each other. The internet portal of the network is a mix of magazine, job exchange and event calendar. The goal: Around Constance, Friedrichshafen, St. Gallen and Ravensburg to grow a founder ecosystem.
The breeding ground for this is the urban education and research opportunities
In Friedrichshafen, Zeppelin University has already advanced more than 130 pioneers, founders and successful start-ups. “Thanks to such help, the quality of start-ups has risen massively in recent years,” says Kessler.
And who are the buyers of innovative business ideas in the region? “We have strong SMEs looking for digital business models to stay competitive,” Kessler defines the target group. His Bodensee network was already looking for contact with the founders scene for Rolls-Royce Powersystems and Rhomberg Bau.
Konstanz is the most start-up friendly city
But what about municipal support? Kessler wondered after his move from the capital to the lake as well. “In the beginning, I was shocked by how little a student stronghold like Constance is doing for potential founders.” Five years later, Constance can be described as the most start-up friendly city in Baden-Württemberg – the Ministry of Economic Affairs awarded the title for the planned innovation area in February ( Kina).
Economics Minister Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut demanded in the award ceremony exactly what Philipp Kessler wants to achieve with his network: A start-up dynamic that can unfold on the territory of the country. The Minister emphasized: “Not all start-ups take place in metropolitan areas.”
Free founder consultation in Hilzingen
This is impressively demonstrated in a small community near Singen, which is considered a small Mecca for start-ups. For four years, Hilzingen has been home to a start-up consulting center, which is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in cooperation with the Steinbeis Foundation. Business consultant Winfried Küppers invites you here for free to the consultation in the city hall – with quite considerable success. Last year, 140 founders in Hilzingen received detailed advice, also far beyond the Hegau region.
The Statistical State Office of Baden-Württemberg lists the start-ups in the year 2018 in the districts of Konstanz, Waldshut, Schwarzwald-Baar and the Bodenseekreis. Starting a business with substance means that due to the expected number of employees or the legal form a larger economic substance is suspected. | Image: Bernhardt, Alexander Editorial graphics
Academics are not founded out of necessity
Küppers considers the chances of success of the rural ideas as high. One reason is the low unemployment rate. “We have many academics who do not have to or want to start out of necessity” says Küppers. Anyone who has an idea here does not need a business plan from him. He asks directly how he comes with a sophisticated product in the shelf of a supermarket. A good idea gets more intense attention from local media and the community.
Founders should use strengths of the regional economy
The company Xantus, founded in 2018, serves as a role model for him: Xantus designed a rapid test for drops of K.-o.-droplets with the help of the center in the online shop of the drugstore dm. “Just sitting in the big city has nothing to do with being successful,” says the counselor.
He advises start-ups who have no direct advantage from the local economy in the vicinity of large or medium-sized towns to use the strengths of the region. These are, for example, solutions for medium-sized companies that, in a good financial situation, keep their eyes open for innovative and helpful offers.
Entrepreneurs at Küppers regularly call to inquire about the incubator’s portfolio. Demand shows that the inventive genius is perceived far away from the magnet cities. To ensure that this continues to succeed, Küppers says: “This is exactly what the founders scene in the country needs to network with. Whether in Hegau or around Lake Constance. ”
Five tips for young entrepreneurs
From the idea of some Konstanzer students emerged the globally active company Holidaycheck. Jens Freiter is one of the founders and Steinbeis consultants – his five most important founding tips:
- Be brave: Most start-ups fail because they are not even founded.
- Be economical: Keep costs low. Not everything has to be perfect right away.
- Be fast and flexible: Produce nothing because you find it cool, just something that people really want or need.
- Be interested: Get opinions from professionals and consultants. They can often make you think and help you.
- Be a networker: Without a network, no start-up project succeeds because it lives from new contacts, ideas, business partners and customers.
Also published on Medium.