Munich Startup: What exactly does Start Munich do and who is behind it? Please introduce yourselves and the organization.
Start Munich: Start Munich was founded in 2003 by Felix Haas, Sebastian Baerhold, and Adrian Locher. From the very beginning, our top priority was to bring together entrepreneurial students from diverse backgrounds and support them on their path to entrepreneurship. By integrating them into a network of enthusiastic students, we aim to provide our members with the experience, skills, and resources they need to found a startup—be it by finding ideas and co-founders, or through mentoring and financing.
We've grown rapidly, especially in the last two years. We now have over 200 members, many of whom are actively involved in the club's activities. We're not just a group of students; we're a community of entrepreneurially passionate individuals who are helping to advance Munich's startup ecosystem on its journey to becoming a global startup hotspot.
“Our focus is on networking”
Munich Startup: Munich's universities already have entrepreneurship initiatives for students. What gap does Start Munich want to fill in the Munich startup ecosystem?
Start Munich: Our focus is primarily on networking, while most other organizations focus on entrepreneurship education. We believe that networking is the most important component for enabling the creation of a startup.
Munich Startup: Who exactly do you want to address with your offer?
Start Munich: Our target group is defined relatively broadly. Essentially, we want to appeal to students who are passionate about entrepreneurship. Whether they have a technical background, a business background, or something completely different, we represent many fields of study. To become part of Start Munich, you don't have to be working on the next unicorn – we primarily look for a passion for founding a company, some initial experience in this field, and the joy of exchanging ideas with enthusiastic colleagues.
'Entrepreneurial Spirit' sought
Munich Startup: You offer membership applications. How exactly does this work, and what criteria do you use to decide whether you're accepted?
Start Munich: Our application phase begins at the beginning of each semester. Initially, we fill out an application form, in which we seek to learn about the applicants and their attitude toward entrepreneurship. We then invite the most interesting applicants to an interview, where we determine whether they are a good fit for Start Munich. Our most important criteria are entrepreneurial spirit, potential Start Munich commitment, and previous experience implementing their own ideas.
Munich Startup: What exactly do you offer your members?
Start Munich: As already mentioned, our main focus is on the network. At the moment, everything is virtual, of course, but that's worked very well so far. In our Slack workspace, we offer our members the opportunity to exchange ideas on various topics, ask questions on various topics, or stimulate discussions. Meanwhile, we offer about one or two events per week in which we address various topics. These can be insights, where we talk to founders in smaller groups, pitch nights, where members present and discuss their ideas, or reading circles, where the focus is on sharing knowledge through interesting and undiscovered books.
Munich Startup: Are there any success stories yet?
Start Munich: Since our founding in 2003, we have had several members who founded startups during or after their time at Start Munich. Well-known examples include Trade Republic, Bits & Pretzels, Remberg, Unu, Freeletics and IDnow. We now have some great founders who are seeing success with their startups, such as Custom Surgical, Anybill, and Munich Analytics.
Munich as a perfect breeding ground for start-ups
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup hub? What do you like about it, and what do you think is missing?
Start Munich: We're delighted to see Munich's development as a startup hub. Munich offers a perfect breeding ground for startups: universities that drive the field like few others, corporations that invest knowledge and capital in young companies, and many great founders who provide inspiration every day. It couldn't get much better.
Where we still see potential, however, is in collaboration between the individual stakeholders (e.g., universities, companies, student initiatives, accelerators, etc.). A more direct exchange would create even more opportunities for startups and encourage more people to found businesses.
Munich Startup: Your “Road to Start Summit” is taking place today – what exactly will happen there and how can you participate?
Start Munich: On Thursday, January 28, 2021, our biggest event to date will take place: the annual Road to Start Summit, which will be virtual for the first time this year. The main part of the event is the pitch competition (from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.), where six Munich-based startups will pitch their ideas to our jury. We are delighted that this year's jury will include some of the most important players in the German startup scene: Judith Dada (La Famiglia VC), Robin Godenrath (Picus Capital), Max-Josef Meier (finn.auto, Stylight), and star investor Carsten Maschmeyer.
But the event is much more than a pitch competition: Between 5 and 6 p.m., we'll give participants the opportunity to speak with various Munich startups in virtual booths and discuss job opportunities, especially with a student focus. After the pitch competition, from approximately 8:30 p.m., we'll offer the opportunity to exchange ideas with startup founders and other viewers in small meeting rooms. Tickets are free and available here.
