Networking and startup talks with your feet in the sand

“The University of Stuttgart is the driving force behind an innovation and startup ecosystem featuring bold startups that are helping to shape the future of our society and economy through interdisciplinary research and new technologies and business ideas,” says Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector at the University of Stuttgart. “Events like the Founders BBQ show just how dynamic and vibrant this ecosystem is.”

“We want to bring together everyone interested in the topic of entrepreneurship – from students and researchers to investors and alumni, as well as young entrepreneurs and those who aspire to become entrepreneurs,” adds Rubina Zern-Breuer, director of the TRACES Transfer Center at the University of Stuttgart. “We invite you to get to know the people behind the startups and business models and to be inspired by their life stories.”

Three alumni of the University of Stuttgart attended the first “Founders BBQ”; together with their teams, they won over investors and the market and are now successfully making their mark in a wide variety of industries.

They shared their visions, experiences, and secrets to success with the barbecue guests:

Jochen Engert: Jochen Engert wanted to rethink mobility. Flix has created a platform that has permanently transformed long-distance travel in Europe and, as a serious competitor to Deutsche Bahn, now transports millions of people.

Maike Lambarth: Where others see only trash, Maike Lambarth sees valuable resources. As a co-founder of Cyclize, she is developing technology that returns even problematic waste to the material cycle – and is thus rethinking the circular economy.

Ralf Gulde: “Just do it.” With this advice, Ralf Gulde encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to take the first step. Through Sereact, he develops intelligent robots for logistics and manufacturing. The fact that the startup recently raised $110 million in funding demonstrates the potential of this vision.

What motivated the three of them to take the plunge into entrepreneurship? What's the key to successfully bringing a potentially “crazy” idea to life? And how did the University of Stuttgart support them along the way?

We spoke with Jochen Engert, Maike Lambarth, and Ralf Gulde about these questions.

Knowledge and technology transfer at the University of Stuttgart
The Transfer Center TRACES is the central point of contact at the University of Stuttgart for research and knowledge transfer. In cooperation with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research (ENI), the Technology Transfer Initiative TTI GmbH, and Department 1 – Research and Transfer, TRACES forms an innovative transfer and start-up ecosystem for founders. It provides support and advice from the initial idea to the spin-off. With a wide range of courses, start-up coaching, and advice on applications, funding programs, and patents and property rights (de), the University of Stuttgart supports start-up projects by students and employees. Thanks to its fantastic innovative spirit, the University of Stuttgart regularly ranks among the top 10 German universities with the most patent applications per year. The “Entrepreneurship” newsletter from ENI provides twice-monthly updates on the latest news, events, and competitions in the startup ecosystem.