Similar to the founders in the well-known TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen" (The Lion's Den), the accadis graduates of the Class of 2021 presented their business ideas to a renowned jury on September 4. The focus was on relevant social issues. The claim that entrepreneurship should make the world a little better could be well understood last Saturday at accadis Hochschule.
Every year, the undergraduate students conclude their studies with a one-week start-up pitch week. 19 student teams had one week to develop a business idea, create a business plan for it and then present it to a jury of investors.
Students with a sense of social responsibility
Fortunately, it became apparent that the majority of the student teams were currently working on pressing issues and had developed solutions for them. Four of the 19 business ideas were aimed at sustainability: Sustainable children's clothing for rent, sustainable kinesio tape made from PET bottles, dog waste bags and garbage bags made from sustainable and biodegradable cornmeal, reusable gift packaging made from recycled fabrics.
But also the topic of digitalization played a role in some business ideas: heyCollege offers educational institutions an optimization of existing administrative processes and leanchef GmbH enables restaurants to digitalize and automate processes with the help of an AI-supported platform.
The jury was very surprised by the business idea "BeyondLife" - an all-round service for provision in the event of death. "We've seen quite a bit in the final exam - the topic of death came up for the first time this year - but it's part of life," said Managing Partner of accadis Hochschule and jury member Gerda Meinl-Kexel.
Renowned members of an (only partly fictitious) jury of investors
"I was very pleased," explains Professor Florian Pfeffel, President of accadis Hochschule, "that the students were able to present to a jury of renowned company representatives on Saturday. This gives the students valuable and practical feedback for their approaches." Dr. Hellen Fitsch, Head of Corporate Citizenship at accenture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Bettina Mertgen, Partner at Deloitte, and Paul Küderli, Partner at McKinsey and thus an expert on finance topics, were among the participants.
In addition, Bad Homburg companies naturally rounded out the jury composition. Oliver Stahl flew the flag for Lilly Germany. He is Head of Corporate Affairs and in particular brings his many years of experience in digital ventures to the table. Branimir Brodnik, Managing Partner and founder of the Bad Homburg-based consultancy microfin, is another expert in the field of digitalization. And then we can also count on the support of the municipality. The new Chief Digital Officer of the city of Bad Homburg, Michaela Peschk-Aschenbrenner, is of course part of the jury with her vision of a smart city.
And for all students who have not only understood their business idea as an examination achievement, but also want to pursue their start-up after graduation, the Bad Homburg entrepreneur and founder network groundr was also part of the jury with Jens Klemann (Strateco) and Riklef von Schüssler (allington). "Of course, we also have hopes from this format," adds Prof. Pfeffel, "that some students will pursue their business idea further and that we, with the accadis Institute of Entrepreneurship and groundr. e. V., will be able to support them financially and idea-wise."
With this, an intensive week at the accadis Hochschule has come to an end. With many valuable experiences, the graduates of the Class of 2021 can now look ahead - and dedicate themselves to the upcoming professional and social challenges.