Displaying items by tag: inside the venture

Johann Maack, Maurice Ackel, Katharina Hennes and Pia Marie Pose have conducted this INTEGRA Inside the Venture project at nanoku. The startup nanoku saves you long waiting times. Instead of spending time with waiting on the spot, simply set yourself up in a virtual queue. Use the waiting time for meaningful activities and only come when you are really the next in line. 

The consulting project comprised the identification of market-side opportunities and risks for nanoku. The focus was set on carrying out a market analysis for the market of virtual queuing systems. In particular, target groups and competitors were identified, analyzed and interpreted. On the basis of this information, the market-side opportunities and risks for nanoku were evaluated using previously defined criteria dedicated to the young venture. Ultimately, a modular company presentation was created, which should provide nanoku advantages with regard to potential investors and their market entry.

The project was conducted in Spring Term 2016.

We thank INTEGRA and the team for this excellent project!

The objective of the consulting project was to evaluate the current marketing measures and develop a full-fledged sales strategy for monomer, specifically aiming at company growth and brand building. monomer offers jewelry that is designed digitally and then produced using 3D printing technology. The INTEGRA Inside the Venture team considted of Anna Kemp, Alexander Barkey, Jessica Horn and Johannes Geise. 

In particular, the project included:

• a profound market analysis of the jewelry and luxury market
• analyzing opportunities as well as risks regarding monomer’s business model
• identifying and validating the targeted customer segments
• deriving sales strategies catering the identified customer segments
• detailed competitor analyses to identify best-practices in the luxury jewelry market and to map competition
• preparation of sales measures as well as a list of potential sales partners
• delivering a detailed implementation and sales strategy roadmap including a recommendation regarding monomer’s next steps of action

The project was conducted in Spring Term 2015.

We thank the INTEGRA team for their excellent work and support!

The objective of this INTEGRA consulting project Inside the Venture that Karin Weitkaempfer, Dennis Wagner, Florentine Eitelbach, Johann Maack and Robin Ruhnau have conducted was to evaluate the current marketing measures (status quo) and to develop a full-fledged marketing strategy for Mister Trip in Germany.

In particular, the project included:

• profound market analyses including a dedicated competitor analysis
• analyzing targeted customer segments and prioritization
• validating the current corporate strategy
• evaluating current marketing measures
• deriving a marketing strategy as well as a list of measures to be implemented
• preparation of dedicated marketing measures that qualify for short-term implementation

The project was conducted in Fall Term 2015. 

We thank the INTEGRA team for their excellent work and support!

The objective of the consulting project was to identify the most relevant target markets for the product CloudRail by licobo GmbH and an analysis of their relevant characteristics. The individual steps of the project can be segmented into a customer segmentation research for the product, an analysis of the market for Cloud Computing and an analysis of the “Internet of Things” market. The INTEGRA Inside the Venture team consisted of Marlene Laumer, Johann Abrahams, Daniel Schaeffer, Patrick Hemling and Fabian Burzlaff.

In particular, the project included:

• Identification of the most relevant target markets for CloudRail
• Researching key data of these markets and the most important potential customers
• Researching general information about the Cloud Computing market and identifying its market segments
• Evaluating these market segments concerning a potential introduction of CloudRail (regarding competition, number and type of potential customers, technological development potential)
• Researching general information about the “Internet of Things” market and identifying its market segments
• Identifying and evaluating trends in the “Internet of Things” market concerning their temporal development, their market impact and their potential for a usage in connection with CloudRail
• Describing the results of the market analyses using a presentation with specifically developed graphics
• Conducing a workshop with the managing directors of licobo GmbH to identify the market segments and customers that should be targeted at the commercial launch of CloudRail

The project was conducted in Spring Term 2014. 

We thank the INTEGRA team for this outstanding project!

Nathalie has developed a market entry strategy in form of a business plan for GBO Human Resources. 

Based on their mission to establish strong customer relationship with clients, GBO Human Resources intends to increase their geographical scope of activity to Latin America in order to be able to accompany client development there. Nathalie has conducted substantial due diligance, market analyses and wrapped her findings and recommendations into a dedicated business plan for market expansion to Peru.

Nathalie's academic thesis chapter is a quantitative empirical paper on backer motivation across different types of crowdfunding projects.

Marc Warczok (graduate student of the University of Mannheim) spent the last months on his thesis.

Nothing unusual so far but next to crunching numbers and working the books he is also researching and supporting

in the live-environment of a startup. Below you can find his report on his time 'Inside the Venture':

'As part of my Master thesis I was working for the mbits Steinbeis Transferzentrum, a research-based spin-off of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. Mbits places its focus on the development of medical imaging applications on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The benefits of modern mobile devices have already demonstrated themselves in our daily lives and the company strives to make these possibilities available in modern health care systems where data accessibility is a crucial factor to ensure both efficiency and the best possible treatment for the patient.

In the scope of this project, I developed the future marketing and distribution strategy for the mobile DICOM-Viewer mRay, one of mbits’ highly innovative medical engineering products. Additionally I conducted research concerning team-entrepreneurship and its effects on the performance of a venture and derived meaningful implications for future start-up teams.

During the time at mbits, I was involved in the strategic development of the company as well as in all the relevant negotiations with customers and business partners, thereby learning a great deal about hands on marketing. The interaction with the founding team, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit of the company was a fantastic experience and an excellent preparation for my future career.

I can only recommend such an “adventure” to anybody who wants to broaden their horizon.Both the Entrepreneurship chair of Prof. Dr. Woywode as well as the team at mbits have been very helpful at any time.'

If you want to find out more about the product Marc was working on you can check mbits' Youtube channel.

In case you are also interested in writing your master thesis with the MCEI you can find the topic list and further projects 'Inside the venture' on our website.

INTEGRA student consultants assisted the Mannheim Pharma & Diagnostics GmbH in refining der business model and adapting their pricing strategy. They developed a highly sophisticated and responsive pricing model.

The Mannheim Pharma & Diagnostics GmbH is developing innovative test patches which can make the detection of kidney and liver dysfunctions much cheaper and easier than before. The technology was initially designed for human application but the Mannheim Pharma started to consider animal health as a highly lucrative market with less barriers to entry.

An INTEGRA team consisting of Tobias Regele (project manager), Andreas Schumacher and Franz Joseph Hinzen came in to evaluate the market chances for animal diagnostic patches. To do that, they analyzed the German and US markets for animal health and interviewed a sample of potential clients and veterinarians about their willingness to pay for the product. They also compared the pricing strategies of relevant competitors. At the end, the team created a quantitative pricing model and sensitivity analysis with different scenarios and drew concrete action recommendations for refining the business.

Thanks to the project team for the remarkable results of the project! The high intrinsic motivation and great professionalism of its members should not go unnoticed. Our special thanks goes to INTEGRA for making such great projects possible and to the team for pulling all these all-nighters to be able to come up with this great due diligence and results in such a short period of time.

The project was conducted in Fall Term 2013.

Annika participated in an “Inside the Venture” project at contagt. “Inside the Venture”-projects are not only useful to the involved startups – they also offer student consultants great chances to evolve and get incomparable hands-on experiences! Here’s a personal report from Annika Wiecek, who conducted market analyses and PR measures for contagt together with Lisa Schellhorn:

"You want to know how theory relates to practice? You want to know what it is like to work in a real start-up? You want to apply your knowledge to a real business case? Then you should join “Inside the Venture” at the Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship!

I had the great opportunity to spend a whole semester in a real start-up, named “contagt”. I was able to see how a start-up works, what it challenges and chances are. Every week I observed the progress of our project and took part in the daily work that a start-up entails. Finally, I could make use of all my knowledge and really lend a hand. I was treated as a full-fledged team member, I could bring in and realize my own ideas, I was involved in all major decisions and a lot of responsibility was placed upon me. Soon, I realized, that I really could influence the future of the start-up! It really has been an amazing time and I always enjoyed working with Johannes, Lisa and the other team members. Even though it has only been one semester, I can say that I learned so much, not only about starting-up but also about how to be a better organizer, how to think strategically, how to be a good team member – things that you do not learn by simply attending university. I do not want to miss this time by any means! It really is different to see for yourself how a start-up works, to get involved and exert influence. In a start-up, YOU can have a real impact! Everyone who plays with the idea of starting-up or those who want to work with start-ups or as a consultant should definitely take this chance and join the “Inside the Venture Project”. I can promise you, that you will have a great time! You will not only learn things  that cannot be taught and get hands-on experiences but you will also become friends with very inspirational and warm-hearted people."

We thank Annika for her support and sharing her thoughts on the project with us!

About contagt

The award-winning startup is focused on developing a unique solution to indoor-navigation with smartphones, which is the first of its kind worldwide. The technology is based on Quick Response Codes (QR) and Near Field Communication Chips (NFC) technologies. Through an app, users can import codes to detect their current position within a building. Hence, the app offers a solution which may be compared to a 'Google Maps within buildings’, which then navigates users through the building to a desired destination. contagt has won the Hohenzollern Innovation Prize and a prize by the MRN Foundation for innovative projects.

Starting on Tuesday, November 19,the MCEI will launch its latest event format: the Startup Lounge. The first Startup Lounge will be opened with an inspirational talk by David Minkovski, co-founder of fashire.

To facilitate your networking activities, the first rounds of drinks and refreshments are sponsored by our partner Osborne Clarke. We are looking forward to providing you with an inspiring atmosphere to meet, discuss and exchange ideas. You can just step by without any registration being necessary but some indication regarding the number of participants would be highly appreciated. Thus, please register via our MCEI Event Pages or MCEI Facebook Events.

Looking forward to welcoming you in the Startup Lounge!

Your MCEI Team

This Startup Lounge is powered by our partner Osborne Clarke.

MCEI and MicroTEC Südwest are now offering master students the opportunity to write their master thesis in a young research-based Startup as part of MCEI's Inside the Venture Project. Non-German speaking master students are also encouraged to apply for the program.

Background

Within a European research project, a highly innovative and interesting procedure has been developed: The method enables a radical innovation within the clearly defined market segment of analytics and pharmaceutical development. 

In order to exploit this potential, the research team applied for an EXIST scholarship from the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology. Since the method and the whole concept convinced the jury, the research team was granted 500.000 € by the EXIST program - money which will be used for further technological development, business model enhancement and eventually launching the product. 

Within the business model development, up to three master theses can be supervised. Please apply, if interested. The kick-off will be in early November.

Requirements

Every master thesis is supposed to look at one key aspect of the fields of business model development, market potential analysis and market entry strategy. 

Thorough knowledge in the following areas is required:

• Methods of empirical economic research
• Instruments and methods of innovation and technology management
• Skills in marketing planning and sales management

Participants are not expected to have deep knowledge in all three areas, should, however, have gained sound knowledge in one of the three fields. As usual in our venture support program, master theses also require a 20-30 pages theoretical part next to the practical work to reveal your academic skills. You learn for a lifetime in accompanying a Spinoff but it requires a lot of dedication and diligence in return.

Opportunities

Working for a Startup offers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in founding a technology-oriented company and realize one's own ideas. The founding team consists of young researchers and outstanding mentors. The launch of the venture is embedded into a highly scientific environment and the economic structures of the MicroTec Südwest cluster. The students who are writing their master thesis will closely work and cooperate with the founder team and will be able to make use of MicroTec's and IMTEK's network and coaches.

A financial compensation can be granted through a contract as a student research assistant.

Contact

For further information, please refer to the attached document and visit www.SciConomy.de

Please apply via Jan Zybura of MCEI at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.