In March, the third round of the support programme for aspiring female entrepreneurs began at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (THD). After three months, on 24 June, the participants presented the plans they had drawn up for the coming months to the coaches at the Startup-Lab. A particular highlight of the event was the interim presentation that serves as the basis for deciding who will be awarded the additional EXIST-Women scholarship, which provides support to the aspiring female founders on top of the funding they have already received.

The programme participants were given the opportunity to talk briefly and concisely about their current situation within eight minutes. The audience included the THD coaching team, consisting of Vice-President and programme mentor Prof. Dr Veronika Fetzer, EXIST-Women coordinator Uta Pustet, as well as Johanna Kronschnabl and Franziska Heyde. During the presentations, the participants had to answer set questions as best as they could: What specific problem does the business idea solve, and who is the target audience? What is the situation regarding potential competitors in the market? What makes the business idea unique and economically viable in the long term? In addition, the aspiring female entrepreneurs provided an outlook on what they expect from the coming months. Afterwards, the other participants and coaches had five minutes to ask questions or provide feedback.

A total of seven different business ideas were presented: ranging from compliance orchestration and AI-powered credit checks to a slow media platform for interactive light stories, via software for plant certification in accordance with VDE-AR-N 4110, a training platform for targeted athletic training in martial arts and a digital learning and community platform for hunting, right through to shamanic coaching and an AI-powered app for determining the age and dental health of horses. The wide range of topics covered by the ideas led to a diverse array of presentations, from which all those present were able to gain fresh inspiration. However, it was not only the active exchange amongst the aspiring female founders that made the interim presentation an important milestone in the programme. The presentations play a decisive role in the awarding of the EXIST-Women scholarship. Five participants in the programme are eligible to apply for this, enabling them to receive further financial support over a three-month period in addition to the in-kind funding provided as part of the programme.

About EXIST-Women at the Centre for Entrepreneurship at DIT

The EXIST-Women funding programme supports women at universities and colleges who are interested in starting a business. It introduces them to entrepreneurial thinking at an early stage and supports them every step of the way, from the initial idea through to setting up their business. The programme is aimed in particular at female students, female researchers and female graduates with technology- or knowledge-based start-up projects. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy through ‘EXIST – From Science to Business’.