The event gave participants the opportunity to further develop and refine their startup plans in a targeted manner. At the same time, exploring individual beliefs and entrepreneurial challenges helped boost the confidence and ability to take action among the aspiring founders.
Focus: Mindset, creativity, and team building
For example, during an interactive workshop led by Aurelia Vetter and Ksenia Prasko (Vepra), the scholarship recipients explored the “mindset as a success factor” in depth, presented their startup ideas in an idea pitch, and worked intensively on refining their projects in a design thinking workshop.
Another key focus of the kickoff was building a trusting community: The intentionally created “safe space” fostered open dialogue, mutual support, and strong group dynamics—key factors for success in the coming months.
Strong Network: Mentoring Matching Supports Project Development
As part of the mentoring matching process, the scholarship recipients were specifically connected with experienced mentors from the business and academic worlds. A keynote presentation by Kerstin Lauer on the topic “What Is Mentoring?” covered key fundamentals regarding understanding roles, managing expectations, and the factors contributing to a successful partnership. The tandems have already reached their first concrete agreements regarding their collaboration, thereby laying a strong foundation for the individual development of the projects.
The program kicks off with a successful first phase of the "Gründerinnenweg"
The program’s launch makes it clear: through a combination of mindset training, methodological training, and personal mentoring, participants are optimally prepared for their entrepreneurial journey. The EXIST-Women team would like to extend special thanks to the mentors who volunteer their knowledge and experience, thereby making a decisive contribution to the program’s success.
