After the welcome address by Martin Schwarz, Deputy Head of Founders Space, Prof. Dr Tobias Engelhardt, HNU professor and founder of EKK & Co., spoke about business angels in his keynote speech: "A business angel always has two wings: capital and expertise."
Dr Andreas Arnegger, founder of osora medical GmbH, then reported on his personal experiences with investment and business angels.
Sebastian Almer from the Donau Valley Venture Club also made some recommendations for start-ups and those interested in founding a company. In his view, investors should not necessarily be the first port of call when money is needed for a start-up. The best financing option is real customers, which is why he recommends entering the market as quickly as possible. He sees "friends, family and fools" in second place and banks in third. "Only when these options have been exhausted," says Sebastian Almer, "should business angels, investors and venture capital be considered."
The Founders Space at HNU is a starting point for many successful start-ups from the region. Many founders come straight out of university with promising ideas and are therefore referred to as "early stage start-ups". The Founders Space team advises them to look into financing options at an early stage and supports them in getting to know potential partners for the future.
