Bootcamp 2022
We support international entrepreneurial-minded early career researchers in implementing their innovative business idea in the Ruhr region.
Target audience: international students, early career researchers (PhD students, postdocs), solo founders or teams, early stage start-ups working in different high tech areas (esp. cyber security, material, robotics, AI, chemistry)
Format: Online
Duration: One week (weekdays)
Period: Monday, May 9th – Friday, May 13rd, 2022
Cost: free of charge
Registration
General Information
The Entrepreneurship Explorer Ruhr 2022 offers international and entrepreneurial-minded early career researchers the possibility to implement their innovative business ideas and explore the regional start-up ecosystem of one of the most active start-up communities in high tech industries. The program includes all aspects of a successful development of team, product and business model, deepening and preparing the implementation of your business idea together with professional start-up coaches and local top-level researchers, experienced experts and successful founders. Furthermore, you will discover the potentials of the ecosystem regarding clients and investors as well as the region’s particularities.

What you get:
- Get to know the particularities of Germany‘s business culture and the Ruhr region
- Discover the start-up ecosystem, cutting-edge research and interesting markets for your idea
- Identify market opportunities and develop your business model
- Learn the essentials of marketing and sales
- Train your pitch skills and present your business idea to a specialized jury
- Explore our network, exchange with successful founders and learn how to get in contact with investors and clients
Monday, 09.05.
Get to know the start-up scene Ruhr
15:00-15:30 Kick-off (Zoom)
Welcome to the Entrepreneurship Explorer Ruhr 2022! We will give you an overview of the program, introduce you to the team and our start-up activities at RUB, and get to know each other.
15:30-18:00 Lean Startup Workshop (Zoom)
Manuel Müller, Coach, make it
In this workshop, you will get to know the Lean Startup method, work according to the “build-measure-learn” principle and internalize the mantra “learn fast, learn cheap”. The Lean Canvas gives you a tool that visualizes your business model and makes it tangible for you and others. The Lean Startup methodology gives you very practical instructions.
Tuesday, 10.05.
Get ready for your investor pitch
16:00-18:00 Pitch training (Zoom)
Nils Beckmann, Founder and Trainer, Pitch & Grow
This workshop is all about your pitch. We will dig into the details of what makes a pitch a winning one. Focused on funding we will dive into the questions which your pitch should answer. The main question is: how can you evaluate a start-up through their pitch? Investors do so and your pitch determines if you will get to move forward.
The workshop has three main sections:
1. Pitch Deck Dive - What's behind the slides? A deep dive into pitch decks.
2. Pitch Deck Construction - How to adapt? Working on your pitch.
3. Pitch Deck Challenge - Get feedback to your pitch
Wednesday, 11.05.
Get to know Ruhr start-ups and learn more about B2B sales
15:00-15:45 Meet PhycoSystems (Zoom)
- Matthias Bartelt, Co-founder, PhycoSystems
- Markus Fidelak, Co-founder, PhycoSystems
- Annabelle Beyer, Startup Coach, START4CHEM
Meet PhycoSystems, a start-up project that targets to cultivate algae in an industrial scale! Together with Annabelle, start-up coach at the university’s incubator Start4Chem, they will tell you about their journey from applied research into the business world, their very own dos and don’ts, and the importance of team diversity.
15:45-16:00 Break
16:00-18:00 B2B sales: Tension management (Zoom)
Nils Beckmann, Founder and Trainer, Pitch & Grow
Getting in touch with a representative from a potential client is one thing. But what do you have to expect afterwards and how can you keep a company hooked? We will get into that question and discuss some advice and practices around B2B sales:
- How to pitch in Germany? What is special about German companies and innovation?
- "I need to speak to our IT-guys" - Planning for the pitch
- Setting the pace and commitment
- The aftermaths - How to keep the lead warm
We will give some examples from actual start-up sales and get into planning for your own pitches. This way you will get some insights, some practical advice and we will put in some real work in preparing you for B2B sales.
Thursday, 12.05.
Find out how you can grow with us and what opportunities our RUB Makerspace has to offer
09:15-14:45 Research from University to Industry (Zoom)
Materials sciences are as diverse as the people working with materials. Highlighting the way "from university to industry", scientists, start-up founders and industrial partners from three fields of materials science will present their research and companies. In the afternoon, Christian Großmann from IngPuls will take us on his journey from PhD student to successful co-founder now turning the medical world upside down with shape memory alloys.
9:15-9:30 Opening – R. Drautz
9:30-10:45 Session 1: Additive Manufacturing (Host: J. T. Sehrt) – R. Ortmann (HAM), J. Krell (ThinkIng), L. Wu (voestalpine Additive Manufacturing Center GmbH)
10:45-11:05 Break
11:05-12:20 Session 2: Materials Chemistry (Host: A. Devi) – W. Schuhmann (AC), O. Krysiak (xemX), F. Huber (hte GmbH)
12:20-13:20 Break
13:20-14:40 Plasma & Laser Technologies (Host: P. Awakowicz) – F. Kogelheide (AEPT), A. Kanitz (LIDROTEC), F. P. Witek (Sentech Instruments GmbH)
14:40-14:45 Closing – R. Drautz
14:45-15:15 Virtual tour Makerspace (Zoom)
Florian Krohm-Brauckmann, RUB Makerspace
Ideas must not just be imagined, they must also be put into practice. The RUB Makerspace on the MARK 51°7 technology campus is being set up as a unique place for teaching and experimentation. In the former Opel administration building, students from all disciplines will soon have the opportunity to put their (start-up) ideas into practice. The 1,800 m² development space marks the change from (coal and steel) industry to a knowledge-based start-up culture.
15:20-16:20 Interview with IngPuls: From University to Start-up (Zoom)
Christian Großmann, Co-founder and CEO, IngPuls
Christian Großmann takes us on his journey from RUB PhD student to successful co-founder of Ingpuls GmbH, which has been turning the medical world upside down with shape memory alloys since this year. Ingpuls' precisely balanced metal mixtures have unique properties that make them the starting material for consumer goods, state-of-the-art automotive or medical technology. Earlier this year, the startup formed a joint venture with a U.S. medical technology supplier to produce high-performance medical products in Bochum, Germany, for the global market. In this interview Christian talks about why Ingpuls had to take a 12-year detour to enter the medical industry and how the joint venture came about. You have the opportunity to send your questions already with the registration, so that they can be included in the interview. However, there will also be time for a Q&A starting at 16:00.
16:20-16:45 Break
16:45-18:45 Debunking the investor process (Zoom)
Petra Wolkenstein, Expert Coach, Startup Wise Guys / CEO, Konsultori M&A experts.
This session will give you the basics of an investor-process, what needs to be prepared, insights on the investor landscape and investor types, how to do outreach and investor relations. Bring your questions for the Q&A part.
Friday, 13.05.
Pitch your business idea in front of our expert jury and win a free ticket to ruhrSUMMIT
15:00-17:00 Pitch contest (Zoom)
Pitch your business idea in front of our RUB start-up coaches and win free tickets to the ruhrSUMMIT in June 2022!
17:00-17:15 Break
17:15-18:00 Awarding and wrap up (Zoom)

Registration
The participants of the Entrepreneurship Explorer Ruhr 2022 should fulfil the following criteria:
- Individuals or teams with a concrete business idea or early stage start-ups (max. 3 years). A maximum of two persons per team or start-up may participate in the program.
- Ambition and motivation to work continuously on the development of your business idea or business model during the course
- An international background (an international higher education entrance qualification)
- An affiliation with a higher education institution which is active or ended maximum 5 years ago
Deadline: April 24th, 2022
Please fill in the form including your pitchdeck and business model canvas and submit it until April 24th, 2022. If you have any questions or doubts, do not hesitate to contact us: worldfactoryinternational(at)rub.de