Starthaus Pilot Projects
As an impact start-up or social entrepreneur, you face the challenge of acquiring your first customer and testing your first product or minimal viable product (MVP) in a real-life environment. Mastering this challenge is not always easy, although it is important for you to show that there is a real impact and added value for customers. Carrying out a pilot project is the first step to getting off to a successful start.
At the same time, companies are often faced with the challenge of finding exciting new technologies or solutions and implementing them for innovation in their organisation. Projects are often too large, the added value is not immediately apparent or the implementation seems too complex and uncertain.
This is why we created the Starthaus Pilot Projects programme to bring together impact start-ups/social entrepreneurs and corporates. The programme is designed to strengthen social and ecological innovation. Our start-ups contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the three pillars of sustainability - social, ecological and economic - and can therefore also help SMEs to break new ground in this area. The focus on social and ecological innovations is particularly relevant with regard to corporate social responsibility and reporting. Social innovation brings together social impact, collaboration and co-creation, empathy and customer-centricity, creativity, innovation and scalability. A perfect match!
To enable you to utilise the potential, we bring SMEs and impact start-ups/social entrepreneurs together, match you and accompany the first steps towards a successful collaboration. For our impact start-ups/social entrepreneurs, the focus is on piloting and customer-centred product development, while our corporates focus on leveraging the added value of innovation. We make sure that you find a good use case, that the project framework is in place and that other collaboration hurdles are overcome. The projects are small and manageable to achieve quick wins.
Who can participate?
The programme is aimed at impact founders, social entrepreneurs or sustainable start-ups who want to further develop and test their prototype and convince their first customer.
The programme is aimed at companies that have a keen interest in innovation and would like to carry out a pilot project together with an impact company.
How does the programme work?
Our programme consists of three central elements. We start with getting to know each other and the matching process at the ‘Let's Match!’ Impact Fair. Here you have the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange project ideas and talk about the challenges you would like to solve. In the second step, we will carry out a design sprint in which the impact company selects a use case together with the company, outlines the core elements of the solution and tests them in an initial prototype. The final step is a pitch event at which everyone presents their solutions together. At this event, we select 3 winning teams who can win prize money of up to 9,000 euros for the realisation of the pilot project.
In preparation and to get started on exciting pilot projects, impact startups/social entrepreneurs and companies can meet at the speed dating event at the ‘Let's Match!’ Impact Fair on 22 October 2024 to get in touch. At the speed meeting, you will meet six potential cooperation partners and have six minutes to get to know each other and share your ideas and challenges so that an initial expression of interest can be submitted.
After appropriate preliminary discussions, a design sprint start-up prototyping takes place. The start-up teams develop the first prototype as part of a design sprint with the support of experts and together with the company.
To ensure a good start to the design sprint, we first organise a preliminary meeting. You prepare for the sprint and define the core problem. We will also provide you with information on the sprint process.
Design Sprint 11 - 15.11.2024:
Day 1: Define the problem 11.11.2024
In your Startup Corporate Team, you create an understanding of the core problem and start researching the customers. You analyse the problem, get in touch with representatives and develop a solution based on your findings. Day 1 concludes with the problem-solving process.
Day 2: First idea solution 12.11.2024
On Day 2, you evaluate the ideas together and then select the relevant solution. After that you develop solution concepts and create a storyboard. The consolidation of the prototype and the definition of your impact are also on the agenda for the day.
Day 3: Prototype test 13.11.2024
You develop the interactive prototypes on Day 3 to realise your solution idea. In the course of this, you will prepare the content of your user test in order to test it together with the company on Day 4.
Day 4: User Test & Next Steps 14.11.2024
Testing the prototype with real users is on the agenda for Day 4. You will then analyse the insights you have gained from the user tests and derive the appropriate next steps.
Day 5: Pitch training for the impact start-up 15.11.2024
At the end of the pilot project, there will be a pitch training session to prepare you for the pitch. We will develop your story, deal with the topic of appearance and impact and give you the tools to convince at the pitch event.
At the pitch event, the impact start-up/social entrepreneur pitches the minimum viable product on an open stage. The pitch event is the conclusion of our programme. As an impact founder, you have the opportunity to win prize money totalling up to 9,000 euros for the implementation of the pilot project. This concludes our programme - but hopefully not your collaboration. We will be happy to accompany you in the further implementation of the programme and support further collaboration as required.
What benefits do you get from the programme?
Why is participation in the programme worthwhile for you as an impact founder or as a company? It's quite simple:
Impact start-up/founder
- Protected, clearly defined framework for the development of your prototype
- Further development and initial testing of your product
- Access to potential customers to both test the first product and develop it further together
- Prize money totalling up to 9,000 euros for the implementation of the pilot project
- Support and mentoring from Starthaus Bremen & Bremerhaven
Corporates & SME:
- Access to innovations
- Solutions for sustainable corporate development and impact
- Collaboration with innovative start-ups
- Support and guidance from Starthaus Bremen & Bremerhaven
Any questions?
Just get in touch with us!
Sabine Fröhlich
Starthaus
Schwerpunkt: Social Entrepreneurship und Crowdfunding
0421 9600 531
