The Magic of Startupnight – SUN X Digital Week

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”true” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”50″ margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”none” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

The #Startupnight 2022 was special in many ways: The networking event for the startup ecosystem celebrated its 10^th birthday (hence the title SUN X), it came back as a big live event after two digital editions during the pandemic, and it presented three full days of programming with a wide spectrum of topics, speakers, impulses, sponsors and – of course – startups.

The Startup Incubator Berlin was an official partner and the curator of the Incubator Day on Friday, September 9^th, packed with a colourful program before closing with the actual Startupnight party.

It was an honor, and some hard work for many weeks: A steering committee was established, weekly meetings held to coordinate agendas, plans were drawn up for guest speakers and panels, workshops defined and exhibitors lists built and re-built.

The result was a thrilling day with many highlights:

• over 20 Incubators exhibited at the Incubator Day, bringing along one startup each to pitch against each other for Super Demo Day (€ 1000 prize award from the Berliner Sparkasse)
• 7 Workshops were held to different topics such as the Lean Startup Method, rapid prototying, Legal 101 for Startups and more.
• The X-Challenge took place for two days in a separate lounge to tackle the question on „How to find the perfect (business) match” . About 30 strangers came together, spontaneously formed teams and worked in a professional Design Thinking workshop on a new approach. The three finalists pitched at the end of the Incubator Day on stage, and the winning team was awarded € 2,000 by the Icecubator and Spitzhorli Invest AG.

Over 30 Speakers went on stage to talk about their expertise and share their know-how: From project management leaders to representatives of all incubators to the Business Angel Club Berlin Brandenburg e.V. with three duos of investors and founders.

At the end of the day, the incubators emptied their booths in record time to make space for their startups represented. An impressive collection of 120 startups exhibited at the Startupnight, from Ed-Tech to High-Tech, from Sustainability to Aerospace. So very impressive!

So what was the magic for us in this huge project?

The magic of the Startupnight was to see all incubator in one big hall, hard-working colleagues that all support the Berlin Startup Ecosysystem and their startups to become successful.

And most wonderful of all was to see that our startups from the Startup Incubator Berlin where visible everywhere: There was a2zebra who pitched for Super Demo Day and reached the finals. Participating in the X-Challenge were two co-founders from our teams Trueffles and Stella. And Tina from Trueffles won the X-Challenge with her team!

Joining the Workshop from professional Wafm Academie about the potential of team members was our team prevact. The team Cleverlohn made it in the Masterclass program of the HTW after finishing the Berlin Startup Scholarship with us. CBright and DocVox were nominated for the Pitching Stage in the evening by investors.

More SIB teams could be found among the exhibitors, such as We4All, Sittery, Kursinsel, Hale, Robbi and our dear alumni teams such as Bearcover, Brea, LexHub and truemetrics who meanwhile joined different programs in other incubators or secured their investments already.

What does this mean to us?

Public funding for startups works! Our offers for our startup teams work! Working together in a wide network of the Berlin startup ecosystem works!

And last but not least: We are very proud of our startup teams and happy to accompany them on their journey to success. Big applause!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Make It Lean Contest – Interview: UrbanFarm

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

UrbanFarm won the second place of the Make It Lean Contest 2020/21 and with that 3.000€ price money for their startup project.
Their startup is an environmentally friendly, mobile production system for nutrient-rich microgreens that uses the recycling of food waste from restaurants for their own needs on site.
As sustainability gets more and more important, UrbanFarms project is spot on. So we were curious, how did they came up with their idea and what are their plans for the future?

1) How did you find out about the Make It Lean Contest?
We came across the Make It Lean Contest while we were searching for support programs for startups.
Then we thought that this contest would be a great chance to share our idea with a large audience and opportunity to get support by every means.

2) How and when did you get together as a startup team?
We got together around this idea in October 2020. We have already known each other for a while and both of us wanted to create value for the whole society then we started thinking.

3) How did you come across the problem that you wanted to solve with your founding idea?
We have always wished to find a solution for increasing demand for food. With the pandemic, this demand became more significant than ever.
All of us -even in the big cities- felt the fear of not having enough food in the groceries to feed ourselves.
Therefore we wanted to find a way to grow food for people in the cities in another manner creating self-sufficient cities. About recycling food waste, Ecem has seen the big issue how much food goes away everyday.
Since she is a chemist, she proposed to use this food waste as a fertilizer and grow organic food without chemicals.

4) What is your main goal in the next 3 months?
We have already set up our prototype system and in the next three months our goal is to launch our operation and present our products in the market. We are currently working on that step by step.

5) Who would you like to have a coffee or tea with? Why?
Well, that’s a tough one. If he was alive, definitely Henry Ford. He had a great vision and much ahead of his time.

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Make It Lean Contest – Interview: Easy Cook Asia

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

An interview with Easy Cook Asia

EasyCookAsia won 1st prize at the Make It Lean Contest in 2018 with their idea to deliver Asian meal kits containing pre-prepped ingredients and recipes, combined with interesting food stories. They had found that customers were often confused about what to buy at the Asian supermarket and how to prepare Asian foods at home, so they provide a satisfying and fun way to discover the diverse Asian cuisine. The team then joined the Startup Now program for early startups, and in the following year, they successfully applied for the Berlin Startup Scholarship which secured funding to launch their concept in the market.
We talked to co-founder Minchul Lee (ML) about their journey at the Startup Incubator Berlin (SIB).

SIB: When and how did you meet as a startup team, and when did you first think about your business idea?

ML: When I was a student at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, I attended an Entrepreneurship class where I was introduced to the Lean Startup Method. I was especially impressed with the motto “Done is better than perfect”. Then, a classmate and I decided to set up our own company after completing our MBA.

SIB: How did you hear about the Make It Lean Contest and Startup Incubator Berlin in the first place?

ML: At the school building, I saw a poster advertising the contest. And even though the poster was in German and I didn’t understand all of it, the term “Make It Lean” really struck me, so I thought we should give it a shot.

SIB: What gave you the decisive kick to participate?

ML: It seemed like a good way to really work on our idea, to put the theory into something real and apply the Lean Method. Sure, the chance to win money was nice, but it was not our main motivation. Even if we wouldn’t win, we would have still taken a big step forward with our business idea.

SIB: How did you prepare for your contest entry?

ML: We had tried a crowdfunding for our startup earlier, which wasn’t very successful. But we learned a lot from our mistakes there. And then, we joined the Lean Workshop Series, where we could really develop our own business. That was a key step, but also the Pitch Video Workshop helped us a great deal.

SIB: How much time and money did you invest in your video?

The first big positive surprise was when the coach told us we could produce everything with our smartphone – so it would be really low-budget. And yes, we started out spending quite some time: I think it took us three hours to get the first minute of the video produced. But then we got faster: The second minute took us only two hours, and the third minute was done in one hour, roughly speaking.

SIB: What did you do to boost the voting for your video?

ML: Of course, we contacted all our friends, family, neighbours, schoolmates and asked them to again contact people they knew. That’s obvious. But we also produced flyers, and we held cooking events at the university that we published over Social Media. I think those offline activities really helped us a great deal.

SIB: What is the single most important advice you would want to give any new contestant?

ML: As I said: “Done is better than perfect”, just try something and act like you’ve got nothing to lose. In fact, you can only gain from the experience, learn from mistakes, adapt and get better in every step.

SIB: During your journey at SIB, following your win in the Make It Lean Contest, what were some key moments (positive or difficult) you would want to share?

ML: Starting with the positive, the best experience was the community at SIB with the chance to learn from others who went through similar experiences, and to see that we were not alone with our challenges. Even though each challenge is unique, like ours with many legal regulations in the food business. Some of the toughest times came when we collected feedback for our first prototype products. Germans have this reputation for being honest (laughs), and wow, the responses we got were often brutally honest, even hurtful! But we respected that, it motivated us to improve our product, and we got even better than we previously thought possible.

SIB: Where do you stand with your business today, and what will be the next big news we’ll hear from you?

ML: We officially launched our deliveries in January 2020, and so we were hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic very early in our development. First, we were not sure how this would affect us, but it turned out that we could benefit as more and more people turned to home cooking. And as we always aim to deliver a bit of cultural storytelling along with our food ingredients, we feel we provide a “travel at home” experience that many customers value these days. Our satisfaction ratings have been going up steadily, and we have consolidated our business to a degree that securing outside investment to support our growth will be the next logical step.

SIB: Thanks for your time, and all the best for your journey onward!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]