It's been a while since the Kickstart Weekend 2021 successfully took place in June. Over four days, participants were introduced to all the tools they need for starting their own company, from idea generation to developing a viable business model, through various workshops. This year's Kickstart Weekend was held via Zoom due to COVID-19.
Casual Meet‑and‑Greet
The event kicked off with a relaxed meet‑and‑greet. After participants got to share their ideas for the first time, they formed groups so they could start the first work phase the next morning.
To make sure everyone was well taken care of despite the online format, we provided each participant with a goody bag containing snacks & drinks and a Kickstart Weekend t‑shirt.
We also offered a group yoga session in the morning for everyone to start the work phases productively.
Exciting Workshops
We started with the first two workshops, “Ideation” and “Design Thinking.” The main goal was to identify and solve current problems, with the solution itself becoming the idea. Once the idea was solidified, we moved on to the “Prototyping” workshop, where we created initial mock‑ups in Figma and Balsamiq to visualize the concepts we had developed.
The fourth and final workshop focused on pitching. It emphasized both building a pitch deck and storytelling. At the end of the workshop, one person from each group delivered a short pitch so they could be as prepared as possible for the final pitch with the subsequent feedback. Outside of the workshops, mentors were available to support participants with advice and hands‑on help.
Great Pitches
On the final day, teams had another chance to perfect their pitch decks before the final pitch took place COVID‑compliant at the digi Hub in Münster. Our moderator Johannes guided the audience through each exciting pitch. Even though every pitch deserved to win, our four‑person jury had to pick a team. In the end, the team “KLIGO” took home the victory with their innovative climate‑protection idea.
Right after the awards ceremony, everyone got another chance to discuss the ideas and unwind together in a relaxed evening.
