1. how did the idea for the start-up come about?
Based on Aurelia's PhD thesis and her experience in the industry through her consultancy OMIND consulting. The team has no previous history with HM or SCE in this regard. Aurelia met Dr. Christina Weber at the World Open Innovation Conference 2020 -both had dialed into this conference in the US from Munich- and after Aurelia told Christina about her business idea, she put her in touch with Saskia Schmidl (ed. note: head of the Start-up Certificate). This laid the foundation for OMIND platform to be in StartUp Certificate Batch #6 today and funded by the EXIST Gründerstipendium.
2. What challenges did you face back then at the beginning of the Start-up Certificate?
Building a team and being able to fund this.
3. what were your top 3 highlights from the start-up certificate and how did they advance your start-up?
1. writing the EXIST idea paper. This made us work very closely with our coach Saskia Schmidl and helped us think about many things that we would not have otherwise dealt with so early on.
2. the resulting network (e.g. the usability test dinner and the contact to interfacewerk, the valuable exchange with other founders and the reach in the social media)
3. the workshops and trainings that forced us as a team to deal with certain topics early on (such as follow-on financing or pitching).
4. what is your vision?
To change people's mindset so they become more open to knowledge sharing.
5. why should one apply for the start-up certificate and what advice would you give to interested founders?
The Start-up Certificate offers great support through exactly the right workshops and trainings. You will find all the answers to the questions you have as a founder. In addition, your SCE coach is a great sparring partner for your EXIST application and you get access to a tax advisor and lawyer for any questions you may have.
6. and finally - your call to action: How can we do you good?
We still have one EXIST position available and would be happy to have another co-founder. Either in the technical area (front-end/back-end developer) or in the marketing/sales area. The technical background is of secondary importance, because you can find your own job depending on your interest and experience. There is enough to do for everyone! Much more important to us is the entrepreneurial mindset - which for us means that the founder is ready to dive into the entrepreneurial project with a lot of passion and drive and to focus on it full time - not only to execute, but to actively bring in ideas and new impulses. We want to grow together! According to EXIST, the studies must already be finished. If you are interested, please contact: aurelia@omindconsulting.com
You have an innovative project yourself? Then apply now for our 24-week accelerator program, the Start-up Certificate, and become part of the Start-up League yourself!