Start-up BW Contests
With Start-up BW Elevator-Pitch, CyberOne Hightech Award and State Prize for Young Companies in Baden-Württemberg, Start-up BW supports three start-up competitions that appeal to people interested in setting up a company, start-ups and young companies in different phases. Their winners are role models for subsequent generations of founders. Start-up BW ASAP is a state-wide competition for students at Baden-Württemberg universities and forms a bridge between academic education and start-up support.
Start-up BW Local awards the label "Landeswettbewerb Gründungsfreundliche Kommune - Ausgezeichneter Ort" to start-up-friendly municipalities and convincing intermunicipal joint projects.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Employment and Tourism, Baden-Württemberg, runs state-wide elevator pitch competitions to give would-be entrepreneurs, and those who have their own start-ups, the chance to use an attractive platform to present their business idea to a regional jury and an audience of regional institutions, potential investors, business partners and customers. The fifth such round of competitions starts in October 2017 and will visit 15 locations across Baden-Württemberg.
Start-up BW ASAP, the "Academic Seed Accelerator Program Baden-Württemberg" is a state-wide competition for students at universities in Baden-Württemberg. The programme forms a bridge between academic education and the provision of intensive support for start-up projects and supports the development of business ideas that arise during the course of a degree course.
Local authorities have an important role to play in supporting start-ups: as licensing authorities, as guides through the red tape of public administration, as agents for subsidy applications, for managing property or land, or as operators of start-up and technology centres. They can be decisive in determining whether entrepreneurs and their businesses can make a successful start. Many mayors and economic development officers have recognised the relevance of a dynamic start-up culture in terms of making their town an attractive place to do business.
The CyberOne Hightech Award is the central business plan competition for the state’s high-tech industries. The prize for future-oriented business concepts has been awarded annually to technologically strong start-ups and companies since 1999. The CyberOne prize has led to the mobilisation of a verified total of over 275 million Euro in venture capital for participating companies and has created more than 500 jobs in Baden-Württemberg. The annual award ceremony is attended by around 500 guests and is an important highlight and summit meeting for representatives of economics, politics and research.