After our first virtual Startup Tour in 2020 for Indian entrepreneurs we knew: We want to organize this again! Creating synergies across continents between startups, investors, incubators and other stakeholders has always been the main goal of GINSEP. That’s why no event represents our DNA better than the Startup Tour to Germany. With the Corona crisis unfolding in its full severity in India, we could again not conduct a physical trip to Germany, but were keen on compiling an appealing online program.
In comparision to the last digital startup tour, a lean approach guiding the startups along a structured 10 step approach was developed. In order to include interactive aspects in the tour and offer more trainings, GINSEP joined hands with CEFE International that was equipped with additional funding support from GIZ.
In the beginning of May the call for applications was launched. This year’s special feature: All startups had to be within the tech4good sector. Social and environmental challenges can only be solved globally and India being the third biggest startup ecosystem in the world has both, a market for social & green solutions and an ecosystem producing a number of high impact startups.
Almost 200 startups with amazing solutions, great ideas and tremendous visions applied for the program, despite the current Corona challenges in the country, indicating an unbroken will by Indian startup founders to go global. After carefully assessing all the startups that applied, we arrived at 15 startups:
- Arogyam: A point of care blood & urine analyser (standard clinical chemistry) – A remote health monitoring system for primary health.
- Auto Smart: Drives digital transformation in the automotive industry.
- Borlaug Web Services: A purpose-built blockchain SaaS platform that provides transparency and traceability solutions reducing fraud, waste and information asymmetry while improving compliance of agri value chains.
- Cyclops medtech: Leveraging the power of frontier tech like eye tracking, VR, smart sensors and AI to build products for healthcare assessment and therapy.
- EngineCAL: AI based deep vehicle analytics solutions for predictive maintenance, optimum real time drive guidance, fair drive score and Industry 4.0.
- Eunimart: Unified SAAS Platform Suite Simplifying Omnichannel Sales for Small to Medium Global Retail Brands.
- Flo Mobility: We are building autonomous driving technology for compact electric vehicles.
- Garv Toilets: GARV toilets endeavours to be the leading sustainable WASH solutions provider to the underserved communities in the developing world.
- HeARThealth: Artificial Intelligence driven Clinical Decision Support Systems
- iBot: Helping manufacturers build connected products.
- Neona EmbeddeD Labz: We design, develop, and manufacture technology and solution to make all Devices and Meter a Smart Device or Smart Meter with IoT solution.
- Orbo.AI: Orbo is bringing you AI based visual enhancement stack which enables businesses to avoid underlying image quality issues and provide a superior customer experience.
- Simyog: Simyog’s mission is to enable “Agile for Hardware Design”. Today we provide Simulation Software towards Design for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC).
- Stylumia: AI that removes uncertainties & wastage from fashion, lifestyle, home & sports retail.
- Unbox Robotics: Software-defined robotics systems for e-commerce, retail & logistics enterprise.
The Startup Tour kicked of on the 31st May 2021 with an introduction session by Marlinde Elisabeth Baerenz, the founder and managing director of CEFE International and GINSEP project lead Julian Zix. In the following days, the 15 selected startups worked their way into the German market along 10 practical steps. The approach used to implement the tour can be found here: https://ginsep.co/delegation-trip-2021/.
The first session gave an overview about the German startup ecosystsem and the individual regions. Many regional investment agencies gave insights into their own local startup ecosystem and highlighted key support offerings for foreign startup founders. Besides that, the startups also received a training focussing on intercultural business communication. In our experience, this point is often thought of as irrelevant, but in fact it’s one of the keys to a successful business in Germany.
The next day the business and legal part was in focus of the tour: How to set up a business in Germany! Martin Imhof, Partner at the law firm Heuking, Kühn, Lüer, Wojtek gave a structured deep dive into the various legal forms and ways to set up a business in Germany. Following this session, the participants developed their own expansion & market startegy in an interactive workshop conducted by Marlinde Elisabeth Baerenz & Klaus G. Kammermaier, Founder, InnovationLabs.Berlin.
The 2nd June was dedicated to the important topic of Marketing & Sales. After an introduction into the topic, the participants were exposed to a workshop by CGI on developing a sales pitch. The following day was the partner & programs days. After learning how to work with corporates & SMEs in Germany, the startups got acquainted with various partners, programs & corporates including Bayer, BSH Home Appliances, AsiaBerlin, the DE-Hub Initiative, etc. Additionally, the startups had the chance to go into a one-on-one matchmaking to understand more about the programs.
On the last day, it was all about access to funding! Together with various experts and funds, the opportunities of identifying funding in Germany were discussed! The session was followed by a pitch training conducted by Klaus G. Kammermeier. Here the startups learnt from his expertise coaching hundreds of startups. Klaus told his do’s and dont’s and especially prepared the startups for the big Demoday!
On Monday all 15 startups pitched in front of a pool of experts, investors, corporates & startup ecosystem actors. During the demoday Tushar Ahluwalia, CEO & Co-Founder of the Razor Group and GINSEP initiator Angela De Giacomo also gave insights into how to access foreign funding. 129 participants followed the demoday which was live broadcast.
A big thanks goes out to the partners of the startup tour. More than 40 experts and partners contributed to the tour and shared her knowledge with the participants!