German Indian Startup Exchange Program
The German Indian Startup Exchange Program (GINSEP) is a platform to bring together actors of the Indo-German startup ecosystem to strengthen the business ties between Germany and India in the field of startups. The programme facilitates market access for startups by building capacities and providing access to networks. On the other hand, corporates benefit from gaining access to startups and their innovations. With its activities the programme is covering three thematic pillars: market, talent, and capital.
Since its inception in 2017, the GINSEP has
- built an expert network of 120+ honorary GINSEP Ambassadors
- worked with 1200+ German and Indian startups with their events
- built a network of 250+ partner organisations
- organised 150+ events
- facilitated 60+ market entries / business co-operations between India and Germany.
The GINSEP is run by the Berlin based Beyond Borders Innovation BBI GmbH in collaboration with PrimedInFabrik in Bengaluru. The programme is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK).
About the three thematic pillars:
Market
Entering a new market is always difficult. One needs orientation, a ton of information and networks. We build capacities for startups to orientate in the new environment through our Softlanding Programme, in which the startups participate in a virtual 2-months-workshop-sprint before participating in a relevant business event. Apart of this programme, we organise other customised activities (e.g. startup-corporate matching) to facilitate market access.
Talent and Jobs
Startups need talent. Jobseekers need jobs. The lack of skilled labor in Germany – particularly in ICT sector – is a big threat to economic growth in Germany and many German companies recruit from abroad – a lot from India. On the other hand Indians graduating from German universities find it very difficult to find suitable jobs in Germany. We run a number of activities (e.g. workshops) for both startups and jobseekers to bridge this gap, match them and overcome the cultural and bureaucratic barriers.
Capital
Most startups seek monetary support from outside. As a foreign founder navigating through a new environment is quite a challenge. That also applies to access to funding opportunities. We provide insights on funding programmes and access to investors through our activities.
The Team
Julian Zix
Project Lead, Berlin
Amrita Gandikota
India Representative, Bengaluru
Eileen Trenkmann
Consultant