Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SME Management (CENTIM)

Start-up Spring School 2026

Date

Monday, 09 March 2026

to Friday, 13 March 2026

Time

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

Location

Brühler Straße 7 (Bonn) and Digitalhub at Bonn Central Station

Add to calendar:

iCal & Outlook Google Yahoo

Create your own start-up in 5 days: This is the Start-up Spring School organised by the Start-up-Manufaktur and the Transfer Center enaCom (University of Bonn). Here you will develop your own start-up ideas in a team. You will be supported by our experienced coaches and learn everything you need to know about founding a company. In addition, successful founders enrich our programme with authentic insights into the real start-up world.

Programme

The Spring School offers a varied mix: Every day there is a technical impulse on the planned daily goal as well as a methodological training with personal guidance. There is also plenty of time for research and individual or team work. In between, you will regularly present your results and progress and receive personal feedback from the trainers and the group.

Please indicate whether you prefer German or English as the language of instruction when you register.

Secure your place now!

You don't need your own start-up idea to take part in the Start-up Spring School!
If you already have your own business idea and would like to work on it, simply contact us in advance.

Day 1: Idea generation & business model development

You start with an introduction and get to know the other participants. After a creative brainstorming session, you will form teams and develop your first business models - supported by GenAI and Perplexity.

Day 2: Problem validation with user interviews

You formulate hypotheses about customer needs and test them directly in the field. Through interviews with potential users, you collect valuable feedback and iteratively refine your ideas

Day 3: Market analysis & expert insights

After further interviews, you will analyse the market size, competition and trends. An inspiring keynote and testimonials from successful founders will give you valuable insights.

Day 4: Prototyping & pitch preparation

You will develop initial prototypes or mock-ups of your products/services. You will then fine-tune your pitches to present your business idea convincingly.

Day 5: Communication training & final pitch

Professional communication training will prepare you for the stage. You will then present your ideas to a jury of experienced founders and coaches.

Done: conclusion

After 5 informative, exciting and perhaps also exhausting days of work at the Start-up Spring School, you will not only have gained important business experience, but will of course also receive a certificate for participating in this professional training programme.

The Start-up Spring School is a joint programme of Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (represented by the Start-up-Manufaktur) and the University of Bonn (Transfer Center enaCom). All members of the two universities can register for the free programme (students, employees, alumni).

Please note that registration for the Start-up Spring School includes participation in all five workshop days.