On 14 March, a diverse audience from the worlds of culture, business, science and civil society gathered to get to know the Gründungsgarage’s up-and-coming talents. Some of our 2023 scholarship recipients presented the highlights and challenges of their entrepreneurial journey in crisp pitches, followed by a relaxed exchange and networking over delicious food and drinks.
The diversity of the projects presented reflected the creative range that our supported start-up ideas have to offer. “U Brambory” aims to transport its guests to a craft beer bar that offers a unique blend of craft beers, Czech beer gastronomy, space for creativity and socialising. It is a place where you can not only relax and enjoy, but also have new experiences and feel safe while tasting a variety of craft beers of all kinds.
“Schwarze Instrumente” wants to be more than just a workshop for plucked instruments. It is an initiative that aims to support the music scene in Chemnitz by building and repairing plucked instruments, thereby making an important contribution to cultural diversity.
“Dauntenrum” creates spaces in which FLINTA* can come closer to themselves and each other. Through artistic exploration of their own bodies, new ways of socialisation, insecurities, shame and sexuality are explored and dealt with in workshops. At the same time, a community of queer-feminist artists in Chemnitz is being established to create new spaces together.
“CO:CREATE” supports companies that have neither the means nor the need for large advertising agencies for social media. Its mission is to restore equal opportunities by helping these companies to succeed in the digital world.
However, it wasn’t just the projects themselves that fascinated our audience, but also the people behind them. Jamie Mulcahy from “Dauntenrum” summarised the change that the scholarship meant for her: “My life has completely changed, thank you”. This statement reflects the transformative power that the scholarship and the support of the Gründungsgarage has meant for the participants. The scholarship holders described the past year as “crazy, demanding, motivating and empowering”, which shows that the path to founding a company is not only associated with successes, but also with personal growth and challenges. This evening was further proof that their determination and commitment is bearing fruit. We look forward to seeing how their projects develop and positively impact the world around them.
The Pitch Night was not only an opportunity for our scholarship holders to present their projects, but also for those interested in the start-up scholarship to ask questions and exchange ideas with our team and the prospective founders. It was an evening full of inspiration, innovation and, above all, solidarity – another step on the exciting path of the Gründungsgarage. May the future continue to be characterised by creative ideas, passionate social entrepreneurs and collaborative success!
