Many start-ups are founded directly at or from the university. The University of Bayreuth recognised this early on and created the ideal framework conditions for founders with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) and four professorships in this area. The institute combines start-up consulting, research and teaching and, in addition to teaching and start-up programmes for students, also offers transfer and continuing education formats for external students. The website top50startups.de has now published the first university ranking for start-up founders. The University of Bayreuth came in 8th place. "Although the Franconian university is comparatively small and therefore has a disadvantage in the ranking compared to the large universities, some of the founders of the top 50 start-ups studied here," the website explains. "In any case, the example of Bayreuth confirms the experience that smaller universities also produce successful start-ups." The places ahead of the University of Bayreuth are consistently taken by colleges and universities that have a significantly higher number of students.
"Reaching eighth place in the start-up university ranking is a great honour and appreciation of our university location. Of course, we are happy about the great support of the university management and are proud of our team as well as the close cooperation with our partners in the regional innovation ecosystem," says Dr. Petra Beermann, head of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. "Through our four professorships, we can advance the topics of (social) entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship across all faculties, offer students of all disciplines the opportunity to deal with the topic of start-ups and to qualify for this, to network interdisciplinarily and to have events credited. If a start-up idea finally arises, we offer start-up advice, networking events and later also further training opportunities."
Twice among the Top50
The new nationwide university ranking also includes the founders of the current top 50 start-ups of 2021. The medtech start-up "inContAlert", which was founded in 2019 by four graduates of the University of Bayreuth, is listed in 26th place: Dr Jannik Lockl, Tristan Zürl, Nicolas Ruhland and Pascal Fechner. The company has developed a sensor that enables people with incontinence problems and bladder dysfunction to lead a more self-determined active life.
Since 2021, the Bayreuth-based start-up has received more than 700,000 euros in funding from the renowned "EXIST" funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. "None of this would have been possible without the super support of the University of Bayreuth and in particular the Chair of Business Informatics and Process Management," explained co-founder Dr Jannik Lockl on the occasion of this success.
Every year, the US magazine "Technology Innovators" selects the world's 50 best CEOs in the field of "Healthcare Technology". Dr Jannik Lockl, CEO of inContAlert, was included in this list of the global top 50 in 2022. In an interview with "Technology Innovators" he says about this outstanding ranking: "Personally, I think that leaders must develop a certain passion. People surrounding you must feel that you are deeply committed to the project. Letting people feel your passion will inspire them and foster their willing to follow your drive and commitment to the project." (https://www.technology-innovators.com/incontalert/).
About the ranking:
Top 50 Start-ups is a platform of Passion4Business GmbH. The F.A.Z. Group, among others, is a shareholder in this company. According to its own information, the ranking was compiled on the basis of three criteria. Firstly, it was determined where the founders of the current top 50 start-ups of 2021 studied. Secondly, the founders were asked which university-related funding institutions and programmes they had used, which they could recommend and which they could not. Thirdly, the numbers of EXIST start-up grants and research transfers awarded to the individual universities were used. Points were awarded for all of these criteria. The ranking results from the number of points achieved.
Contact for scientific information:
Dr. Petra Beermann
Leiterin der Geschäftsstelle, Direktorin für Transfer und Innovation
E-Mail: petra.beermann@uni-bayreuth.de
Telefon: 0921/ 55-4720
Dr. Jannik Lockl
CEO InContAlert
E-Mail: info@incontalert.de
Telefon: +49 (0)17670320421
