HPI Venture Builder

The Incubator for Digital Engineers

Attention

The twelve-week incubation program for digital engineers without costs and the opportunity to receive an initial investment. The industry-agnostic incubator is designed for every tech entrepreneur who strives to solve global challenges and create sustainable impact.

During this program, our team provides you with guidance, resources, and an outstanding community allowing you to focus on developing and growing your business idea into a successful startup.

Core Program

General Information

Term(s)

28.10.2024 – 30.01.2025

Time investment

Full-time programm

(4 days a week, on campus experience and online events)

ECTS

No ECTS, but full experience

Module type

Module selection at HPI

Grades

Enrollment deadline

Examination date

Teaching format

Teaching language

English

Registration

Fee

Equity free, no costs

Team budget

2.000,- € (e.g. software licenses and necessary travel)

HPI Founder Scholarship

1.500,- € p.m. for 3 months, only for students (HPI and external), application necessary

Participants

Everyone, HPI students or external

Teams of 2–5 with a validated idea

Individuals with a validated idea

Individuals wanting to join a team

Maximum number of Participants

Room (Location)

Key dates

08.09.24 – 29.09.24

Application Period

08.09.24 – 11.10.24

Interview Process (Rolling Admission)

11.10.24

Announcement Participants

14.10.24 – 25.10.24

Informal Events (Virtual Kick-off, Co-Founder Matching, etc.)

28.10.24 – 30.10.24

Kick-off Week

04.12.24

Community Night

12.12.24

Challenger Day (Intermediate Presentation)

23.12.24 – 05.01.25

Christmas Break

30.01.25

HPI Tomorrow Day (Final Presentation)

ongoing

Support and Founder Community Member

Learning and Teaching Methods

Twelve-week incubation process with a clear structure and enough space for creativity

Application Form
Details

Description

Venturing is a radically proactive and inclusive approach to build, establish and grow startups while consistently applying a clear roadmap during the entire development and growth process. In other words, it is about iterative ideation and validation of a business idea, ultimately leading to a real startup. The Incubator for Digital Engineers is designed to structure and support the creation of your business model at a very early stage so that your promising business idea can be developed and turned into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).  

Our program consists of customized workshops, expert input sessions, and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs. Each week focuses on a specific entrepreneurial topic, helping you refine your business model and build your venture while we support you. We provide guidance and address your individual needs, challenges, and financing opportunities to help you succeed. The incubation program starts with a Kick-off event at an off-site location where you meet other participants and the support team. Midway through the program, you'll pitch to investors at "Challenger Day," receiving valuable feedback to prepare for fundraising. The incubator ends with the final "Tomorrow Day," where each team will present their venture idea and get another opportunity to connect with venture capitalists and business angels.

We aim to get you and your startup to a level where you are ready to convince first customers and secure funding. After the program, we will close the batch and individually support your team on the next steps. You will become a lifelong member of our founder's community with access to networking events and advisory appointments.

Everyone can be a tech entrepreneur. We believe that talent and innovative ideas can come from various backgrounds. Our aim is to create an inclusive and diverse community of entrepreneurs. To achieve this, we will support you on your journey.With our incubation program, you can take your business idea to the next level.

Application Form
Key learnings

Key learnings

Benefits

■ 01

Gain an Entrepreneurial Mindset

  • Step out of your comfort zone in a safe and trusting environment
  • Gain trust and credibility for your idea
  • Shape your business model
  • Become part of an inspiring and motivating life-long community

■ 02

Learn Venturing

  • Workshops and in-depth input session
  • Understand the ”game of entrepreneurship“ to scale your business
  • Strengthen yor mindset through user-centric design and pitch trainings
  • Gain knowledge about financial metrics and due diligence process to get funding

■ 03

Leverage Competitive Advantages Through Resources

  • Receive educational materials and templates (e.g., employee contracts or pitch decks)
  • Get access to software and hardware resources
  • Obtain team budget, get access to the co-working space and technical infrastructure
  • Only for students: Get the chance to apply for a HPI Founder Scholarship

■ 04

Ecosystem Services

  • Receive guidance and hands-on feedback from support team and mentors
  • Join weekly input sessions from industry experts
  • Get individual support from professionals (consultants, entrepreneurs and investors)
  • Get access to industry partners and other ecosystem players to test your business idea

■ 05

■ 06

■ 07

■ 08

■ 09

■ 10

■ 11

■ 12

Schedule

Preliminary schedule. All lecture topics are subject to change.

Part 1

Week 1

Day 1

28.10.2024

Offsite Event
Business Model & Team Building

Week 2

Day 2

04.11.2024

Hypotheses Testing & Prototyping

Week 3

Day 3

11.11.2024

Strategy & Market

Week 4

Day 4

18.11.2024

Marketing & Sales

Week 5

Day 5

25.11.2024

Finance & Fundraising

Week 6

Day 6

02.12.2024

Pitch Training 1

Week 7

Day 7

09.12.2024

Go-to-Market Planning and Roadmap Planning

Challenger Day (12.12.2024)

Week 8

Day 8

16.12.2024

Review & Feedback Session

Week 9

Day 9

06.01.2025

Pricing

Week 10

Day 10

13.01.2025

Tax & Legal

Week 11

Day 11

20.01.2025

Pitch Training 2

Week 12

Day 12

27.01.2025

Pitch Preparation

Tomorrow Day & Final Pitches (30.01.2025)

Week 13

Day 13

Week 14

Day 14

Week 15

Day 15

Week 16

Day 16

Week 17

Day 17

Week 18

Day 18

Week 19

Day 19

Week 20

Day 20

Part 2

Week 1

Day 1

Week 2

Day 2

Week 3

Day 3

Week 4

Day 4

Week 5

Day 5

Week 6

Day 6

Week 7

Day 7

Week 8

Day 8

Week 9

Day 9

Week 10

Day 10

Week 11

Day 11

Week 12

Day 12

Week 13

Day 13

Week 14

Day 14

Week 15

Day 15

Week 16

Day 16

Week 17

Day 17

Week 18

Day 18

Week 19

Day 19

Week 20

Day 20

Tagrgets

Our Goals

  • Student Development
    to empower outstanding tech talents to become successful entrepreneurs
  • Purposeful Growth
    to ensure fast and sustainable scaling of breakthrough business models supported by a strong investment community
  • Impact Entrepreneurship
    to balance financial, social and environmental factors to promote collective prosperity and individual wellbeing
Examination

Examination

Why our incubation program

Unique funding opportunity

HPI Venture Builder - The Incubator for Digital Engineers offers participants through the HPI Seed and further investors the unique opportunity to obtain initial funding in an uncomplicated manner during the pre-seed phase to reach essential milestones on the way to further funding rounds.

Strong brand

HPI is one of the leading institutes for IT in Germany. We have a strong brand and are trusted by many tech entrepreneurs. We have gained credibility over the years, and our existing network of experts makes us a "Go-to Partner" for developing new startups and enables further collaborations with companies, universities, and venture capitalists.

Outstanding community

We already have a strong founders’ community, an existing entrepreneurship club with 80+ members, and a diverse portfolio of successful startups working in our co-working spaces. The exciting combination between the entrepreneurial university ecosystem and investment opportunities connects well-educated talents, provides an infrastructure for an innovative environment, and makes financial resources available. This vibrant community further ensures valuable networking opportunities and a supportive ecosystem for your startup journey.

Application Form
Services

Additional Services

  • Co-Founder Matching
    You are a perfect candidate or team for our program, but you are looking for further co-founders? No problem! After screening all applications, we will have informal events where you can meet potential co-founders before the program starts
  • Investment on the “HPI Tomorrow Day”
    HPI Seed will be the leading investor during “HPI Tomorrow Day.” They are one of the few funds investing in such early-stage startups. If your team is ready, the HPI Seed will commit to investing 50.000€ in a pre-seed round, providing crucial funding to kickstart your venture. Throughout the program, there will also be opportunities to connect with other leading Business Angels and VCs for further investments.
  • Funding Opportunities
    Not ready for investment but need money to continue working on the idea after the program? We will guide you toward follow-up scholarships and programs you can apply for. We understand that securing additional funding is vital for your startup's sustained growth and development.
FAQ

Frequently
asked questions

Requirements

We already have a scholarship or state funding, is that a problem?
What if we already incorporated the idea and have a registered company?
What happens if I don’t find a team as an individual before the Kick-off?
What means having a validated business idea?
Do I need a business idea before the incubation program starts?

Program Structure

Why is the incubation program without ECTS?
How does the team budget work?
How does the HPI Founder Scholarship work?
What means full-time commitment? Are input sessions during the program mandatory?
Do I have to be in Potsdam during the twelve-week program?

Data Rights

How do you handle confidentiality about information gained by me?
How do you deal with intellectual property?
Your Coaches

Further Questions?
Don't hesitate to contact us!

Robin Scharf

Program Manager

Email
Registration

Application

Apply via our application form from the start of the application period.

Please use the registration form

Registration Requirements
Application Instruction
Selection Process
Note for external students