Startup Your Life. With new impulses.
Ideas need courage, exchange with others and entrepreneurial thinking. With the Founders@IU initiative at IU International University of Applied Science, we support students and alumni who want to found a startup themselves and turn their ideas into reality. In a strong network of experts and like-minded people, you can (further) develop your startup ideas, implement them and strengthen your entrepreneurial skills.
Whether tech, social or eco startup - you are not alone.
That's what we want to achieve together:
Impulses for the founding, development and financing of your startup
Solutions and ideas for you and for a better future
Strengthening your entrepreneurial mindset
Linking social, ecological and economic topics with trends
Becoming self-employed with a sense of responsibility and implementation power
Working on SDGs and ESGs
Motivation for social entrepreneurship
Network, but do it right.
Together with us, you can build a network that will really get you ahead. With Founders@IU, we offer you the right start-up platform for real entrepreneurship. Visit our networking events, read exciting interviews and connect with fellow students and other founders.
Founders@IU Newsletter
Let's stay in touch regularly! Simply sign up for our newsletter here and receive information about entrepreneurship in the IU cosmos every 2 months!
We will provide you with (in)success stories, interviews and the latest events! Be part of the Founders@IU community and stay informed!
Entrepreneurial networking and programme

Female Founders Program
We think female entrepreneurs should be supported. Do you agree? Then take part in our free, six-month online programme "How to become a Female Founder" in cooperation with the FSIWS. Ideal for all women who want to start their own business with their ideas.
More information
IU Alumni
Career opportunities without borders: our alumni network can be reached around the globe in different countries, industries and cities. And it is growing every day. Graduates of IU International University of Applied Science benefit from valuable contacts and active networking. Online as well as offline.
More informationAktuelle Networking Events
Du hast eine Gründungidee oder bist generell interessiert an Startup Projekten? Founders@IU bietet Dir eine Startup Plattform zum Netzwerken mit anderen erfolgreichen Gründer:innen und Start-Ups. Zudem bekommst Du wertvolle Informationen und Insights auf unseren Networking Veranstaltungen.
Dein Developer Budget – was brauch ich wirklich? Mythbuster & Ask Me Anything Session
26. April von 12-13.30 Uhr
In diesem Workshop möchten wir, gemeinsam mit Mateusz Ochman, CTO von equiqo, mit den Mythen rund um die IT-Entwicklung aufräumen und dir dabei helfen, dein Startup auf Erfolgskurs zu bringen! Möchtest du endlich Deinen MVP oder Prototypen umsetzen, aber weißt nicht, welche spezifischen Fragen du stellen sollst – oder wieviel Budget Du dafür einplanen musst? Dann bist Du bei uns genau richtig!
Endlich Techie-talk auch für nicht Techies!
Zur AnmeldungWhat do I need - interaktiver Ideenworkshop zur Weiterentwicklung Eures Founders@IU Netzwerks!
25. Mai von 18-20 Uhr
Text: Bei diesem Event stellen wir Dir unsere Online Networking Plattform "IU Connect" vor und finden anschließend in einem gemeinsamen Ideenworkshop heraus, mit welchen Inhalten und Eventformaten wir Dich und Dein Gründungsvorhaben bestmöglich unterstützen können.
Zur Anmeldung
We Female Founders - Februar bis Juli 2023
Bewirb Dich jetzt für einen der begehrten Plätze in unserem neuen „We Female Founders“ Batch, das am 01.02.2023 startet!
Ein großartiges Team aus Expert:innen und Gründer:innen begleitet Dich 6 Monate lang mit Live-Workshops, Webinaren und Trainings. (Zeitlicher Aufwand pro Woche: 2-3 Stunden.)
Außerdem erhältst Du Zugang zu unserer KI-basierten Plattform, um Dein Netzwerk mit anderen Gründerinnen auszubauen und dein Know-how auf Augenhöhe zu teilen und zu vergrößern!
Online via Zoom, kostenlos!
Zur AnmeldungInterviews on the topic of start-ups
Look forward to interviews with founders who will present their start-up projects. All from the IU circle - i.e. employees, alumni, award winners, Venture Programme participants or female founders.
Would you like to get in touch with someone or present your startup idea yourself in an interview? Write to us!

Prof. Dr. Nicolai Krüger, Professor for Business Informatics
How does ChatGpt help with the start-up process? How will the start-up process change in the near future?
Prof. Dr. Nicolai Krüger, Professor of Business Informatics, has been dealing with these and many more questions for years. In this interview, he gives us a little insight into the exciting topic of "start-up intelligence" and ideas about what the start-up of tomorrow might look like.
To the interview
Christoph Kohler, Founder of WingX
Read in this interview how our Alumni Award winner Christoph Kohler is revolutionising the aerospace industry with WINGX and how exciting aviation and data science can be!
To the interview
Lisa Eppel, Founder "Ad Girls Club"
With the "Ad Girls Club", our New Work Bachelor student Lisa Eppel fights against sexist behaviour towards female colleagues in the advertising industry!
Find out in this interview what exactly is behind this initiative and what Lisa wants to achieve with it!
To the interview
Prof. Dr. Stefan Remhof, Founder of Thesis2Go
In this interview, learn how our professor turned a mishap into an innovation and how it can also help you with your Bachelor Thesis.
To the interview
Gertrud-Luise Lakemann, Founder Balilwana e.V.
Read in this interview what great and valuable work Getrud-Luise and her association Balilwana e.V. are doing in Uganda and how her social management studies at IU are helping her!
To the interview
Prof. Mirko Bendig, Head of the “B.A. Entrepreneurship Programme“
What can I expect from the Entrepreneurship programme? What can I expect during my studies and what practical experience does my professor have? Find out more here...
Read more
Raphael Ott, Co-Founder of Sodex Innovations GmbH
Study and gain a foothold in the construction industry as a young and innovative start-up? In his interview, Raphael, co-founder of Sodex Innovations GmbH, reports on how this is possible and who or what helps him.
Studying and successfully founding a company at the same time works!
To the interview
Jennifer Martens, Ōmaka Founder
This impressive Female-Founder interview is not only about the success story of ŌMAKA, but also about Jennifer's overall goals: to make the world more diverse and enlightened.
To the interview
Robin Renschler, Co-Founder & CEO of Hoscom
How does Robin Renschler and his team want to digitalise the luxury hotel industry with HOSCOM? Read how our IU Alumni wants to revolutionise the work in the hotel industry and even won the Founder's Prize+ of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK)!
To the interview
Luisa Schmid, "Studium im Gepäck" Co-Founder
It's a question that many students ask themselves: How can I discover the world and still study? Find out here what the idea behind "Studium im Gepäck" is...
To the interview
Caro Noack, "Junity Travel" Founder
Read here how Caro Noack dealt with the first lockdown shortly after founding "Junity", a travel platform for accessible travel, and why accessibility is a topic close to Caro's heart!
To the interviewAnita Wandinger, CEO of AWA Hotel
From her dream as an opera singer to the successful CEO of a family business! Anita graduated with a double degree in International Hospitality Management from IU, won the Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship in 2021 and now successfully runs the family-owned AWA Hotel in Munich! Learn more about Anita and her visions in this interview.
To the interviewStudies
Sabrina Micklich & Anna Reese
Founders@IU