start-ups in the Ostalbkreis

From the first idea to your own company

Start-ups in the Ostalbkreis.

The economy grows through new developments and innovations and when founders are given the opportunity to bring their ideas to market maturity. In the Ostalbkreis region, there is a high density of start-ups, which ensure that small and medium-sized businesses continue to grow. To ensure that promising ideas do not stop there, there is a wide range of offers and funding opportunities to help the often still young founders on their way from the first idea to a successful company.

The high success rate and the strong innovative power, which have made many a big player sit up and take notice, confirm the joint efforts of business and politics in the district to support founders in their process. It is not unusual for them to settle in the Ostalbkreis because of the excellent universities and well-known companies.

Support options can vary and complement each other. An idea at university can be supported with scholarships and prizes to become the next successful project. Likewise, founding teams have access to facilities such as the Schwäbisch Gmünder Wissenswerkstatt eule, where creative processes and trial and error lead to new approaches and innovations.

Above all, however, it is incubators and co-working labs that provide start-ups in the Ostalbkreis district with comprehensive advice and support. On the one hand, the Innovation Center at Aalen University (INNO-Z) as an incubator as well as the INNO-Z AAccelerator, which, with its connection to Aalen University, enable a direct transfer of knowledge and technology into the economy and, on the other hand, the in:it co-working lab located in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which, through its close cooperation with Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Design (HfG), focuses on digitalization, design, film and communication. The start-up campus of Aalen University and the INNO-Z support students of Aalen University who are interested in founding a company in developing and realizing their business ideas. In addition, founders from the region are also welcome to benefit from the start-up spirit at INNO-Z and the proximity to the most research-intensive university in the state. Providing advice and information is one of the most important services offered by co-working labs and incubators in the Ostalbkreis region.

In the following, five selected start-ups from the Ostalbkreis region exemplify the benefits and various services offered by these facilities. They represent success stories that are continuously being written in the Ostalbkreis. Ideas are deliberately presented that are still in a fairly early start-up stage, such as „änny“ or „Scope Sorting“, as well as start-ups that have already been able to establish themselves on the open market, such as Q.BIG 3D, the film and advertising agency Jules & Jones, and the software and communications company BLACKPIN. Young founders in the Ostalbkreis region therefore have the opportunity at every point of their „journey“ to realize their business idea in the best possible way through support, advice as well as premises.

Änny

Alina Gaidies came up with the idea for „Änny“ while she was still studying design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Schwäbisch Gmünd. In 2020, she was able to optimize her first-semester project through the goHfG program in such a way that she ultimately won the goAward. The goHfG program supports semester and final projects with potential in their implementation. The goAward honors the most promising ideas of the HfG, with which founders can, among other things, win a workplace for a semester in the in:it co-working lab. Since then, this workspace has helped Alina Gaidies refine her concept of the multifunctional piece of furniture and establish it on the market.

The fledgling start-up is also about to apply for the EXIST-Gründerstipendium, which supports students, graduates and researchers in their first steps towards self-employment. Young founders can get help writing their grant applications at institutions such as the INNO-Z-INCUBATOR, the in:it co-working lab or the INNO-Z-AAccelerator. The example of „Änny“ clearly shows how early and intensively the district promotes ideas with potential.

Frau Sitzt auf einem Stuhl und lacht

Scope Sorting

The innovative Aalen-based start-up „Scope Sorting“, which aims to significantly improve plastic separation for high-quality recycling with the help of optical sensor technology and AI, successfully completed its EXIST start-up grant in March 2023 The high-tech start-up with young founders, including graduates of Aalen University, intends to deal with waste in a more sustainable way and got off to a flying start after a consultation meeting with the start-up campus of Aalen University and the INNO-Z in the student shared office (shared desk).

„The INNO-Z regularly offers workshops and advanced training of various kinds or provides networking support,“ says Peter Vajs of Scope Sorting. „After all, an idea can be no matter how good – if you neglect the entrepreneurial aspect, success is rather unlikely. For a well-positioned start-up, it is also extremely important to network well at an early stage,“ an opinion shared by Marilena Stubenvoll of Q.BIG 3D.

Vier Männer stehen in vor einer weißen Wand

Q.Big 3D

„By exchanging ideas with other founders, who come from many different fields, some things could of course be sorted out more easily, such as the first employment contracts or other questions concerning organizational matters, funding or other support options,“ says the founder. Q.BIG 3D was founded in 2019 by Katja Schlichting, Dennis Herrmann and Michael Heel in Aalen and specializes in the development of economical 3D printers for the production of large 3D printed components. In the meantime, the start-up has already made significant progress. In addition to a patent for a special locking mechanism, in 2021 the company from INNO-Z was able to enjoy, among other things, the Innovation Award of the Ostwürttemberg economic region. This is awarded annually under the motto „Talents and Patents“ for outstanding ideas, concepts or products – Made in Ostwürttemberg. Projects such as Q.BIG 3D, which stand out for their innovative strength and entrepreneurial courage, are awarded.

Drei Personen stehen vor einem Kunstwerk

Jules & Jones

The film and advertising agency Jules & Jones from Schwäbisch Gmünd shows where comprehensive support from a business incubator can lead. When Julian Fischer and Jonas Roßner founded the agency in 2018, they were still students at the University of Design in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The in:it co-working lab provided the founders with a professional working environment, allowing the two to work on their bachelor’s degrees while setting their company’s course for success. Jonas Roßner, who studied interaction design, praises the good exchange opportunities with other founders in the in:it co-working lab: „This openness allowed people from a wide range of industries to exchange ideas – which sometimes led to new joint projects“. This working environment ultimately made it possible to found Jules & Jones, Ostalb Studios in June 2022: a start-up that offers individual video sets, live formats and recordings. Another advantage of incubators and co-working labs in the Ostalb district is undoubtedly their proximity to universities. Not only because students with startups can be better supported, but also because they have faster access to well-trained specialists due to their proximity to the university. A circumstance that Sandra Jörg, CEO and founder of BLACKPIN, sees as useful for companies. „In the software sector, we have a hard time finding qualified employees who are affordable for us as a startup,“ says Sandra Jörg, who was named „IT Women of the Year – Category: Digital Transformation“ in 2021.

Bild durch ein Kamera-Objektiv

Blackpin

Among all the innovative startups in the Ostalbkreis district, BLACKPIN is certainly a standout. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Digitalization and Communities, Thomas Strobl, described BLACKPIN as the lighthouse start-up of Baden-Württemberg. Secure communication in an encrypted and closed system – of particular interest to the medical and banking industries – is Sandra Jörg’s core competence, for which she received the Ostwürttemberg Innovation Award in 2020, in addition to numerous awards. Sandra Jörg lived in Tel Aviv (Israel) for seven years and was inspired there by the use of community messengers in the B2B sector. She continues to develop her secure BLACKPIN Messenger together with her team at INNO-Z. The strength of the incubators lies in the individual and custom-fit support of the start-ups by competent and dedicated coaches. In addition to the services listed, the Ostalbkreis offers its young entrepreneurs further start-up assistance. Business centers in the district can offer connection areas for permanent settlement and further growth outside of start-up centers with attractive conditions. Overall, the Ostalbkreis creates an extremely attractive environment for the start-up scene. If an idea has potential for success, the Ostalbkreis is exactly the right place to realize it.

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