OUT OF THE BOX.NRW

🔊NRW Startups: Are you ready to Shine? Is your startup less than three years old, based in NRW and built on a digital business model? Then you're in the right place! We're excited to announce that applications for the OOTB.NRW 2025 competition will open soon. Be ready to submit your application starting December 4th! We’re already looking forward to June 5th where the finals happen at the Hinterland of Things Conference. Alongside prestige, there's a prize pool of 50k sponsored by NRW.BANK. The #OOTB.NRW award is initiated by the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW (MWIKE), sponsored by NRW.Bank and proudly hosted by Founders Foundation gGmbH. We can't wait to discover the best startups our region has to offer. Don't miss out—apply now and follow OOTB.NRW to stay updated! 🚀 #outofthebox #foundersfoundation #hinterland25 #startups #top25startups #pitch #OOTBNRW

🪄Relive the Magic of OUT OF THE BOX.NRW 2024 and learn from the best! At the Hinterland of Things Conference 2024, we not only explored exciting topics and heard from inspiring minds, but also celebrated the first-ever finale of the OUTOFTHEBOX.NRW awards in Bielefeld. In front of more than 2,500 attendees, the 10 finalists pitched their ideas and connected with investors, media, and fellow startups and entrepreneurs. What an incredible day it was for all of us! The video featuring the three winners and their final pitches, which earned them prize money totaling 50,000€, is now live on the Hinterland of Things YouTube channel. If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss out! We're already looking forward to Hinterland of Things 2025 on June 5th and can't wait for another round of amazing pitches from the OUTOFTHEBOX.NRW finalists. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay updated and relive these unforgettable moments! 🎥✨ #Hinterland24 #OOTBNRW #startups #pitchperfect #Entrepreneurshipnrw 

🛫 OOTB.NRW Founders Take Off with Personal Branding! As part of the OOTB.NRW competition, our female founders had the opportunity to attend an exclusive workshop at the Founders Foundation gGmbH Foundation, hosted by Antonia Munte. Yasemin Kesti from JoBooking, Brigitte Dworak from Modulu and Melina Panzner from Lexie delved deep into the topic "How to Master Personal Branding and Leverage Communication Skills." Antonia shared her expertise from working with renowned founders like Lea-Sophie Cramer, Verena Pausder, Julia Bösch and our Hinterland of things Host Celine Flores Willers to help participants craft their communication strategies authentically and purposefully. After the workshop, Yasemin reflected on the valuable shift in perspective provided by the new insights and emphasized the importance of a conscious brand presence for founders. A heartfelt thank you to all participants for their commitment and openness and to Antonia who offered this great opportunity for our OOTB.NRW participants! We look forward to observing the development of their strong personal brands. 🚀💼  #OOTBNRW #Personalbranding #Femalefounders #Entrepreneurshipnrw

🌿 Voltfang all the way up! Once again, we are thrilled to share incredible news from our second-place winner of 2024, Voltfang. Following their impressive journey to the USA, they have now successfully closed their Series A financing round, raising €8.1 million incl. €800k in secured grants. 🚀 This major milestone will allow the team to expand their product offerings and further solidify their position as pioneers in green energy infrastructure. Congratulations to Afshin Doostdar, Roman Alberti, David Oudsandji and the entire Voltfang team! Your progress inspires us and demonstrates how sustainable innovations are shaping the future. We are so proud! #Voltfang #Greenenergy #Sustainableinnovation #alumnistories #ootbnrwalumni #ootbnrw

🚀 Der erste bundesweite EdTech Startup Monitor 2024 ist veröffentlicht! 🚀 📊 Der erste bundesweite EdTech Startup Monitor wurde von der Founders Foundation gGmbH und dem Startup-Verband veröffentlicht. Hier kommen die wichtigsten Insights: 9 von 10 deutschen Startup-Gründer kritisieren das langsame Digitalisierungstempo im Bildungssektor. Mit 493 EdTech-Startups zeigt sich jedoch, dass Deutschland über ein starkes Innovationspotenzial verfügt, um die Bildung zu transformieren. Besonders bemerkenswert: 36 % der Gründer im EdTech-Sektor sind Frauen – das ist doppelt so hoch wie der bundesweite Schnitt in der Startup-Szene! 💡 Dennoch bleiben Hürden: Nur 4 % der EdTech-Startups haben bisher das für Wachstum so wichtige Venture Capital erhalten. Es besteht dringender Handlungsbedarf, um mehr privates Kapital für den Bildungsbereich zu mobilisieren und diese wichtigen Innovationen voranzutreiben. Jetzt ist die Zeit, gemeinsam in die Zukunft der Bildung zu investieren und die digitale Transformation voranzutreiben. Den vollständigen Monitor mit allen Insights findet ihr hier: https://hubs.ly/Q02Vg7zk0 Wir sagen Dankeschön an alle Partner:innen, die uns kräftig unterstützt haben und auch an unsere großartigen Zitatgeber:innen Benedict Kurz, Verena Pausder, simpleclub, Dr. Gesa Miczaika, Anna Bosch, Jessica Lieber, Ann-Christin Kortenbrede, Amanda Maiwald, Dominik Gross, Jannis Gilde, Vanusch Walk, Alexander Hirschfeld, Sven Grabbe, Anna-Luisa Korte, Nik Riesmeier #EdTech #Bildung #Digitalisierung #Innovation #FoundersFoundation #StartupVerband #EmpoweringEntrepreneurs #EdTechMonitor

📰 📱NRW Startup Reports 2024: Insights into the Future of the Tech-Startup- Ecosystem The recently released NRW Startup Reports by @MWIKE (Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW) offer many insights into the development of the startup scene in North Rhine-Westphalia. As Minister of Economic Mona Neubaur highlights, "The results of the NRW Startup Reports impressively show that North Rhine-Westphalia has developed into one of Germany's leading startup locations in recent years. This positive development is a great signal, as the dynamism and innovative strength of our startups are crucial for the economic future of North Rhine-Westphalia." We've taken a closer look at the report and gathered the most relevant points at a glance: 📈Startup Activity: Despite an 8% decline in new startups compared to the previous year, NRW remains a hotspot with more than 2,300 startups founded in the passed four years, on par with Bavaria and second only to Berlin. 🤝Supportive Environment: Even in challenging economic times, NRW offers a supportive environment, rated as "very good" or "good" by 61% of surveyed startups. 💰Ecosystem Value Growth: The total value of NRW's startup ecosystem increased by approximately $2 billion to $11.5 billion, significantly driven by funding rounds and exits from unicorns like DeepL and LeanIX. 💡Funding Trends: While overall funding volume decreased by 39%, Artificial Intelligence and Cleantech remain leading sectors for VC investments. 🚧Challenges: Sales and customer acquisition are the biggest challenges for startups, followed by capital raising and cash flow management. 💃Women in Leadership: The proportion of female leaders rose slightly to 18%. However, female founders continue to face greater challenges in balancing family and entrepreneurship and securing financing. NRW stands out as a dynamic ecosystem with a strong focus on technology and innovation. The insights from the report underscore the importance of targeted support measures to fully harness the potential of the startup scene. #NRWStartupReport #Innovation #Techstartups #MWIKE #Entrepreneurship #ootbnrw 

🎉🗞️ Exciting News from Our Alumni: Elona Health Achieves New Heights! We are pleased to announce that Elona Health, the second-place OOTB-Winner of 2023, has earned 3rd place in the "Digital Startup of the Year 2024" competition organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). This underscores their innovative contributions to transforming mental health care. The team showcased their dedication through an inspiring video presentation - you shouldn’t miss to watch it. Congratulations to the entire Elona Health team on this remarkable achievement. Your commitment to advancing the future of psychotherapy is truly commendable and we are so proud! #Elonahealth #Mentalhealthinnovation #alumnistories #OOTBNRWalumni #OOTBNRW https://lnkd.in/ekSPFiNG

🌟 The OOTB.NRW competition showcased an impressive diversity with startups from 10 different industries! Here's a quick look at the sectors that are driving innovation in NRW and their economic relevance: Productivity & AI (6x):  👉 Boosting efficiency for businesses across NRW's diverse economic landscape. 👉 Supporting competitive advantage through AI-driven solutions. 👉 Fostering innovation in collaboration with local universities. Industrial-Tech (3x): 👉 Enhancing Germany's manufacturing heartland with Industry 4.0 technologies. 👉 Streamlining processes for numerous large enterprises and SMEs. 👉 Facilitating practical tech development near production sites. Ed-Tech (3x): 👉 Transforming education access across urban and rural areas. 👉 Integrating technology into schools and universities with state support. 👉 Leveraging NRW's high density of educational institutions. Food-Tech (3x): 👉 Innovating sustainable food production amid urbanization challenges. 👉 Bridging agricultural producers and urban markets efficiently. 👉 Strengthening NRW's robust food industry. Health-Tech (3x): 👉 Driving medical innovations in a region rich with hospitals and research centers. 👉 Addressing demographic shifts with digital health solutions. 👉 Encouraging partnerships between startups and established health entities. IT-Security (2x): 👉 Securing digital infrastructures in a highly connected industrial region. 👉 Protecting sensitive data amidst widespread digital transformation. 👉 Benefiting from regional initiatives supporting cybersecurity advancements. Climate-Tech (1x): 👉 Addressing environmental challenges and energy transition needs in NRW. 👉 Developing solutions to reduce emissions and promote sustainability. 👉 Receiving active support from government climate initiatives. Entertainment (1x): 👉 Energizing NRW's vibrant cultural scene with new tech-driven experiences. 👉 Leveraging the region's strong media landscape for creative ventures. 👉 Showcasing innovations at numerous events and festivals. Fin-Tech (1x): 👉 Innovating financial services in cities like Düsseldorf, a key financial hub. 👉 Collaborating with traditional banks seeking digital transformation. 👉 Offering growth opportunities through partnerships with established institutions. Logistics (1x): 👉 Optimizing supply chains in Europe's central logistics hub. 👉 Capitalizing on proximity to major transportation routes for startup growth. Did you expect such a wide range of industries to be represented? 🤔 #OOTBNRW #Innovation #Startups #DiversityInTech #Entrepreneurship P.s.: the numbering for equally represented industries is alphabetical and multiple responses were allowed.

🌟 Insights from Digital X Cologne: Embracing AI and Diversity for a Brighter Future Denise Linnenbrügger from the OOTB.NRW team attended the Digital X conference in Cologne. Her key takeaways highlight the importance of innovation and diversity: Unleashing AI's Potential: Many companies, especially SMEs, are still hesitant to fully embrace AI. It's time to be bold and seize the opportunities AI offers. 1. Boosting Production with Chips & AI: Integrating chips and AI in production can significantly enhance value creation and efficiency. 2. Breaking Down Barriers: To promote diversity in gender, origin, neurodiversity, and inclusion, we need more role models and accessible pathways. 3. Our tech startups in NRW are deeply engaged with AI topics, keeping them at the cutting edge of innovation. Denise also had the chance to meet Dirk Nowitzki, attend a panel with Julian Nagelsmann, and join a masterclass on neurodiversity by Sabine Buch and @Sarah Lauer — all captured in our slideshow worth clicking through! Would you make a selfie with Dirk Nowitzki if you had the chance? #DigitalX #AI #Innovation #OOTBNRW #startupaward

✈️ Imagine pitching your idea to an audience of over 2,000 experts and watching your startup take off. 🛫 Sounds exciting? Seize the opportunity now! Register for the next round of the OOTB.NRW Awards and get one step closer to conquering the stage at Hinterland of Things on June 5, 2025. Why participate? 🪩Boost Visibility: Showcase your startup to a wide audience and gain credibility. 🌐Network Opportunities: Connect with entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors. 📊Valuable Feedback: Receive insights from experienced judges to refine your business model. 💰Win Prizes & Funding: Compete for financial incentives to fuel your growth. 📰Media Exposure: Gain press coverage and attract new customers. 🌟Attract Talent: Increase your visibility to potential team members. 📈Learn & Grow: Challenge your team and enhance your business strategy. Get inspired by last year’s finale highlights and be part of it! Pre-register now! (Link in comments) #OOTBNRW #Techstartups #Hinterland25 #Entrepreneurship #preregistration