HNX Your way to start up
Your team for business start-ups at the HSNR

Hochschule Niederrhein. Your way.
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HNX - We are your team for business start-ups at the Hochschule Niederrhein

Foto: Albuquerque Carlos (CA)

Two strong teams united as HNX

We are the team for founding and entrepreneurship at Hochschule Niederrhein. Two highly motivated teams from the federal funding projects "GetUp_MeetUp_StartUp!" and "HNexist" have joined forces at HSNR. They form the central point of contact for the topics for founding and entrepreneurship under the umbrella name "HNX - Your way to start up".

HNX is an acronym for Hochschule Niederrhein and X - as a symbol for the stairs to be climbed, which make up the start-up concept of HSNR.

HNX is aimed equally at students and employees and pursues the goal of establishing a practical orientation and lively start-up culture at HSNR and of recognizing and exploiting the potential for innovative start-up ideas. The HNX team is also available to assist lecturers around the topic of entrepreneurship education. From creative workshops to short lectures or the accompaniment and implementation of lectures - our offer is versatile and will be customized to fit your teaching education. Hochschule Niederrhein has also prioritized this in its university development plan and transfer strategy.

 

We introduce ourselves!

Here is a YouTube video. Click on it to watch. The data protection regulations of google apply!

You have an idea? We help you to realize it!

With HNX you can take the first step today and get professional support on the way from your idear to a proper business case.

You would like to find out whether starting a business can be a way for you?
You like the idea of founding a business, but you still lack the right idea?
You have an idea in mind and want to know how to proceed?
Or you would like to found a company as part of a team and are still looking for like-minded people?

HNX at at Hochschule Niederrhein will support you on your way.

Curious? We are open to all your questions. Contact us now and take the first step. We are looking forward to meeting you!

 

Voices on HNX

Björn Ullmann
Statement on HNX consulting

"A good friend immediately recommended the advice of the HNX team. In addition to many workshops and consultations, the HNX team also helped me with pitch training for the perfect presentation, a workshop on finding a name and valuable tips on funding and applications. I can only recommend anyone who is thinking about starting their own business to get in touch with the HNX team at The Hochschule Niederrhein. The services provided help you and enable you to make more effective progress in many areas."

Video message Björn »
Tim Schmitz
Statement on HNX consulting

"We really attended a lot of workshops there, for example on the subject of taxes or trademark registration, and received a lot of input for all our questions," says Tim Schmitz. "For example, when it came to drawing up a partnership agreement. These are all things that you've simply never dealt with before."

Video message Tim »

I have my eye on you! Play with me!

Quest of Gelduba! the idea game from HNX

Dive into the greatest idea adventure game of your life.

In Quest of Gelduba you take on the role of an apprentice mage. Find a way to save your family and friends from the curse of Lethargika. To do this, you'll need support - and mana. Can a creature from a strange parallel world help you?

On this fantasy adventure journey, many different mini-games will challenge you. Master them to unlock needed items and expand your knowledge. At the same time, you'll learn many things that are important when it comes to good ideas for solutions to earthly problems. Because this game offers more than just entertainment: you'll also learn many important things about idea generation, idea development and about creating a startup. Quest of Gelduba helps you find out what you are really made of and what your heart beats for.

This game can be an inspiration and enrichment for everyone, even though it is primarily aimed at students and employees of the Hochschule Niederrhein. Find out what you are made of!

Click here to go to Gelduba

That was the BATTLE OF IDEAS 22

Here is a YouTube video. Click on it to watch. The data protection regulations of google apply!

The BATTLE OF IDEAS 22 is behind us. The HNX team was instrumental in creation, organization, planning and execution of the event. The project "Leuchtturm_NIEDERRHEIN (Innovative Hochschule)  made the competition possible. On this day, 6 finalists and teams entered the pitch ring and competed with their ideas. The first place and 20.000 € was won by Alexandra Plewnia.

Event overview

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Steffi
Stephanie Bienefeld

Project Manager HNexist, StartUpCoach & Scout

With Steffi you can talk about new ideas. With a lot of know-how and a feeling for the market, and also with heart and passion, she moves heaven and earth - for team, project and individual support of the founders. Creative and effective solutions for new situations are her passion.

E-mail »
Steffen Pabst
Steffen Pabst

Project Management GetUp_MeetUp_StartUp, Entrepreneurship Education

Steffen has his specialisation in Entrepreneurship Education. His passion is the topic of sustainability, in which he has many years of teaching experience. He is the first contact for lecturers who would like to anchor the topic of start-up and the promotion of entrepreneurial thinking in teaching education.

E-mail »
Carola image
Carola Lobemeier

Assistant HNexist

Carola keeps the threads in the team together with a lot of humour and cheerfulness. She plans and organise everything with lots of passion.

E-mail »
Photo by Sylvia Sandmann
Sylvia Sandmann

Assistant GetUp_MeetUp_StartUp!

Sylvia is a real organizational talent and very well connected in the university. She supports the team in a variety of ways to achieve great successes together with a lot of joy and commitment.

E-mail »
Yvonne Grein Hochschule Niederrhein Krefeld Start Up Coach Marketing
Yvonne Grein

StartUp Coach and Project Marketing

Yvonne is an enthusiastic marketing specialist. As a startup coach, she always offers optimism, creativity and support in finding a corporate identity. As a social media manager, she is the contact person for the virtual appearance.

E-mail »
Andy
Andy Sacherer

StartUp Coach

From the idea to the foundation. Andy has already founded several companies himself. He knows possible stumbling blocks and the chances and risks of a startup. With heart and mind, he supports all founders from the idea to the business model and the foundation. No idea is too small and every question can be asked. This is the only way to get ahead.

E-mail »
Petra Worms
Petra Worms

StartUp-Coach

Petra supports founders with her core competence "sorting-orientating-clarifying" from the first idea to the implementation. She offers know-how from economics and psychology with her own 15 years of startup experience. Her heart's focus is the promotion of women. She is the first point of contact for female founders.

E-mail »
Nico Hähnlein
Nico Hähnlein

StartUp Coach - Prototyping

Nico is the first contact in the team when it comes to the practical implementation of your ideas; from prototypes to questions about technology to web development, he accompanies you with high commitment and a lot of creativity.

E-mail »
Nina
Nina Hauptmann

Funding Officer

Nina supports you in your search for suitable funding for your innovative startups. With acumen and meticulousness, she keeps track of the requirements for funding and guides you through the jungle of application forms.

E-mail »
Carriage
Stefanie Kutsch
on parental leave

Project Management GetUp_MeetUp_StartUp (Parental Leave)

Stefanie has been committed to a vibrant start-up culture at the university for many years and manages the GetUp_MeetUp_StartUp! sub-project, where she always keeps an eye on the goals, measures and the team. She has a wealth of experience in advising students and is strongly networked within and outside the university.

E-mail »

Our HNX offer for those interested in starting a business

Consulting & Coaching

The HNX StartUp Coaches are available for all concerns regarding the topic of start-ups and entrepreneurship. The professional advice and support enables you to try out your own ideas, to test them and to develop them into marketable products and services.

Get in contact with us and take the first step towards your self-employment.
E-mail hnx(at)hs-niederrhein.de

Grants & Finances

There are various funding programs for founders from universities and sciences that create the necessary financial freedom to develop your own idea and prepare yourself for market entry. HNX explains requirements, formalities and the application procedure to supports you on your way, e.g. Gründerstipendium NRW or EXIST-Gründerstipendium.

Networking & Inspiration

Take the opportunity to get to know the startup ecosystem of HSNR and the region by attending HNX events and making the first important contacts for your startup project. Here you will meet like-minded people, potential co-founders, business partners and first customers.

HNX Start-up unplugged - Gründer reden Klartext is a monthly format in which founders from our university give insights into their way and everyday life as self-employed person. In a dialogue with the moderator and the audiance they are being interviewed about the founder's personality, challenges, learnings, tips and advice. HNX Start-up unplugged is also a great place for networking and sharing your on thoughts and ideas.

Be inspired by successful founders from The Hochschule Niederrhein and other regions!

HNX Founder Gallery

Things to know & workshops

Learn the basic and specialize in topics for starting a business and continually develop your entrepreneurial mindset. HNX provides a wide range of formats and tools, e.g.

  • Specialized workshops on tax and legal topics, prototyping workshops

  • HNX Moodle course with numerous support tools

  • Courses in cooperation with the faculties

to the events

StartUpLabs

Two StartUp Labs are currently being set up at the university locations in Mönchengladbach and Krefeld-Süd. They function as a meeting point for various disciplines, actors and research and practical projects at the university. They create a community in which interdisciplinary teams and new types of cooperation can network.

Workshop & Labs

HNX is committed to supporting the specialized laboratories, workshops and research projects, such as the Textile Innovatorium, the HIT Surface Center oand the MakerSpace more strongly for the development and implementation of innovative (business) ideas.

Click here for the overview of the workshops of the Faculty of Design.

hnx(at)hs-niederrhein.de

Kickstart@HSNR - Up to € 7,500 for your idea!

You have an innovative, promising idea and would like to (further) develop it with support, expand it and make a prototype or take a big step forward in its development?

Then apply now for the KickStart@HSNR funding!

Who is eligible to participate?

  • Individuals or teams
  • All students and university members of HSNR
  • Those who are not yet self-employed, it must not have been founded yet

 

What ideas will be funded?

  • Social, technical, economic, digital or sustainable
  • All ideas and disciplines are welcome

 

Interested? Then visit our Moodle space now for all further details!

HNX Founder

StartUp: Octogarn

Mönchengladbach. Swim trunks on, into the water, out again with dry trunks - sounds utopian, but could soon become reality. The trio of founders of…

Read more »
StartUp: eeden

Eeden is revolutionizing the textile industry: high-quality fibres are created from used textiles.

From lecture hall idea to start-up!

Read more »
StartUp: Autaro GmbH

Autaro offers clever lighting for everyday life. Based on Björn Ullmann's master's thesis, the start-up strives for practical lighting solutions to…

Read more »
StartUp: Masasana GmbH

Jonas Becher ventured into self-employment during his studies at HSNR, specializing in AI solutions for various sectors!

Read more »
Tim and Marius
StartUp: Laminar Solutions UG

Improving the work of others! Marius Janssen and Tim Schmitz founded a company for software solutions in testing while still studying for their…

Read more »
Max
StartUp: Yoshi Nama - Little Tokyo Dry Gin

Maximilian Bergfried: From automotive mechatronics technician to bartender. Founder of "Yoshi Nama - Little Tokyo Dry Gin". An unconventional path to…

Read more »
more founders
HNX Network: Partnerships for a start-up culture
Strong together!

The great importance of a strong network as a breeding ground for a successful start-up culture in our region cannot be overemphasized. In today's globalized world, where innovation and entrepreneurship are becoming increasingly important, regional networks are crucial to encourage and support startups. Many regional players recognize this and organize events together with HNX, for example, to promote the startups of tomorrow.

 

A strong network offers a multitude of benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs and young startups. By networking with companies, mentors, investors and other supporters, founders receive valuable feedback and the support that is critical to their growth. The efforts of our HNX networkers help boost the economy, create jobs and strengthen the region's innovation.

 

The HNX team is always happy to hear about new collaborations and exchange ideas with other companies that are also pursuing the goal of supporting startups. You don't find yourself here and would like to be part of the HNX network?

Feel free to send us a message: hnx(at)hs-niederrhein.de