2015 – NASA strikes off to a New Horizon with its first mission to Pluto, STAR WARS’ Force Awakens again by launching its 7th episode and TÜBINGEN creates a milestone in Medical Technology by founding its first STARTUP SCHOOL. Big news for a small city, so have a look at how we handled this demanding task!
Time to review the Year’s Events
I bet there are at least three things that come to your mind immediately when you are asked for suggestions to improve your daily work routine. Imagine these suggestions could not only facilitate your work, but also enhance the lives of other people or even save their lives. This year, medical doctors and scientists from Tübingen got the chance to actually implement such ideas.
When the Medical Innovations Incubator GmbH, the University of Tübingen and the University Hospital of Tübingen teamed up they had exactly this in mind: To help people help people.
They built a school for entrepreneurs specialized in medical technology. Thus, smart business minds showed the smart minds of medicine and technology how to transform their ideas into useful, demanded and profitable products. Concretely, the teams developed technology in the field of depression, stroke and the early diagnosis of neurological diseases. To view all projects please have a look at TEAMS.
Here is a short summary of the events that took place in 2015:
May 21st: Open MedTech Innovation Day
This is the first time the idea of an entrepreneurship program in Tübingen is expressed in public. A lot of curiosity attends the workshop.
July 4th: Pitch Training
The first participants come together and meet the organisers. Johannes Ellenberg from Accelerate Stuttgart shows us how to do an elevator pitch. A most difficult task when teams are nowhere near to being set and the search for precise ideas has just started.
July 7th: MedTech Conference
At the “Tag der Medizintechnik” a lot of visitors from science and industry gather at the University Hospital of Tübingen. Christoph Zrenner from Medical Innovations Incubator GmbH takes the chance to give an emotional speech on the startup project. Afterwards the stage is ours: The bravest amongst us pitch their project in public for the first time.
July 23rd: Hospital Immersion Day
One of the coolest events! Some of the participants are brilliant scientists, technicians or business people but have no clue about the daily routine of a medical doctor. They get the opportunity to spend some time in hospital – probably for the first time not being a patient or a visitor but a close observer. This way it is easier to understand what the products are needed for and in which context they have to operate.
July 24th to July 26th: Boot Camp
Demanding, exhausting, effective. Our trip to Rossberg Tower gives us a compact image of the following 100 days. A lot of business input, creative output and fun parts combine to a perfect opportunity to get to know each other. Also, everyone is encouraged to think about his/her own motivation and goals. Thanks to professor Hans-Peter Zrenner from Retina Implant AG and Meng Weng Wong from JFDI.Asia we get some very inspirational talks about how hard it is to break your own boundaries and how rewarding it can be to conquer new territories.
July 27th to September 28th: The Lean Launchpad Curriculum for Healthcare and Life Sciences
The main part of the 100 days. In 10 learning units it is mainly Daniel Bartel and Nils Högsdal who share their knowledge on business strategies with us. Based on Steve Blank’s Startup Owner’s Manual they teach us how to deal with the Business Model Canvas, do a value proposition, achieve a product/market fit, find partners and the right channels, build a customer relationship, handle revenue models and costs, validate your business, get investment, and many more things. Guests from economy add their personal experience and some practical tips to the lectures. We are fortunate to listen to Birte Moyé from BOSCH, Siegfried Wahl from ZEISS Vision Science Lab, Joaquin Soucheiron from bwcon and Manfred Kauer from BioRegio STERN – just to name but a few.
October 12th: Demo Day
A glamorous end to 100 days of MedTech Startup School Tübingen in 2015. 10 teams present their startup ideas to visitors from industry, university and press. Thanks to a very intense pitch training led by Dirk Lehmann and Dinah Murad every team is able to deliver a convincing, entertaining and highly effective speech on stage. Well done, everyone! The afterparty served you right!
In terms of 2015 there is nothing more left to say but THANK YOU to all the organisers, team members & partners. We look forward to seeing you in 2016!