Steinbeis consultants help a local authority reach out to startups by supporting launch of new concept
It’s not often people suddenly flock to a small community like Magstadt, which lies in the outskirts of Böblingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg. But in November, a large number of business founders, tradesmen, and other fascinated visitors from the surrounding area flocked to Magstadt to take part in the first Magstadt Startup Day. The event was staged in a modern hall made available by the company Lautenschlager. The Steinbeis Consultant Mario Buric was also at the event. His role is to help the local authority develop a new concept aimed at reaching out more to business founders. The day was a success, so much so that the concept has been honored under a state program called Startup BW local.
The main idea of the event was to provide tips and answers to any questions relating to setting up a business. Around a dozen institutions sent experts to lend an ear to visitors, including the local chamber of commerce, the chamber of craft industries, and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing.
The event also included a round of pitches for Magstadt startups and aspiring business founders, who enjoy an excellent local infrastructure and receive important support through a network of professional partners. One of the highlights of the day came toward the end, when Henning Schimpf from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing awarded official recognition to the “Startup-Friendly Community – Award-Winning Location 2018/2019.” Magstadt won the award as part of a state-sponsored competition called Startup BW local, for which the local authority drafted a special concept for making the community more appealing to new firms. Mario Buric, Steinbeis Consultant at the Steinbeis Consulting Center called Business Start-up, provided support with development of the new concept, which now offers a variety of startup approaches. The team that worked on the project included party members from the city council, representatives of the Federal Association of the Self-Employed, and the local mayor. A variety of topics have been worked on since the project was launched in early 2018 (sport, health, and nature), and a number of target groups have been identified, mainly because of their particular “fit” with the local infrastructure of Magstadt – which also allows the city to play to its many strengths.
The concept also addresses partnerships with different types of institutions and organizations, such as economic development agencies in the area, a charitable organization called Business Seniors, and regional banks. Numerous experts from the Steinbeis Network are also involved in the initiative, such as the Steinbeis consultant Wolfgang Vogt (from Business Seniors), Sonja Döring (a specialist in startup consulting), and the sales expert René Czaker. The initiative is also working with Steinbeis consultant Gabriele Kretzer and a childcare charity called Tageselternverein. The idea is to improve kindergarten care and use this as a springboard to make further improvements – not just for business founders. All of these measures help the local authority – from speeches to advice sessions, providing a general contact for others working on the project, or providing important information on support available in Magstadt.
Local mayor Florian Glock and Ralf Lauterwasser, Managing Director of Steinbeis Beratungszentren GmbH, have already exchanged ideas on a number of topics, paving the way for other concepts targeted at business founders. People interested in finding out more can contact Florian Glock or the Steinbeis consultant Mario Buric. Magstadt also now has its own website for startups. The aim of the website (www.magstadt-gruenderstadt.de) is to provide help to anyone interested in (or already) setting up a company. The website also features recent news and useful information.
The success story doesn’t finish there. Feedback after the event was so positive that the second Magstadt Startup Day has already been lined up for Friday, November 15, 2019. And some more recent news … Magstadt made it to the state final of the Startup BW local competition, staged at the Startup Summit BW on February 1. The final put Magstadt in a head-to-head contest with two other communities for 100,000 euros of funding from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Fingers crossed!
Contact
Steinbeis Consulting Center Business Start-up (Stuttgart)
Ralf Lauterwasser www.steinbeis-exi.de
Wolfgang Vogt
Gabriele Kretzer
Sonja Döring
René Czaker
Mario Buric
Gemeinde Magstadt Bürgermeister Florian Glock