A quick look at your website shows a wide selection of badminton videos, as well as a few pages of basic information about the sport. Is Federball.de mainly some kind of information portal for badminton-enthusiasts?

Federball.de is, at the moment, is an internet platform where you can watch high-quality videos badminton matches from international tournaments for free. The main point of my company, however, is selling my own brand of badminton shuttlecocks. I started Federball.de three months ago – a month after moving to Berlin. I started out using a very streamlined business model, only focusing on one product – the shuttlecocks. The website and the videos collection is just a hobby of mine, as I am passionate about badminton. In the future, I plan to include an online store on the site, where I will sell my brand of shuttlecocks.

Do you design and manufacture these shuttlecocks yourself? If not, where are they sourced?

The shuttlecocks are printed with the Federball brand. They are, however, produced and designed at a factory in China, near Shanghai. This factory was actually one of the first manufacturers of badminton equipment in China, and are still known among badminton players today for their high-quality products, which is why I have already received orders for these shuttlecocks from badminton clubs in several countries in Europe.

What made you decide to found Federball.de and start selling your own brand of shuttlecocks?

I am a passionate badminton player, and have been playing for about eight years. In the last few years, the quality of shuttlecocks has gone down tremendously. I started looking online for places to buy the best quality shuttlecocks, and I soon realized that there is no such source in Germany: because the demand here is not that high, there are only three main companies that sell shuttlecocks here. Most shuttlecocks end up on the market here about a year after their production because they often go through various middlemen first, and since these shuttlecocks are made with organic materials – real goose feathers and cork – they are no longer fresh, and break easily. Getting shuttlecocks directly from the factory, instead of having them go through various traders, will ensure that we get fresh ones that last longer. One shuttlecock – a good quality one – lasts about three minutes during a match, after which it has to be replaced. Ordering directly from the factory is also a way for badminton clubs to reduce their costs. For example, my own club has about 40 players, and we spend approximately eight-thousand Euros a year only on shuttlecocks. By ordering higher-quality, longer-lasting shuttlecocks in bulk, we can reduce these costs.

Were you always based at betahaus? How do you like working here?

I began working from betahaus immediately after moving to Berlin. I am originally from the far southwestern part of Germany, close to Switzerland, and the culture is very much old-fashioned, so Berlin was a nice change from that. What I like about betahaus is the use of the infrastructure by all the different kinds of startups. My brother moved to Berlin two years ago, and recommended betahaus to me based on his own experience. I’m very happy about my decision to come here so far.

Federball.de is a very new company, but with big goals. What can we expect from Federball.de in the near future?

At the moment, the company is being run entirely by myself. I am, however, looking for a marketing specialist to promote my brand among all the badminton clubs – I would need a specialist for this, otherwise it’s very hard to establish a new brand like this.

The factory from which the shuttlecocks are being sourced already produces a well-known brand among badminton clubs in Europe. I initially ordered a few test-shuttlecocks with their brand instead of mine, and I began getting requests from clubs in Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, and several other European countries. So I would like to build on that and go further.

First of all: what exactly are Your Story and Create Your Story, and how did they start?

Your Story started when I discovered podcasting about five years ago, and wanting to further explore the world of digital media and recording. I had no training or background – I knew nothing about computers back then. Once I discovered podcasting, I decided to create a podcast about the stories other people. My first podcast involved me recording my 90 year old uncle about his participation in WW2. I found the experience of recording his story to be so exciting that I thought I would teach this to other people. From that came a second podcast in May 2010, called Create Your Life Story, which is about helping others document life stories – either their own or those of others. I’m teaching people how to interview, how to tell a story, how to use digital media, how to write a blog – all those sorts of things.

What about Your Story – a podcast that, essentially, features a different story about anything from a different person – appeals to you, or to your audiences?

For me, the reason is simple – I just love to find out about what people are up to – it’s what I naturally want to do. What I’m doing is taking that a little bit further by presenting it in the form of a podcast. I also find that people are fundamentally interested in the stories of others – it’s why gossip is so popular. In a way, Your Story is a form of live-journaling one’s daily life. Of course, many people keep journals – that’s been around for a while. However, journals and other autobiographical pieces are often created after the fact, as a static picture of a person’s life. Nowadays, thanks to the many forms of technology available, it is possible to create, essentially, a live documentation of your daily life, whether it be through a Twitter feed, a Flickr account, or through a podcast. And people are interested in reading and finding these things out. That’s one of the reasons I even started Create Your Life Story – as a resource for those looking to create a real-time journal of their lives using various new forms of technology.

How do you go about collecting stories? What kinds of people are the most willing to give their stories, and what are they most willing to talk about?

I usually find cafés and spaces like that are the best places where I can approach people who seem interesting to me. I’ve found that I usually meet two types of people. There are those who are relatively extroverted, and who are willing to talk to me – if I ask them a question, they’re off. Then there are those who may have a good story, but who avoid me, even if they say they’re interested in giving their stories. I think that, in the second group, these people may not be quite sure of themselves, or of their ability to express themselves – many people have never even heard the sound of their own voice being played back! Generally, I’m after people who are keen to share their opinions and stories.
I like to find people who have a little bit of tension in their lives – essentially, someone who isn’t quite what they say they are, or as they appear to be, such as a young woman I had spoken to who had retired from prostitution at the age of 20.
I usually expect three things of anyone I interview: that they are intelligent, articulate, and passionate. What I’ve discovered is that, if they are passionate, the other two tend to come naturally. Even when you’re speaking to someone who isn’t particularly well-educated, or to someone who stumbles over their words – if you start talking to them about what they are passionate about, it’s amazing how well they speak, and it’s amazing how much they know. Even if it’s about something simple, such as knitting, or cooking their favourite meal, they will open up.

What made you decide to come to Berlin, and to use betahaus as your base?

I’m currently visiting Berlin because I’m looking for a place where I can base myself and my project. So far, Berlin is the best place I could find for this, because of the creative scene, of Silicon Allee, of everything that’s happening around me. I also chose betahaus because it’s a bit of a hub – there are many people I can meet here, and that is my priority. I can work with what I do anywhere in the world, as long as I have a laptop and an internet connection, but meeting people is difficult to do when I’m by myself at home. So far I’m still trying to lay the groundwork for interviews here in Berlin. I’ve already got two people scheduled to be interviewed, and a couple planning to do one as well.

What are your further plans for the Create Your Life Story/Your Story?

I’m in Berlin until the 25th of March, though I would love to come back soon. I would especially love to come back if I have an idea of how to make things more commercially-viable for my projects. I want to meet people with whom I can connect, who can inspire me to make whatever I’m doing more viable commercially. Unlike in Australia, there is a bigger concentration of people here in Europe, especially in Berlin, and that’s what I like. But I have to make hay while the sun shines – in the few weeks I have left here, I plan on going to any event that I can, and meeting anyone I can. Hopefully I will meet the right people who can stimulate me to go somewhere with the projects that I’m working on. That’s why I’m here.

Eminent European universities, founded in cities such as Bologna, Cambridge, and Oxford, began as a new kind of space where people could congregate and begin to create, share, and develop knowledge—as centres of learning.

In fact, we already see distinguished professors beginning to leave academic powerhouses such as Stanford, and deciding to teach online instead. Given this reality, it is clear that universities now face a deep challenge of reinventing themselves to suit the needs and methods of learning in the digital age. We have invited four distinguished guests to present their perspectives and ideas on the matter:

• Dale J. Stephens, founder of the UnCollege movement, questions whether university is necessary to learning and personal development, and is challenging the high costs of college.

• Dr. Stephan Breidenbach, founding Dean of Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance, recognises the pressing need for universities to stay relevant, and is actively working on reforming the way in which knowledge is created and shared at the university. Dr. Breidenbach is currently advising German Chancelor Angela Merkel on the question; “How do we want to learn?” – one of three main topics to be discussed in a dialogue on Germany’s future.

The third betahaus Salon will bring together various ideas and insights surrounding the issue of University 2.0 – the reinvention of higher education in the 21st century.

We are looking forward to discussing the reinvention of higher education in the 21st century with these speakers, betahaus members, and guests on Tuesday, February 14, at 19:00 in the 4th Floor Arena. For the love of learning.

So what does this laser-cutter do, exactly?

The laser-cutter can be used to cut a variety of materials – wood, cardboard, plastic – based on a digital design you can create on Photoshop or on Illustrator. The laser-cutter can also be used for engraving – t-shirts, business cards,

Who gave you this laser-cutter, and when?

The laser-cutter was presented to us by the anstiftung & ertomis foundation – an organisation dedicated to sustainable urban development and DIY culture. As part of their Offene Werkstätte (open workshops) network, ODC receives materials and equipment that circulates among similar workshops throughout Germany. We just received the laser-cutter this weekend, and will have it until the 3rd of March.

How can members use it?

Members of betahaus and ODC can use this laser-cutter for a variety of things – business cards and stencils would be two of the more practical uses for it. There are plenty of websites with pre-made laser-cutting patterns that allow you to create a wide variety of things.
Using the laser-cutter will cost members and non-members alike 5 Euros for every 10 minutes of cutting time.

Sounds interesting. We’d like to see this thing in action – is there a workshop coming up?

Yes. Our first workshop will be an introduction to laser-cutting, and will take place on Thursday, the 9th of February, from 19:00 to 21:00 (5 Euros for members, 15 Euros for non-members). Following that, we will be holding a more advanced laser-cutting workshop, which will take place from 14:00 to 20:00 on Saturday, the 18th of February (20 Euros for members, 60 Euros for non-members).

We will also be holding a workshop on the 27th of February, where we will be using the laser-cutter to make screen-printing stencils (5 Euros for members, 15 Euros for non-members). Additionally, members who already know how to use a laser-cutter are welcome to hold their own workshops, and pass their skills on to others – just contact me at tom@betahaus.de.

In recent years, Kresten Buch has become a name strongly associated with the emerging mobile-based startup scene in Kenya. The Berlin-based “serial investor” is behind several projects and initiatives designed to support the wealth of young entrepreneurs and innovators in Kenya and the rest of the East African region, mainly through the seed-investment company 88mph, and through the professional social network, HumanIPO, which he co-founded.

Kresten’s latest venture, Startup Garage, is set to open in Nairobi in mid 2012, and will be the largest coworking space in East Africa to date. He also plans to introduce a desk-exchange between coworking spaces in Nairobi and Berlin, in which betahaus will take part.

You initially worked within Denmark and Northern Europe. How did you become interested in Kenya, and what made you eventually change your focus to East Africa?

It all started when I sold a company in 2006 to investors in Eastern Europe. As part of that sale, I had to build a company in Eastern Europe, so that was what first got me out of Denmark. Following that, I decided to take a 14-day business course at Stanford University, and it was there that I then met David Owino, then the COO of Kenya Data Networks Limited. At that time, I was looking to start investing in tech companies, and he told me a lot about what was going on in East Africa: about mobile money and the growth of the mobile industry. Soon afterwards, I decided to spend a week in Kenya to see this for myself, and that’s how eventually started working there.

There’s plenty of talk about mobile business leading the way in regional development, not only in East Africa, but in a lot of developing regions of the world. How widespread throughout the economy and throughout Kenyan society are the benefits of this development – are they limited to only certain economic sectors or certain classes of people?

Mobile technology has really increased its presence in Kenya these days. For instance, the biggest mobile operator in the country, SafariCom, has over 22 million subscribers, and the population of Kenya is 40 million. One thing mobile technology has brought to a lot of rural Kenyans is the ability to have a bank account. SafariCom offers subscribers access to banking services, so they not only get access to a phone – something they may not have had before, but also the opportunity to send or receive money from the cities, or from abroad, with their mobile bank accounts. Phones prices are also much lower these days – you can easily get a perfectly-functional, Chinese-made smartphone running an Android system for about 80 USD.

Despite there being such a promising, talented population, Africa is still unfortunately associated with poverty, corruption, political instability, and the resulting capital flight, which, of course, deters potential investors. Do you believe that, through the growth of the mobile start-up scene – this so-called “mobile revolution” – this stereotype can eventually be overcome in the international community?

That’s definitely one of the more interesting challenges we are trying to face. There needs to be a change in the way people look at Africa – too many people only associate it with poverty, charity work, and so on. Africa also needs to be seen as a land of opportunity that is attractive to investors. We hope that we can eventually create some kind of regional success story through our work which would spread worldwide thanks to social media, ultimately changing everyone’s perceptions of Africa for the better.
One thing I’ve noticed is that, when you’re in Kenya, you feel surrounded by growth – strong population growth, economic growth, and so on. You’re able to take on projects which may not have the same impact on the markets in Europe. For instance, we founded a football website, Futaa.com, which found great success in the Kenyan markets – something that would not have happened as readily in Europe. A lot of people who do show interest in investing in East Africa mainly see the region as a source of cheap labour, and ignore the true potential of the local population and markets.

Will this also change the way in which business is conducted between Europe and Africa, as people become more aware and more respectful of the local population and business culture?

Of course. Obviously, I encourage Europeans to go down to Africa and start something. It’s great for the local population to be able to collaborate with foreigners, exchange skills, experience and expertise, and to eventually start their own companies based on that. I think that all successful economic growth is based on interaction between nationalities. In order for the economies in East Africa to grow, the local population has to be a part of it; and as equal players. I would love to see small companies being formed by a mix of nationalities – that’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to start a desk-exchange with betahaus and other coworking spaces in Europe.

HumanIPO has just announced a desk-exchange between coworking spaces Berlin and Nairobi, and that betahaus will be participating. What are some of the main differences between the coworking scenes in East Africa and Western Europe, and what could either side learn from this kind of exchange?

When you look at Kenyan startups, you notice that the entrepreneurs there are a lot more hungry and a lot more driven than those in Europe. One of our employees in Kenya, for instance, had his taxi hijacked, and was held hostage all night. The next morning, he went straight to work, as if nothing had happened! Needless to say, many European entrepreneurs can at least be inspired by that level of determination. I also find that, in Africa, people are much friendlier and more passionate. This creates a good contrast when paired with Germans, who are more structured, formal, and reserved.
The space in Nairobi is almost ready for the desk-exchange; so it’s just a matter of enough people from Berlin applying for it. Our newest space, Startup Garage, is about to open, and should be ready in a week. The space has about 120 desks – not quite as big as betahaus, but so far the biggest coworking space in East Africa. Mind you, coworking is still a relatively new trend over there, as many Kenyan companies still hold on to a very traditional, hierarchical office mentality. However, there are more and more young, educated people today who are embracing the concept of coworking – of working openly with others. We’re hoping that, by allowing Kenyans to work in German spaces, and vice versa, we can not only promote coworking in Kenya and in East Africa, but also change the perspective many people in Europe have of Africa, and of doing business there.

These are some of the greatest challenges faced not only by businesses of all sizes, but by individuals and by society as a whole, in the present day. On January 16, the Stockholm University subsidiary SU Innovation brought a group of students, academics, and entrepreneurs to betahaus for Great Challenges Berlin, where the group spent three days exploring these different challenges, as well as the ways in which they could be faced. During these three days, participants were invited to present their own ideas and strategies while getting to know the many examples of individuals, startups, and advocacy organisations facing these challenges in the city of Berlin.

The conference began with a series of presentations by entrepreneurs and thinkers from Berlin and from around Sweden, each one presenting their own solutions to different challenges. Speakers, from companies such as Jovoto, Doonited, and SecondMuse, among others, discussed the many ways in which even small-scale initiatives, when carried out as a collaborative effort, can have a significant impact on the world.

Several more startups, many of them from across Sweden, then discussed their own innovative strategies for addressing the challenges of sustainable living and resource management. These strategies involved either directly providing sustainable products or services to consumers, or providing incentives for consumers and companies alike to make conscious choices. Participants learned about how goods and services; such as portable solar-powered chargers, regional grocery-delivery services that make use of as many locally-sourced products as possible, or a service that collects and donates leftover bread from bakeries to soup kitchens, can help overcome these challenges on a local or individual level. Meanwhile, companies such as Gadimu, Cryptango, and Pamoja Cleantech, presented similar strategies with a more global reach; such as information-security for industrial waste-management systems, or inexpensive, environmentally-friendly technology for rural communities in developing countries.

On the second day of the conference, participants were taken on a tour of Berlin, focusing on the city’s many different examples of innovative strategies for dealing with the challenges of today’s world. The tour began with a visit to nearby Impakt Social Labs, and continued on to various other projects and places in the city, ending with a light-hearted drink at the café and coworking space, St. Oberholz. Throughout the day, participants learned how Berlin came to be a European centre for culture and innovation, and continues to maintain that status today. The day concluded with a dinner at betahaus, held by Sandbox, an organisation which seeks to foster young talent across the world. The Sandbox dinner provided a relaxed environment, in which guests were encouraged to network and meet others by discussing their main fields of work or other topics that interested them.

You are the co-creator and developer of the MeeBlip Synthesizer, and have already hosted a workshop here at Open Design City. Do you plan to hold any more MeeBlip workshops or any similar events at betahaus or ODC in the future?

Following my talk at the Create Art and Technology conference in November 2011, I hosted a very informal MeeBlip workshop at Open Design City. So far, these are the only MeeBlip-related events I’ve hosted here. Of course, I have a lot of plans for this year, and that includes more workshops and events at betahaus and ODC.
These events are generally attended by a mix of musicians and electronics geeks, but my long-term goal is to introduce a wider range of people to electronic music and synthesizers. The MeeBlip project is still in the early stages, and we have yet to win anyone over who isn’t already interested in this field. We hope to do a better job of making the MeeBlip more available in the future, and accessible to people everywhere.

You run the company Create Digital Media GmbH, which, among other things, publishes the two sites CreateDigitalMusic and CreateDigitalMotion. Could you tell us a little more about that?

I started out with CreateDigitalMusic, which focused on using technology as a window into music. It’s not just a gear site, nor is it a typical music site. CreateDigitalMotion was founded at a point when, very early on, it became apparent to me that a lot of musicians were moving from working with sound to working with visuals, especially with interactive visuals. I think that, as a musician and a live performer, you work a lot with time – an element most visual artists and designers often do not consider in their work. However, we have a new generation of artists and designers, as well as musicians who cross over to these fields, who do think in those terms – taking visual media and adding to it the element of time.

We’ll also be rebooting our social efforts with a site we’ll call Create Digital Noise; part of what I’m working on here in Berlin is engineering that site and creating something new for people exploring technology for music and motion. If anyone is interested in how social connections work for creative people, I’d love to talk.

There has been a backlash in recent years against the use of inexpensive software to produce music, with many blaming such software for the overall deterioration in the quality and value of music nowadays. Given that you specialise in external hardware, what do you think of this viewpoint?

Both James, the co-designer of the MeeBlip, and I are hardware users: we love the feeling of turning knobs, flipping switches, and so on. But we always try to be as open-minded as possible. Since I first started writing CreateDigitalMusic, I have always tried to cover everything. I try not to be too concerned about how people make music or what they use, whether they make music with an old GameBoy, big racks of analog gear, or an iPad. I think this backlash we’re seeing is mainly against the lack of variety in output, and the idea that people no longer have a choice in what they can do. Everyone has different tastes, different musical backgrounds, and access to different forms of gear. The great thing about music is that electronics, when in the hands of a musician, are no longer seen as disposable. If you give a musician an iPad, and a newer version comes out, they’ll simply get the newer one and have two musical instruments!

What inspired you to move from the US to Berlin, and what attracted you to betahaus in particular?

I recently moved to Berlin from New York to give both myself and Create Digital Media a new place to grow and develop. At the moment, I think there isn’t any better place for that than Berlin, and especially betahaus. I’ve always been interested in the intersection of technology and creativity – these sites themselves are examples of this intersection – and I see a lot of that at betahaus. It’s always great to see people from different fields – web people, musicians, people working with technology – come together to work on things. There is a strong sense of technological ingenuity, not only at betahaus and in Berlin, but throughout Germany in general, and I’ve been able to meet a lot of smart and interesting people since coming here.

Since September 2011, a former apartment in Neukölln’s trendy Reuterkiez has housed a co-sewing space – Nadelwald. This new space offers sewing equipment, patterns, workshops, and other facilities for designers and hobbyists alike to be inspired, create projects, and share their ideas and creations with others. We asked founder Swantje Wendt a few questions about her charming new space.

How did you come up with the concept of co-sewing – the idea of applying the principles of co-working to sewing?

I originally wanted to start a fashion label, specializing in scarves and accessories, and had been searching for a place where I could work on that. Since I couldn’t find a space where I could leave my patterns and materials, I simply created my own space, and began offering it to others.

What kinds of people normally use this space – professional designers, or simply hobbyists?

At the moment, the space is used mostly by people who sew as a hobby and who like to do their own alterations. Only one of our customers is a professional designer who comes here whenever she needs equipment she does not already own.

There seems to be a growing interest in sewing these days, particularly among younger people. Why do you think that is?

I think that, in the case of younger people, sewing and other forms of handiwork can be seen as an alternative to daily work, as many people these days spend most of their time at their computers. They enjoy being able to create something with their hands, something they can be proud of in the end.

You hold a lot of workshops. Do your workshops mainly focus on sewing, or do you branch out into other forms of visual art and handicrafts as well?

Our workshops focus on any skills related to fashion. We offer workshops on different sewing techniques, and even knitting, which is taught by a guest instructor, as knitting is not my area of expertise. I plan to offer a workshop on pattern-making, as that is my specialty.

You have a store here as well. Do people who use this space sell their finished work here?

Yes. It’s part of our concept – you can be inspired by our fashion and pattern books, work on your project and finish it, and finally sell it, all in the same space.

You yourself have worked as a designer, and have done some work for Berlin Fashion Week. Could you tell us a little more about that?

I started out as a tailor, but I felt I wanted to go further in the world of fashion. So I started out working for a Berlin-based high fashion label before working for another, larger-scale label based in Bremen. I found that working for a larger label really limited my ability to be creative – I simply communicated ideas between designers and buyers, and never created anything of my own. When I finally moved back here, I decided to start my own business instead of working for another firm. At first, I wanted to start a label as a designer, but since I was unable to find space to work, I simply created my own, and that’s how Nadelwald was born. 

Few things can be more frustrating than job-hunting – sending out endless generic CVs and repetitive cover letters to eventually find a job we may not even enjoy. Luckily, Justin McMurray, founder of Somewhere, has decided to do something about this.
Founded in late 2011, Somewhere aims to provide an alternative way for companies and talent to find each other, based on factors that are not commonly considered in the standard job search, while aiming to increase satisfaction and “work joy” on both sides.

Companies have been using the same process of recruitment for years. What made you feel the need to develop an alternative to this standard process?

The standard recruitment process – CVs, interviews, and so on – is several decades old, and no longer that effective or relevant, particularly when you see how many people today are dissatisfied with their current jobs. The main reason for this is the lack of cultural fit between companies and their employees. In today’s economy, an increasing number of jobs rely on creativity and other human characteristics, rather than specific skills alone. A CV can list a set of skills, yet it cannot really show whether or not the employee would have a good cultural fit with the company.

You mention a specific need to consider ‘cultural fit’ when seeking out talent. What exactly does this term mean?

That’s a good question. We don’t think it can necessarily be defined, but we see it as a collection of intangible factors related to how an employee interacts with his or her workplace – for example, the company philosophy, the team, the work style, or the attitude, to name a few. Cultural fit refers to these kinds of factors which can’t really be quantified, yet are still important to both companies and employees.

Do you believe the cultural fit of an employee is equally important as his or her skills directly related to the job?

I think it depends a lot on the company and the industry. For professions that rely on a very specific skill set, such as medicine, cultural fit is obviously not that important. However, we are seeing an increasing number of creative companies where the skills required are diverse, and constantly changing. In these companies, employees can no longer be evaluated purely on their skills, but rather on their attitude, and on the chemistry they have with the company. Cultural fit, in that case, would be very important.

Exclusive screenshot of Somewhere. The product is due to launch next month.

How does Somewhere help place cultural fit at the forefront of the recruitment process?

We’re just about to launch our first product which will mainly be targeted towards the creative industry; so towards creative startups, studios, or design agencies, and to create a rich showcase of what both these companies and prospective talent have to offer. We find that companies rarely provide information that is interesting or even relevant to talent, focusing instead on the interests of customers or investors. For example, employees often want to know about things like the working environment, the company philosophy, or even things like what kind of music they play during office hours or if there are any good cafés or bars nearby – things that will affect their satisfaction with the job in the long term.

Likewise, many companies wish to see something completely different from what they normally encounter when searching for talent. Instead of generic CVs that list a person’s skills and educational qualifications, what they really wish to see is their character – what makes them tick, or how resilient they would be when faced with a challenge – things that CVs cannot really show. Different companies look for different personality traits – smaller creative firms, for instance, may look for someone highly autonomous, while larger firms may look for someone who is sensitive to others and works well in a team.

My main advice would be simply to start. Starting something does not rely on having a fantastic idea, but rather on the desire to solve a problem. Even if you do not immediately know how to solve it, you can simply learn more as you develop as a startup. There are, of course, many challenges that come with that, such as planning and coordinating each task, or time management. The biggest challenge, however, is working effectively with limited resources. We managed to bootstrap our discovery of the problem, the solution and our customer base, and we’ve developed our first product which will soon launch in five cities – London, Berlin, San Francisco, New York and Sydney. However, after that, we will need some outside support, either in the form of angel funding or seed investments, so that we can truly reach out to these five cities.

1. Thorsten, du bist unter anderem Kommunikationsberater und Gründungscoach. Wie bist Du im betahaus gelandet?

Ich bin spezialisiert auf die Kreativwirtschaft, und hier sitzt einfach das Publikum mit dem ich arbeiten kann und arbeiten will. Von daher ist es absolut sinnvoll für mich um hier zu sein. Ich arbeite mit dem internationalen Designzentrum und der KfW Bank zusammen, und hab mich hier öfters mit Klienten im Café getroffen. Ich hab noch ein Büro in Kreuzberg, und viele meiner Klienten sagen von sich aus „lass uns im betahaus treffen“, weil sie hier arbeiten. Irgendwann fiel mir einfach auf dass das der richtige Platz für mich ist, um zu arbeiten und auch um neue Klienten zu treffen.

2. Du berätst vor allem Gründer im Bereich Kreativwirtschaft. Was bringt dich dazu dich hierauf zu spezialisieren?

Ich habe Betriebswirtschaft und Kulturwissenschaft studiert, das heißt von Anfang an bestand da eine gewisse Logik mich in den Bereich Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft zu begeben. Ich hab auch schon in anderen Bereichen gearbeitet, habe aber einfach gemerkt dass es mir am meisten Spaß macht in diesem kreativen Feld tätig zu sein. Deshalb bin ich hier

3. Welche Fragen beantwortest du in deiner Sprechstunde? Wo liegen deine Fachgebiete? Welche typischen Fragen tauchen immer wieder auf

In dieser Sprechstunde beantworte ich vor allem Fragen rund um die Förderung und Finanzierung von Startups und Selbständigen in der Gründungsphase, aber auch danach.

4. Warum gibst du die Sprechstunde? Was hoffst du damit zu erreichen?

Erst mal gebe ich die Sprechstunde weil ich hoffe dass die, die zu mir kommen, auch etwas mitnehmen können. Natürlich ist es aber auch ein von Vorteil für mich. Dadurch dass ich bei der KFW Bank akkreditiert bin, kann ich gefördertes Gründercoaching anbieten. Ich weiß, dass viele Kreative, gerade wenn sie sich selbstständig machen, nicht unbedingt die finanziellen Mittel haben sich ein Gründercoaching zu leisten. Von daher ist es quasi eine win-win Situation für mich und meine Kunden.

Wann die nächste Gründung&Förderung Sprechstunde stattfindet könnt Ihr in unserem Kalender sehen.