Program & Events

Our tasks include: raising awareness, qualifying, motivating and networking. Whether you have an innovative idea and want to follow-up on it or you are going to take over your family’s business – we provide key information in regular events and give you the opportunity to present your ideas and get to know other founders and regional partners.

Our programs and events are offered in German and English, depending on the interest of international students.

Programs

Our programs build on each other and are intended for all people who are interested in founding a company, with or without a specific business idea.

Risk management: private and professional

Are you a student thinking about starting your own business? Take the opportunity and get valuable tips and advice in a personalised expert session with Veronika Schacht!

In this exclusive session, you will receive customised information and advice on the following topics

Important private insurances for founders
Necessary professional insurance for your startup
Strategies for hedging risks and pension planning
Your expert: Veronika Schacht

How to register:

To make an appointment for the individual expert session on 26.09 or 27.09, please send an email to Olga Karpiuk: Olga.Karpiuk@ebs.edu

Founder Workshop: From Business Idea to Business Plan

Registrations possible until 10th October 2024!

In this intensive, hands-on workshop for founders we use latest coaching methods to help you turn your idea into reality with a validated business model. During three weekends over a period of three months, you will gain practical insights into the following topics:

target group approach
pricing
financial forecasting
pitch strategy

Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to pitch your idea in front of a professional jury and receive individual feedback.

After the workshop you will have:

access to a network of various mentors, coaches, business angels, investors, bankers, suitable incubators and accelerators,
expert contacts from various fields of science and business,
different perspectives on your business idea
a sophisticated 3-year financial plan, suitable for banks and other investors
defined milestones for the next steps.

The workshop is free of charge for students, alumni and employees of Hochschule Geisenheim University and EBS University.

We want to make sure that this is the right program for the current state of your idea. Therefore, after submitting your one-pager with your business idea, please book an appointment with our workshop trainer (alexandra@gf-rheingau.de) to discuss your motivation and commitment, as well as your business idea, and why you ate your own best customer.

Entrepreneurial Women DO EXIST

Our first support programme for aspiring female entrepreneurs started in March 2024 and is expected to run until November 2024. The programme supports a total of 14 amazing women – including 9 scholarship holders supported by the EXIST Women initiative and 5 volunteer participants without a scholarship.

All participants receive monthly face-to-face workshops at the Gründungsfabrik Rheingau to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills, mentoring from experienced female founders, coaching from our freelance and recommended business coaches and additional events with inspiring guests.

To raise awareness among our participants and other women outside our programme who are interested in starting their own business one day, we offer monthly online meet-ups with inspiring female founders and advocates of women’s empowerment.

…and tomorrow the whole world! Internationalisation workshop

Are you ready to conquer new international markets with your company, but don’t have the necessary basic knowledge? Would you like to find out more about the opportunities and challenges abroad or expand your intercultural skills? Are you looking for proven strategies for a successful international market entry?

Then you should not miss our 3-day intensive workshop at the Gründungsfabrik Rheingau!

When? From 31 October to 2 November 2024.

The workshop will be led by Dr Markus Alsleben and is aimed at representatives of start-ups and companies in the UG, GmbH or AG legal form. The workshop will be held in English.

Interested? Please click below to find out more and register for the workshop!

Events

Our wide range of events includes various kinds of sessions, from inspiring networking to start-up competitions in front of a jury. All of our events are offered free of charge for all founders and those interested in founding.

Rheingau-Taunus Founder Award 2024

The competition is entering its fifth round! We invite all aspiring and established founders from our ecosystem to apply for the next round of the Rheingau-Taunus Founder Award. Applications in 3 different categories are possible until 16 October 2024:

Category 1: Best business idea from schools and universities
Category 2: Best start-up from the district’s colleges/universities
Category 3: Best start-up from the Rheingau-Taunus district

Don’t miss the chance to present your idea to a diverse audience and win up to EUR 1,500!

The final of the competition will take place on 20 November in the New Forum of EBS University in Oestrich-Winkel.

Apply till 16th October 2024!

Rheingau Founder Award (“Rheingauer Gründungspreis”)

In cooperation with the Rheingauer Volksbank as well as regional partners, we are organizing the Rheingau Start-up Award again this year with the aim of setting up the region in a sustainable and future-oriented manner as well as promoting innovative ideas.

More than 20 teams have applied for the final on November 28th in the “Neues Forum” of the EBS University in Oestrich-Winkel. If you would like to be there when the winners are chosen, we would be pleased to receive your registration.