A few months ago we started seeing international media praising Leipzig as “the next Berlin”: comparing the two on everything from cultural diversity to independent music scene, from the similarities in their architecture to the strength of their art communities. The New York Times said, “it’s a lot like Berlin but 10 years ago,” with The Guardian making a similar remark on how Leipzig is about to become “Germany’s new cultural hotspot,” going so far as to claim “better than the capital”. German media summed up the buzz around this town of 500.000 inhabitants with the headline “Hypezig.”
However, most people from Leipzig, including myself, an ex-Leipziger, don’t in fact enjoy the fame surrounding our city at all – worried about the changes that might follow the media hype. It’s not that we don’t like Berlin. On the contrary, we love Berlin for being Berlin – in Berlin, and not in Leipzig 😉 And we love Leipzig for its own culture, style and pace.
On the other hand, Leipzig cannot ignore the obvious parallels with her neighbor, begging the question – what about Leipzig’s startup scene? Berlin is heavily shaped and distinguished by the startups and entrepreneurs that reside in it. Is Leipzig on the same track? Definitely. It was just a matter of time.
Yesterday, the SpinLab opened its doors to welcome startups, partners and mentors to start the third round of its accelerator program.
The SpinLab is an accelerator and a joint initiative of Leipzig’s Cotton Mill – the epicenter of Leipzig’s art and creative scene, and Handelshochschule Leipzig – one of Germany’s leading management schools.
SpinLab’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in the center of Germany, by providing independence and guidance to entrepreneurial teams, startups and spin-offs. The accelerator applies no fees and takes no equity in exchange for providing access to infrastructure, coaching and mentoring, as well as access to a huge international network of successful business founders, established market players and leading investors.
After one day at SpinLab, seven great startup pitches, several table-tennis matches, and many, many inspirational talks, my main conclusion is that I have to start visiting Leipzig more often again, in order to keep up with the momentum. Secondly, the startup scene is growing pretty much in its own unique way, and independently from Berlin: it’s more grounded, less prestigious, and more personal. Thirdly, the fusion of art, creativity and business thinking creates an open space for ideas and opportunities that Berlin may not offer.
Here is a brief overview of SpinLab’s seven startup newbies:
binee is tackling one of humanity’s biggest and most complex challenges: waste. With its user-centered approach and smart solutions, the first step is to collect old electronic devices in consumer electronics stores.
qlipay enables expats from Africa in Europe or the Americas to pay for bills, products and services that belong to their families in Africa, quickly and safely at low costs through partnerships with international payment service providers. qlipay is a platform that aggregates services across all African countries to enable purpose-specific remittances for hundreds of millions of Africans.
ANIMUS is a digital service-solution for the housing industry and living quarters, that optimises the communication, service and information between the residents and the housing administration. The Resident gets more of what he values the most: his own time. The housing companies achieve a process optimisation and cost reduction through digitisation too.
Neuronade is an innovative drinking powder for mental performance. The “think drink” contains natural plant extracts like ginkgo biloba, brahmi & rhodiola rosea as well as important micronutrients for the brain.
matchwerk enables companies to digitalize their existing advisory process. matchwerk’s products are striving to improve customer experience on websites, apps and voice interfaces. The sophisticated API with its knowledge base acts as a one-stop-solution for service providers to digitalize their existing advisory processes.
resment is an innovative and web-based resource management solution for small and medium sized companies that automates and digitises administrative tasks to enable the possibility for entrepreneurs and employees to focus on their core abilities.
skillrs is a community-based online platform for local services. Be it painting your room, walking your dog or learning to play the piano – it places qualified people within your area to get your daily tasks done.