June 21, 2015: Application Deadline for Founders' Program Offered by SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator

[HHL gGmbH - 21.05.2015] Founders of innovative, technology-oriented and scalable start-ups can apply for the second class of the SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator up to June 21, 2015, at www.spinlab.co.

The six-month program will support interdisciplinary teams starting in September 2015 with the implementation and growth of their founding projects. They can use a co-working office with state-of-the art equipment free of charge on the premises of Spinnerei, an old cotton mill now serving as a center for creativity, and will obtain access to various technologies offered by the partners. In addition to intensive coaching, the founding teams will also benefit from a high-caliber mentoring program. The participants may also access a network of investors and entrepreneurial experts. The start-ups can participate in the program free of charge and will not be asked for shares.

The first six start-ups are already working at the SpinLab and, with the support offered there, were able to enter promising negotiations with potential investors, apply for funding and reach the finals of founder competitions. Three of team have also legally established their companies and attracted their first customers. Martin Liborak, who is currently at SpinLab for Project LooX, which specializes in interactive technologies for outdoor advertising, says. "100 days of SpinLab to us mean 100 full of milestones, new knowledge, numerous valuable experiences and loads of good spirits. With its well-based mix of mentoring, networking and input from many different workshops, SpinLab has already given us a great push in the right direction. We also enjoy the special atmosphere at Leipzig Spinnerei."

SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator is a joint project by HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, which has received multiple awards and honors, and the internationally renowned Leipzig Spinnerei. The Accelerator is funded through contributions from investors and established companies such as Axel Springer Digital Ventures, Blue Corporate Finance, CMS Hasche Sigle, Deutsche Bank, Grazia Equity, Heinz DÜRR Invest, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Madsack Mediengruppe, Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen, Porsche, taskforce - Management on Demand, E.ON Connecting Energies and Postbank. Michael Wieser, Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds comments, "We were positively surprised by the quality of the SpinLab teams, which attests to the great potential the Leipzig region has to offer in the field of new businesses. We are in talks with several start-ups from the SpinLab and look forward to learning about more ideas and founders in the second edition."

Those interested in the program will find further details on the program and the application process at www.spinlab.co.

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management as a hotbed for entrepreneurs

With over 165 start-ups established by HHL alumni over the past 17 years, Germany's top address for young managers has also developed into an incubator for company creation. The founders' entrepreneurial commitment has created more than 2,800 jobs already, over 1,250 of which are located in the Leipzig region alone. In 2013 and 2014, HHL reached one of three first places for the best entrepreneurial universities in Germany in the Start-Up Radar ranking published by Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Founders' Association of German Science) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BWMi). According to the Financial Times, HHL ranks first in Germany and fifth globally for its entrepreneurship focus within the M.Sc. and EMBA programs. www.hhl.de/EntrepreneurialGraduateSchool