June 28, 2016: Application Deadline for the SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator Founders' Program

[HHL gGmbH - 30.05.2016] Founders of innovative start-ups are invited to apply for the program offered by SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator at http://www.spinlab.co by June 28, 2016. So far, 18 startups have benefited from the support of SpinLab, winning multiple founders' awards (e.g. the renowned IKT start-up competition by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) and raising funds through subsidies as well as capital from various investors. Ekoio, a start-up specializing in telematic solutions was the last one to have a successful crowd-investing campaign. Other SpinLab start-ups such as Merolt, Sensape, Rhebo and Laviu have been successful enough to raise funds in the mid six-figure range already.

Starting on October 4, 2016, the six-month program will support the teams of entrepreneurs with the implementation and growth of their founding projects. In addition to intensive coaching, the founding teams will also benefit from a high-caliber mentoring program as well as numerous contacts to investors, established companies and other founders. They can use a co-working office with state-of-the art equipment on the premises of Spinnerei, an old cotton mill now serving as a center for creativity, and will gain access to various technologies offered by the partners. Even after completing the actual program, the startup teams remain part of the recruiting network, allowing them to plan their expansion through an international exchange program and giving them the opportunity to rent office space next to SpinLab.

What is truly novel is the financial support for select start-ups through a grant from the City of Leipzig. Every team of founders will receive EUR 6,000 in initial funding.

The teams will be able to use all offers free of charge when accepted into the six-month founders' program. Eric Weber, CEO of SpinLab, says, "With SpinLab, we are promoting the start-ups but also Leipzig as a location for founders by using HHL's competencies and outstanding network to establish an open accelerator program for start-ups from all over Germany here in this city."

Marilu Valente, co-founder of the Binee start-up, which specializes in electronic waste disposal, says, "Moving to Leipzig was a strategic decision that our team was very happy about. The working space that the SpinLab offered was a great motivation for reaching the next level of professionalism. In the past three months, we tested the market for our product in a lean way and collected insights from users and customers by setting up a pilot project. The mentoring program enables us to clearly track our progress and decide on the next steps forward."

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 financed by funds from investors and established businesses.

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

About SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator

SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator supports innovative start-up projects with the implementation and growth of their founding projects. In addition to intensive coaching, the founding teams will also benefit from a high-caliber mentoring program as well as numerous contacts to investors, established companies and other founders. They can use a co-working office with state-of-the art equipment on the premises of Spinnerei, an old cotton mill now serving as a center for creativity, and will gain access to various technologies offered by the partners. Even after completing the actual program, the start-up teams are supported in personnel recruiting, allowing them to plan their expansion through an international exchange program and giving them the opportunity to rent office space right next to SpinLab. The founders will be able to use all offers free of charge when accepted into the six-month program.
SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator is funded through contributions from investors and established companies such as Deutsche Postbank, E.ON Connecting Energies, CMS Hasche Sigle, DELL, Deutsche Bank, Doberman Ventures, DZ Bank, ergo Versicherungen, Grazia Equity, Heinz Dürr Invest, High-Tech Gründerfonds, KPMG, Madsack Mediengruppe, Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen, Porsche, Quarton International as well as taskforce - Management on Demand. http://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 18 years, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management has developed into an incubator for company creation. The founders' entrepreneurial commitment has created more than 2,800 jobs already. In 2013 and 2014, HHL reached one out of the three first places for the best entrepreneurial universities in Germany cited 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. http://www.hhl.de/EntrepreneurialGraduateSchool