Post by Vivian Peuker-Steinhäuser

Our Startup Creation students at the Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models | Ruhr University Bochum Stefanie Bröring, Dr. Simon Ohlert, Lev Kalishchuk, pitched like seasoned founders this Summer Semester – confident, creative, and full of entrepreneurial drive! When we kicked off this journey back in April, many were still unsure: "Can I really bring something new to a field that already feels so saturated?" And that’s exactly where the magic started! Over the course of three intense months – packed with lectures, workshops, expert talks, a full-day hackathon, and surrounded by engaged teammates and committed partners – something remarkable happened: Ideas took shape, confidence grew, and innovation flourished. Yesterday, 10 dedicated teams presented their ideas and business models to our jury. Their challenge? To tackle one of the most urgent issues in urban life: the housing shortage, a challenge given by our partners this semester DÖRKEN Digital Ventures and Vonovia. Our students did it with bold thinking, teamwork, and real startup spirit. The energy was undeniable – the kind that emerges when students, academia, and industry come together to imagine new solutions. To all student teams Ben Rustemeyer, Yousra Lahfa, Elisabeth Viktoria Roosen (and all the Startup-Creation Students, please spread this message) coaches and jury Dr. Lucia Brandt, Dr. Alexander M. Wiegelmann, Thomas Brokamp , Jannis Heuner and partners Stephan Hellwig Marvin Urban, Nico de Ridder, Samuel Paulsen, RUB-Makerspace, Florian Welsandt (geb. Krohm), Guido Kissenbeck THANK YOU for your hard work, your trust, and your belief in the process. You didn’t just pitch ideas – you inspired a room full of people. 💡🚀 #StartupCreation #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #UrbanChallenges #HousingCrisis #PitchDay #StudentPower #ImpactDriven #Gründerspirit #FromIdeaToImpact