Gateway Incubator

We help you, founders in the early pre-start-up phase, develop your idea into a well-founded business model with the Gateway Incubator. Our program conveys practical knowledge on all start-up-relevant topics. We also introduce you to the start-up ecosystem in Cologne.

The program offers workshops, trainings, social events, coaching, expert advice, workplaces, and a lot of start-up community for you.

When

The standard 4-month incubator takes place twice a year. We start with a batch in April and another in October. Every week there are 1-2 appointments, mostly on Tuesdays. As much as possible, you should be able to keep Tuesday morning free. The next Incubator will start October 2024.

For whom the Gateway Incubator is ideal

You can apply as an individual founder or as a group. The requirement is that you are committed to working on the further development of your business idea for several months. You should have a knowledge-based, innovative business idea with scalability and be able to clearly identify your problem-solution fit.

The Gateway Incubator is designed for students, employees, and graduates of universities with a Gateway start-up service (up to five years after graduation). In addition to the University of Cologne, these are the TH Köln, the RFH Köln, the Deutsche Sporthochschule, and the CBS International Business School.

Start-ups in the early pre-start-up phase benefit from numerous advantages at the Gateway Incubator:

• Learning: Through workshops, trainings and expert consultations, you will expand your skills and knowledge in all start-up-relevant topics.
  
• Coaching and mentoring: Your team will be assigned a start-up coach for individual support and an experienced founder as a buddy.
  
• Community: Become part of our gateway community, where you can support each other and learn from each other's experiences.
  
• Network building: We put you in contact with other start-ups and other players from the Cologne ecosystem - e.g. potential customers, advisors and investors.
  
• Resources: If required, your team can use workspace in the Gateway Workspace and access software tools from company cooperations.
  
• Free of charge: Participation in the Gateway Incubator is free of charge.

• Workshops & seminars: Business model, project management, property rights, market and competition analysis, marketing, branding, sales, prototyping, communication, financing, pitching, team, leadership, resilience.
  
• Check-in days: Regular meetings with the other teams to follow up on topics and exchange ideas.
  
• Expert consultations: Once a month on demand with experts in law, IP, insurance, social media, financing, etc. ("Residence Programme").
  
• Coachings: Regular appointments with your start-up coach for individual support and to define and regularly evaluate your goals.
  
• Social events: 1 x month to hang out with other start-ups from the incubator and the Gateway Workspace over a drink and snacks ("Sundowner").
  
• Ecosystem: 1 x month Startup Jour Fix as well as 1 visit to a startup in Cologne and 1 final event with public pitch

Requirements for the business idea's stage of development:

1. The value proposition canvas demonstrates the team's problem-solution fit.
2. The team is capable of explaining its business concept in a clear and convincing manner (Pitch Deck and Pitch).
3. The team has the skills to put the idea into practice or is aware that some expertise is still needed and is looking for the right team members.

Exclusion criteria based on the stage of a business idea's development:

1. A limited liability company has not yet been established for the business.
2. At the time of its application to the incubator, the team hadn't yet submitted an application for the EXIST start-up grant or the EXIST research transfer.
   
3. While a prototype for internal testing is perfectly acceptable, a minimum Viable Product (MVP) should not yet exist.
4. There may not yet have been any turnovers.
5. The team has not yet received VC funding.

Formal requirements:

1. A knowledge-based, innovative, and scalable business idea
2. The team includes at least one member who is affiliated with the University of Cologne, TH Köln, RFH Köln, DSHS, or CBS.
3. You are committed to working diligently on your startup for 4 months (5-8 hours per week of incubator program plus follow-up work).
4. Submit your application by 31.8.2023, ideally earlier!