Home
Solo founders and founding teams, consisting of students, doctoral candidates, researchers, or employees of universities or non-university research institutions across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, have the opportunity to apply with their business concepts in the Business Plan Competition "SEGEL SETZEN!".
When is the application deadline?
The submission phase for the Business Plan Competition "SEGEL SETZEN!" runs until November 3, 2024.
Here you will find a registration form to provide details about the participating individuals and a brief description of the project you wish to submit.
By November 3, 2024, you must submit all required documents and a detailed presentation of your business plan. Here is the business plan template for download (Word file).
Participation is free, and attractive prize money awaits the winners:
1st Prize: € 10,000
2nd Prize: € 5,000
3rd Prize: € 2,000
Participants also receive feedback from the expert jury and have the chance to win prize money totaling € 20,000. The University of Greifswald also offers a special prize of € 3,000 (exclusively for participants from Greifswald's scientific institutions).
Who can participate in the "SET SAIL!" business plan competition?
Eligible to participate are adult natural persons who meet the following conditions:
- Enrolled students of the University and University Medical Center Greifswald, University and University Medical Center Rostock, as well as the universities of Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, and Wismar
- Academic staff, doctoral candidates, post-docs, and professors from the University and University Medical Center Greifswald, University and University Medical Center Rostock, as well as the universities of Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, and Wismar (up to 5 years after leaving)
- Graduates of the University and University Medical Center Greifswald, University and University Medical Center Rostock, as well as the universities of Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, and Wismar (up to 5 years after graduation)
- Members of non-university research institutions in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, including the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Leibniz Institute for Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), Friedrich Loeffler Institute Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Fraunhofer Institute for Large Structures in Production Engineering (IGP), Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD), Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), German Aerospace Center (DLR)
- For teams: at least one team member must come from the above-mentioned institutions
Further conditions for participating in the competition can be found here.
What are the evaluation criteria for the "SET SAIL!" business plan competition?
The selection of prize winners takes place in a two-stage process by an independent jury.
- 1st Stage (Business Plan)
All submitted business plans will be reviewed by the jury. Evaluation will be based on the following equally weighted criteria:
- Innovation
- Customer acceptance
- Competitive situation
- Financial feasibility
- Technical feasibility
- Market potential
- 2nd Stage (Pitch)
At the end of Phase 1, the ten best submissions will be selected for the 2nd stage. These startups will then present themselves in the final round in front of an expert jury.
Participants will be informed via email after the evaluation deadline if they have advanced to the oral stage. The result of the first stage will count for 50% of the overall evaluation.
When and where will the awards ceremony take place?
The winners of this year's statewide business plan competition will be awarded on November 18, 2024, at the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald.
If you'd like to attend the event—even if you're not competing in the competition - here's the registration link!
Tip
On November 16 and 17, 2024, participants in the competition will have the opportunity to learn more about pitching during a "Pitch Weekend" at Project Bay on the island of Rügen.
This event is designed as preparation for the business plan competition and the final pitches before the jury on November 18, 2024, in Greifswald.
You can find more information about this workshop weekend here.
