This past weekend, from 17 to 19 of April, the Social Impulse Hub participated in the final event of the Business Skills Program (BSP). Taking place in the Fachhochschule Schmalkalden, the bootcamp “Preschool Schmalkalden” gathered students and people with migration backgrounds that wanted to bolster up their entrepreneurial ideas and provide innovative solutions to existing problems. The bootcamp benefited from the expertise of StartUp Migrants, an initiative that focus on bolstering entrepreneurial projects created and led by migrants by providing training and coaching on the essential aspects of a business. The training sessions brought together the knowledge shared during the BSP, giving participants the opportunity not only to work on their business ideas but also to discuss them and receive feedback. The bootcamp also served as a space for fostering collaboration among organizations and for networking and creating partnerships, thereby promoting the creation of social enterprises and societal innovation in Thuringia.
Three central factors were highlighted during the bootcamp: first, the importance of developing a well-structured entrepreneurial idea; second, getting to know the funding mechanisms, its providers and mechanisms; and third, understand which elements make a business innovative and thriving. To achieve this, StartUp Migrants’ CEO Nicolai Strøm-Olsen engaged participants in inspiring reflections, group discussions and exercises to delineate the characteristics of entrepreneurship. Not only that, but participants also heard presentations from companies such as GigaPixel and Marschall Marketing, drawing inspiration from their success stories. The first session was thus dedicated to learning through others.
One of the main objectives of the bootcamp was to provide a space for entrepreneurs to examine their business ideas and to identify and discuss their gaps. The second day was dedicated to developing and strengthening the foundations of the participants’ ideas. Participants had time to work on their own projects, by designing their pitch decks, reflect about the function of their businesses and identify competition. Not only that, but it was also given them the opportunity to match with possible partnerships and learn with others’ concepts. The session concluded with a presentation by Joanna Izdebski, from GFE – Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Entwicklung Schmalkalden e.V., a research institute that focuses on the creation of technological solutions for metalworking industry, as well as on funding enterprises in the same production field.
On the last day, participants spent most of the time polishing their final plan of business, to finally present them. They dove into the essentials of effective pitching, starting with a dynamic presentation by Nicolai Strøm-Olsen full of practical tips before moving into a focused 45‑minute pitch‑preparation session. A following presentation also unpacked the legal foundations of starting a business in Germany, covering everything from limited vs. unlimited liability to the steps of founding a company, taxation basics, and recent visa changes relevant for aspiring entrepreneurs. A highlight of the day was the inspiring founder’s journey of Shettima Ali, CEO of xTID, who shared his path from idea to impact. The event wrapped up with a lively pitching session, giving each group three minutes to present their concept, followed by a warm certificate distribution to celebrate everyone’s progress and participation.
Over the past three days, participants engaged with the essential foundations of early‑stage entrepreneurship, gaining insights into idea development, legal requirements, and effective pitching. They conclude the Startup Preschool bootcamp with strengthened competencies, greater clarity in their next steps, and the confidence to continue advancing their entrepreneurial ambitions.
The project has been co-funded under the Interreg Central Europe program of the European Union through the project “TASK4ISI” – Transnational Action to advance SKills and competences FOR Inclusive entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.
