PR: Factory launches “Distillery,” a support program for startups, with Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) as a founding partner

Press release from 25 June 2013 (pdf – German)

• Open-access support system for ambitious startups, entrepreneurs and potential founders on the Factory campus
• ‘Startup clinics’ – consultations with HIIG doctoral candidates – an online learning platform and an international network of mentors and investors
• Accompanying empirical research by scientists at the HIIG to examine the DNA of successful startups

Berlin, 25.06.2013 – Factory, the startup and technology campus in Mitte, announces the initiation of the “Distillery” support system, located on-site. As a partner, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) will offer so called “Startup Clinics”. Current startup founders and those interested in getting their idea off the ground, will be able to access “first aid advice” from doctoral candidates, mentors and consultants, initially in the fields of law, finance, and human resources.

In addition to the startup clinics, internet and technology-enabled companies at all financing and development stages will be able to access the Distillery online learning platform, www.distilleryberlin.com. Factory’s extensive partnerships with HIIG and Google for Entrepreneurs are the first step in a multi-year effort to boost every aspect of the Berlin startup ecosystem. The Distillery will itself act like a startup in “rapid prototyping mode”, iterating quickly based on practical and scientific learnings.

“The Factory, as a curated network of entrepreneurs, investors and international companies, is already a great breeding ground for startups. With Distillery, we are opening up this network for startups that do not reside on campus,” explains Factory founder Simon Schaefer.

Complementary research by HIIG

A special feature of the Distillery concept is the HIIG research taking place alongside the startup clinics. “Our research group ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ headed by Prof. Stefan Groß-Selbeck will work to uncover the factors which promote and hinder internet-based entrepreneurship,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer, co-director of HIIG. Meanwhile, Prof. Stefan Groß-Selbeck of HIIG, and the former CEO of Xing and eBay Germany, notes the opportunities that the free startup clinics offer to founders: “In these clinics, founders can discuss the challenges of developing their business models from legal, financial and human resourcing aspects, with the doctoral candidates. They can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the research group and a wider Distillery network of consultants and mentors.” Data from the clinics will be integrated into HIIG research examining the DNA of successful startups, the results of which will be freely available to all in accordance with open-science principles.

About Factory

Factory is a unique 16,000 square meter campus in the heart of Berlin. By bringing together early stage teams, local heroes such as SoundCloud and 6Wunderkinder, and international ventures such as Mozilla and Zendesk, we provide a physical location for startups and mature technology companies to interact. Partners like Google for Entrepreneurs help us boost the Berlin ecosystem on a large scale. With a global network, we link local startups to the tech community beyond Berlin, and are a go-to point for those seeking to connect with Berlin’s startup ecosystem. Initiated in late 2011 by two serial entrepreneurs and private investors, the first residents moved in in June 2012.

About HIIG

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) aims to contribute to a better understanding of the interdependence between the society and the Internet, thus offering an opportunity to shape the digital, networked future which is open to everyone. HIIG is held by Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, the University of Arts Berlin and the Social Science Research Center Berlin, who are all joint shareholders. The Hans-Bredow Institute Hamburg has become an integrated co-operation partner.

HIIG press contact:

Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft
c/o Publiplikator GmbH
Christoph Blase
Königstraße 2 | 14163 Berlin
blase@publiplikator.de
+49 30 200 898-31

Factory press contact:

Jenny Jung
jenny@factoryberlin.com
0151 27558620