HSMW is Saxony’s most innovative games development studio

Anyone who thinks of Japan and the US alone when it comes to innovative computer games should, in future, add the university town of Mittweida to their list. In the so-called ‘Special Call 5’ of futureSAX’s InnoStartBonus scheme – which invited potential start-up founders from across Saxony with innovative business ideas, particularly in the fields of gaming and blockchain, to apply – three teams from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences convinced the expert jury that they were worthy of funding.

“I am delighted that the systematic steps and measures taken in recent years to embed an entrepreneurial mindset and an entrepreneurial ecosystem at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences are bearing fruit so quickly,” says Volker Tolkmitt, Rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. “Professor Knauer has done some outstanding pioneering work here in recent years. The new interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues Buser and Liebers is also opening up new prospects for the Saxeed network at our university, as this success already demonstrates.”

Alexander Knauer, who teaches as Professor of Future Technologies and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, has been co-directing SAXEED at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences alongside Ulrich Buser, Professor of Media Business Management, since April 2024. Together with site manager Dirk Liebers, they form an interdisciplinary team aiming to facilitate more successful start-ups at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW). Back in June, the new team had already brought together future, current and former founders at the first SAXEED Start-up Forum to network and inspire one another.

SAXEED is the start-up initiative launched by the four universities in south-west Saxony, located in Chemnitz, Freiberg, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and Zwickau. Through lectures, workshops and events, it motivates and raises awareness amongst students, graduates and university staff to turn the ideas and technologies developed on campus into reality – thereby helping to strengthen Saxony as a business hub. A key element of the HSMW approach is: interdisciplinarity. To successfully develop innovative business models, technical and sector-specific expertise must be combined with entrepreneurial skills, strategic and innovative thinking, as well as social and leadership skills – complemented by commercial knowledge.

“I am delighted that we have been able to achieve these successes as a cross-faculty team. This demonstrates not only the great potential of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, but also just how much we can achieve through collaboration,” says Buser. The expert jury from futureSAX deemed no fewer than three Mittweida projects eligible for funding. In addition, there are two projects from Leipzig. This means that 60 per cent of the games projects across Saxony deemed eligible for funding under the InnoStart Bonus have a direct link to Mittweida. Knauer adds: “Never before have SAXEED-supported teams at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences been more successful with the InnoStartBonus.” 

Marbach suggested several teams to Liebers who were currently working on innovative game ideas. Liebers approached them and provided them with targeted guidance to help them prepare successfully for the InnoStartBonus. As well as support with the application itself, the programme included intensive pitch training. This was because, in order to secure a positive funding recommendation from the InnoStartBonus expert panel, the HSMW students and graduates had to convince the experts of their own merits and the merit of their idea. One key criterion was the business plan. After all, through the InnoStartBonus, the Free State of Saxony supports potential founders with innovative business ideas who aim to actually set up a profit-making company within twelve months.

“Not all students are business whizzes. Nor do they need to be, because that’s what we at SAXEED are here for,” says Liebers, who, as part of his PhD thesis, conducted a detailed analysis of the entrepreneurial behaviour of individuals in the pre-start-up phase and is therefore all the better placed to support students interested in setting up their own businesses. “It’s the people who matter. Ideas need to be constantly developed to be successful. We help students, graduates and staff at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences by supporting them in every aspect of their start-up process and, ultimately, connecting them with the right people to drive successful growth once the business has been established.”

In recent years, HSMW has specialised heavily in the areas of raising awareness and embedding start-up support, and according to the Start-up Radar, it ranks among the top ten medium-sized universities in Germany in the ‘Start-up Embedding’ category (sixth place) and the ‘Start-up Awareness and Training’ category (seventh place). Building on this, the team, led by Professors Knauer and Buser, is now devoting greater attention to start-up support – and is celebrating a widely recognised success with three InnoStartBonus funding recommendations.

Through the InnoStartBonus, the Free State of Saxony supports Saxon entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas in the run-up to and at the start of their innovative business ventures. The aim is to support selected innovators, through a competitive selection process, with a start-up grant of 1,050 euros per month for twelve months, whilst providing them with personalised support and helping them to build a network.

The InnoStartBonus is family-friendly, as an additional monthly child bonus of 150 euros is granted for each dependent child. Two founders per project are eligible for the funding. Funding for the three selected projects from Mittweida will commence in November. The application phase for the cross-sector, technology-neutral InnoStartBonus call is currently open and will remain so until 30 September 2024.