Stage 1
Assessment
It all begins with taking stock of your individual situation, and your path through the programme grows out of that, not the other way round.
- What you bring with you
- What you need
- Which conditions apply to you
Programme
From the first question to the pitch.
The incubator is made up of building blocks: we bring in existing offers from our partners, and where something is missing, we fill the gap with modules of our own.
Get on board whenever it suits you
There is no deadline and no cost, and the first step is a conversation. You will find what you need to bring and what happens after that on one page.
The eight stages
Stages 1 and 2 clarify what you are starting with and which legal rules apply to you. Stages 3 to 7 are the five phases and therefore the core of the programme, with check-ups in between where we look together at whether the next step is right for you now. Stage 8 is the finale.
Getting started
Stage 2
Residence Status
Many participants come from countries outside the EU. That is why we ask early on whether you have any questions about your residence, and we tell you who can advise you on them personally.
- Residence status
- Self-employment during or after your studies
- Permits you need
First
You tell us where you stand
In the first conversation we ask whether there are any open questions about your residence, but we do not check them ourselves.
Then
We show you who can help
We give you the name of a suitable advice service, for example at Flüchtlingsrat MV, and if you want, we put you in touch.
After that
You get personal advice
The advice service looks at your case. With IQ Connect this can happen in person, by phone or via WhatsApp and Telegram, and with translation if needed.
Our partner for advice
IQ Connect, Flüchtlingsrat MV
- free of charge
- confidential
- for every residence status
- with translation
Residence and starting a business →Go to IQ Connect →
We do not advise on individual cases about your residence, because that is decided by the responsible authority.
The quick start
Pre-School · together with Startup Migrants
Three days across the whole programme
In three days on site, you take your idea from a first thought to a clear problem-solution fit and your first pitch deck. You can come with a first idea or simply with curiosity.
- 3 dayson site
- 15 to 35participants
- Englishlanguage
- Free of chargefor you
What you take away
- A sharper definition of the problem
- A stress test for your solution
- A look at the market and the competition
- Your first pitch presentation
- A plan for the strengths and weaknesses in your team
It touches almost every stage
- Stage 1, Assessment: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 2, Residence Status: not part of the Pre-School
- Stage 3, Ideation: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 4, Business Development: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 5, Market: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 6, Field: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 7, Founding: part of the Pre-School
- Stage 8, Finale: not part of the Pre-School
All except Residence Status and Finale. It does not replace the phases, it makes them tangible for the first time.
Next round and registrationHow it runs at Startup Migrants (opens on the partner's website) →
Read the transcript (original English audio)
Claudia Kashiska Galua (Data Protection Lawyer): Hi, I am Claudia Kashiska Galua, and I am a data protection lawyer.
Participant, University of Rostock: My name is Dependriadov, and I studied at the University of Rostock, my master's, and I worked as a software engineer for two years. And right now I'm thinking of starting my own company, a startup, and this is why I'm here.
Tahir: My name is Tahir.
Mark, Hochschule Wismar: Hi, I'm Mark. I'm from the Philippines, and I'm doing my master's in Wismar.
Wulandari ("Wulan"): Hi, I'm Wulandari. You can call me Wulan. I came from Indonesia and I'm a lecturer.
Claudia: I really, really like it. I actually didn't have much expectations to come here. I just came with an open mind and I really like it. I really like the founder that is presenting, and other founders presenting their journeys. And yes, meeting similar people in Rostock and getting to know their ideas and their background — it's a really great experience.
Mark: Well, I would say it was very informative through this three-day seminar. I got a lot of information from the start-up community about the legal requirements, and I would recommend everybody to actually give it a go and learn from the seminar.
Wulandari: Preschool is not only talking about how you run a business, but the legal things you have to do and how you get an investor, and how you get insight from other businessmen or businesswomen. It's not only for men, but for women as well.
Participant, University of Rostock: What do you like the most? Being a student in Rostock, I always felt like maybe we don't have opportunities here. But coming to this Preschool, first I learned how you start a startup, and second, there are a lot of resources out there — you just need to reach out. It has been a really nice decision, coming here. And now I know the concrete steps of what to do. So it was really nice about that.
Tahir: It was my first time participating in this — the best workshop I ever had in my life — about how to create an idea, and it was so interesting for me.
Claudia: Yes, definitely do it. You have nothing to lose, and you can only gain the experience and friendships. Just try it, it's really cool.
Participant, University of Rostock: Definitely, I would definitely recommend it to anyone. If you're not even starting, come — it doesn't matter, just come and attend it. It's costing nothing. And why not? If you read about it, they say there's no big market. But think of it the other way around: there isn't a market yet, they need people to start a market here. There's a lot of opportunity. So for that reason, at least, I attend.
Wulandari: I recommend all people to join Preschool because it's really helpful for you — whether you already have an idea or you don't have one yet, it's good for you.
Tahir: Personally, I think the best thing about Preschool was learning how to create an idea, and what the most important step is to start an idea in your mind. I tell my friends and my other classmates to participate in workshops like this. It's really helpful.
So far with Startup Migrants
- 15+cities in Europe
- 2,000+participants, around half of them women
- 70+businesses that grew out of it
In previous rounds, 19% of participants went on to set up a limited liability company.
The five phases
Runs alongside every stage
From the first conversation
Mentoring and community
Structured matching brings you together with experienced women and men in business and women in science, ideally with an international or intercultural background. On top of that there are networking events, exchange formats and peer learning, in Greifswald for example the meetings of HGWomen, the women's network of our cooperation partner WITENO.
The first tandems start in spring 2027, and new ones will keep being added until June 2028 as soon as we have found the right person for you. The mentoring is for women with a business idea, in the founding stage or up to three years after starting their business, and for side businesses that want to expand.
Grows along the way, not just at the end
Investor readiness and pitch deck
Both grow across all the stages, for equity as well as debt financing. That way, anything you need on residence, legal form or building a team shows up early and is tackled early.
Stage 3
Ideation
What problem are you solving, and for whom? This is where a thought becomes an idea you can describe.
- The problem
- Who you are solving it for
- Problem-solution fit
Our cooperation partner
Digitales Innovationszentrum
Greifswald · Neubrandenburg · Schwerin
- free of charge
Our cooperation partner
inspired Greifswald ideas competition with Fit2Start
WITENO GmbH und Universität Greifswald
- free of charge
- also in Finale
Stage 4
Business Development
This is where the idea becomes a business.
- Value creation and pricing
- Building a team
- Legal and organisational basics
Our cooperation partner
Inno-X start-up advice
Greifswald · Schwerin · Warnemünde
- free of charge
- also in Market
One-to-one advice over several months, mainly for science-based and technology-oriented projects, and places are limited. If you are planning a café, a shop or a service business, or would rather learn in a group, you will find the same content as a course in the start-up seminars run by the chambers (IHK and HWK).
Stage 5
Market
How big is the market, who is already in it, and where do you stand? At the end, your offer is tested on the real market.
- Market size
- Competition
- Your position
- Testing on the real market
Our cooperation partner
Inno-X start-up advice
Greifswald · Schwerin · Warnemünde
- free of charge
- also in Business Development
Stage 6
Field
You develop and test your first products, services or prototypes and sharpen your business model with real feedback.
- Prototypes and first offers
- Tests with real feedback
- A sharper business model
Available in MV
Food product development and analysis
ZELT: Zentrum für Ernährung und Lebensmitteltechnologie MV
- costs on request
Available in MV
StartUpYard: open ideas workshop
Robert-Schmidt-Institut, Hochschule Wismar
- free of charge
Stage 7
Founding
Now it is about the concrete steps of starting your business.
- Legal form
- Financing
- Taxes
- Team structures
Available in MV
Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner MV
IHKs und Handwerkskammern in MV
- free of charge
Available in MV
Microloans in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
GSA Gesellschaft für Struktur- und Arbeitsmarktentwicklung
- costs on request
The finish
Stage 8
Finale
At the end comes the preparation for the International Founders Festival and for conversations with investors.
- A professional pitch deck
- An investor-ready business idea
- Your pitch at the festival
Our cooperation partner
inspired Greifswald ideas competition with Fit2Start
WITENO GmbH und Universität Greifswald
- free of charge
- also in Ideation
Available in MV
Female Founders Contest: MV semi-final
Business Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg
- free of charge
Available in MV
Pitch training for investor presentations
Zentrum für Entrepreneurship, Universität Rostock
- free of charge
