First comes the studies and then the job. Student founders show that things don’t always have to be that way. More and more students and graduates are daring to start their own business and become their own boss while still on campus.
For the guys from Cringle, it all started with a beer. At the end of 2012, Joschka (29) went out for a drink with his soccer team after a game. It turned out that only one of them had any money with him. Then the trained industrial engineer suddenly had an idea: an app with which you can easily and securely transfer money between friends! A short time later he founded the start-up Cringle with three friends. The four of them are currently being supported by the TU Berlin's StartUp School and are thus financing their living expenses. It's not enough for more. Only when the app comes onto the market this fall will they actually start making money. But that doesn't bother them at the moment because they are convinced of their idea and Joschka says: “We are also all endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit and would like to do something of our own. Not just work that we are given." Frane, Konrad and Joschka have already finished university, but Malte (26) is currently writing his master's thesis at the University of Potsdam. It's tiring, but it's doable, especially because his three colleagues have his back.
Christian (27) was also still writing his master's thesis when he founded the beer brand St. Erhard together with an Indian fellow student in 2011. During his semester abroad in India, the Bavarian native sorely missed German beer. Although the Germans are also known in India for their good beer, it is hardly available there. Back in Germany he took the risk; entered into a cooperation with a brewery and organized export to India. His partner Vikanshu took over the work from the other end and took care of everything needed in India. For a long time they financed themselves exclusively privately and Christian doesn't regret that today, because it meant they were as flexible as possible for as long as possible. Today the two already have eight employees. Christian's tip to other students with a good idea is: “Just do it. Study time is probably the best time to start a business because you can afford to take bigger risks. If it doesn’t work out, you just go to the job market!”.
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First comes the studies and then the job. Student founders show that things don’t always have to be that way. More and more students and graduates are daring to start their own business and become their own boss while still on campus. For the guys from Cringle, it all started with a beer. Joschka (29) was with his at the end of 2012
