Founders‘ Factory

May we introduce: The Founders’ Factory! The project is a structural change project in the Rhenish mining area funded by the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the category “Strengthening Entrepreneurial Activity”. The joint applicants for the funding application were WFMG (Wirtschaftsförderung Mönchengladbach GmbH) and the Mittlerer Niederrhein Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a closely associated partner is the start-up and digitization initiative nextMG e.V. Two sub-projects are united under the joint roof of the project, which essentially sees itself as a continuing education project. The first is the “Gründungsfabrik Mönchengladbach” (GFMG for short), which aims to strengthen the innovation and start-up culture in the region in order to fuel the establishment of new industries and promote innovation transfer and digital transformation in the region. The second subcomponent, “skillzUP“, serves to expand the STEM education offensive to promote and expand the STEM-affine talent pool at the site and in the region.

The project team consists of (front, from left) Katja Schweitzer (Project Assistant Events), Anastasia Rylnikov (Project Manager skillzUP), and Tim Vennen (Community Management GFMG), as well as (back, from left) Moritz Demandt (Project Assistant Finance), Jamie Lee Poos (Community Manager GFMG), and Andy Sacherer (Project Manager GFMG). Photo: Lucas Coersten.

What exactly is the “Founders‘ Factory” structural change funding project?

The project is a structural change project in the Rhenish mining area funded by the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the category “Strengthening entrepreneurial activity”. The joint applicants for the funding application were WFMG (Business Development Corporation Mönchengladbach) and IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein (Middle Lower Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce). Another close associated partner is the start-up and digitalization initiative nextMG e.V. Two sub-projects are united under the umbrella of the Founders’ Factory, which essentially sees itself as a project fur further education. One of them is the “Gründungsfabrik Mönchengladbach” („Founders’ Factory“, GFMG for short, working title previously: School of Entrepreneurship), which aims to strengthen the innovation and start-up culture in the region in order to encourage the establishment of new industries and promote innovation transfer and digital transformation in the region. The second sub-module “skillzUP” (working title previously: Coding School CS 41) serves to expand the STEM education offensive to promote and expand the STEM-related talent pool at the location and in the region.

What are the general conditions?

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) for a period of four years (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027) with 90%, while the remaining 10% are being provided by the NRW state government. It has a budget of just under three million euros. To this end, new positions were created at WFMG and respective course programs were developed and brought to market. In accordance with the funding guidelines, these are offered completely free of charge. In close coordination with stakeholders such as IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein, Hochschule Niederrhein (University of Applied Sciences) and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (GFMG component) and stakeholders such as educational institutions, the Junior University of Mönchengladbach and others (skillzUP component), care is taken to ensure that the various offers do not duplicate or even cannibalize each other, but rather interlock in a meaningful way.

Which target groups are addressed in each case?

The GFMG sub-module is about making start-up projects more resilient, reducing the number of business closures and ensuring that sustainable jobs can be created in the medium term, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors, and that innovations can be retained in the city. The program is therefore aimed at three target groups: traditional business formation projects and innovative start-ups, whose companies, business ideas and models are to be made more resilient and professional through the further training offered; and specialists and managers from SMEs, who are to be familiarized with start-up working methods as well as change and innovation management processes. At skillzUP, the focus is on improving young people’s digital understanding and skills so that they are equipped for the working world of tomorrow. skillzUP therefore works as closely as possible with schools and companies to create digital educational opportunities and practical training courses for trainees.

How is the GFMG course program structured?

GFMG offers a high-quality workshop program (primarily on classic topics such as taxes and law, which all founders have to deal with sooner or later), 1:1 sessions with experienced coaches, networking events, keynotes and lectures. The unique selling point of the GFMG is that, thanks to the 1:1 sessions in particular, the program can address precisely where individual needs or pain points lie. In addition, target groups that often fall by the wayside in the start-up context are deliberately focused on. For example, a program is offered specifically for mothers who want to start a business or have already done so. As a further building block, an innovation program for SMEs was developed and compiled in cooperation with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf’s Chair of Business Administration (especially Management). A network of young innovators from companies in the city is being established via this “KMU-Zukunftsschmiede” (SME future incubator).

How is the skillzUP course program structured?

skillzUP is aimed at the primary target groups of young people and trainees or career starters. All courses are therefore tailored to the needs of young people aged between 13 and 23. The program comprises a total of six main topics, each of which has several specific courses on offer: “Digi Basics” (digital basics – for example Office products, Canva, applying for jobs with AI), coding (programming, website, app and software development), artificial intelligence (including machine learning, AI tools such as ChatGPT, image and video production using AI), web design and UX/UI design, data management and data science (e.g. SQL, data analysis) and media (content creation, social media, digital presentation).

 What is the interim status at the halfway point of the project (July 1, 2025)?

More than 2,300 young people have already taken advantage of the skillzUP program. skillzUP is working with over 25 cooperation partners (including numerous schools, companies and other institutions). To date, GFMG has recorded a mid-three-digit number of course participants, more than 100 individual start-up consultations, numerous 1:1 coaching sessions, successful special formats such as the KMU-Zukunftsschmiede with eight companies reached so far or the Macherinnen-Gemeinschaft for female founders, carried out with the provider elevateHER.

Where are the two sub-projects located?

For the duration of the project, the projects are located on Mühlenstraße in the Rheydt district of Mönchengladbach, whereby the greatest possible flexibility is always sought with regard to the location of the courses offered, especially for skillzUP. In general, all courses have a significant digital component, and some also have a mobile component. The aim is to make the project sustainable in the long term, even beyond the current funding, as well as to relocate it at a later date to the Mönchengladbach Knowledge and Innovation Campus (former police headquarters), another structural change project.

Where can I find more information?

You can find out more on the respective websites at www.gruendungsfabrik.mg and www.skillzup-mg.de. Andy Sacherer (Head of GFMG, tel. 02161 82379-766, sacherer@wfmg.de) and Anastasia Rylnikov (Head of skillzUP 41, tel. 02161 82379-765, rylnikov@wfmg.de) can also provide information.