TU concept GmbH: New support for start-ups
- Research
- Higher Education Policy
TU Dortmund University financially participates in promising start-ups and thus treads new ground. “For the first time, we can help establish businesses on the market that are spin-offs of TU Dortmund University,” said Matthias Giese, Head of the Department of Finance and Procurement. He was instrumental in developing the investment model with his team and, together with Albrecht Ehlers, Chancellor of TU Dortmund University, is the Managing Director of the TU concept GmbH. Through this limited liability company, the university will hold a share in future companies.
TU concept GmbH is already holding a share in two companies: classicon GmbH and Crop.Evolution GmbH (in the founding process). Both companies have emerged from the university. And both show the broad spectrum representing Universitas, i.e. the totality and diversity of the sciences, which characterizes TU Dortmund University.
Digital stage offers exclusive live concerts
With its internet platform, the digital stage takt1, classicon GmbH offers access to an archive of classical music videos to lovers of classical music. As a special highlight, takt1 regularly presents exclusive live concerts with world-class music partners. One of the founders is Professor Holger Noltze from the Institute of Music and Musicology at TU Dortmund University. Also participating is Benedikt Stampa, the longtime director of the Konzerthaus Dortmund and current director of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.
Crop.Evolution GmbH i.Gr. has set itself the goal of developing and marketing a disruptive production process in the field of “natural substance production with recombinant crops”. Crop.evolution - in addition to b.value AG as the main shareholder and TU concept GmbH, Prof. Oliver Kayser from the Faculty of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering is also on board – wants to develop the process to patent maturity and market it after patenting.
Assistance in establishing companies on the market
The stakes held in the two companies should only be the beginning for start-up support by TU Dortmund University. “So far, we have faced the problem that TU Dortmund University has been able to offer a wide range of teaching and consulting services for all development steps along the founding process right up to the founding of the company,” said President Professor Ursula Gather, representing the shareholder TU Dortmund University. “However, because of legal reasons, we could not assist the start-up when it established itself on the market. We can now change this with TU concept GmbH.”
It is important to the TU concept managing directors Albrecht Ehlers and Matthias Giese that no public money made available by the German government to the university for research and teaching is used as stakes in start-ups. “After all, every start-up involves a risk of loss,” said Giese. Thus, the capital of TU concept GmbH does not come from taxes. Rather, the money comes from profits that TU Dortmund University was able to achieve in externally financed economic research projects after deduction of all costs – personnel, use of facilities, including all taxes incurred, etc. – that were taken into account.
TU concept GmbH is expected to grow substantially. Above all, Albrecht Ehlers and Matthias Giese want to invest the returns from the start-ups that have established themselves on the market with the help of the university immediately in new start-ups. An advisory board currently appointed by TU concept GmbH will support the selection and assessment of potential candidates for funding.