WHU Accelerator 2022 Comes to a Close

The seven-week WHU Accelerator program, initiated by the Entrepreneurship Center of WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, recently came to a close in Berlin. For nearly two full months, the eight participating start-up teams refined their business models, received feedback from a collective 80 mentors from the WHU alumni network, and honed their skills at scheduled workshops.

On Demo Day, the final day of the program, the teams had the chance to present their concepts live to a select audience of 80 attendees, partially comprising mentors and even teams from the previous WHU Accelerator in 2021. This finale is, however, primarily designed to connect the participating start-ups with potential investors—contacts who may prove beneficial in future funding rounds. This year’s Demo Day was also part of the In Praxi Summer Reunion, giving everybody a chance to bring this intensive phase to a celebratory finish.

Participating teams and their successes

Cliqe (formely invest wise) 

- During the WHU Accelerator, the founders of cliqe were able to adapt their company to the ever-changing world of social media. By Demo Day, they could generate some interest from some of today’s more prominent financial influencers (e.g., Hedgefonds Henning).

-  Founders: Tiên Grünewald and Lennart Poerschke

Honest Dog

-The founder team were able to bring their platform to fruition—and place their first puppies up for adoption.

- Founders: Sufyan Osamah and Nikolaus Ridder

LiftOS (formerly 10lift) 

- The founders were able to launch their company as early as the start of June and find their first paying customers.

- Founders: Ege Gündüz and Arif Dogan

Joyon

- Joyon took part both in the WHU Accelerator Program and the Ignition Accelerator Program simultaneously. They were able to further develop their software solutions.

- Founder: Anand Raj and Jishnu Nair

Kaiako

- The founders of Kaiako were able to make connections with numerous experts and educators, which helped in the validation and further development of their business model.

- Founders: Julian Böhm and Moritz Mittendorf

Kursinsel

- During the WHU Accelerator, Kursinsel was able to start its first funding round—and secure the support of an angel investor linked to the WHU Community.

- Founders: Raphael Derstappen and Lukas Schürmann 

Power Mind Club

- Power Mind Club successfully underwent a substantial transformation during the program. The team was able to take their platform, which previously linked (romantic) couples with a therapist, and turn it into an app that advocates the integration of conscious and shared habits into a relationship.

- Founders: Kim Kasch, Chenchen Cao, and Alexander Franke

Listerly (formely SalesVerse and Vallenda)

- This company was also able to undergo successful transformation; here, to strengthen its unique selling point. Today, Listerly makes use of artificial intelligence to support the sales process in medium-sized companies.

- Founder: Elena Tsemirava 

WHU’s Entrepreneurship Center is delighted to be in a position to support these founders on their respective journeys. The WHU Accelerator is scheduled to take place again next year and will offer participating start-ups some exciting new formats.