EXPERTS FROM THE DEUTSCHE BANK ADVISE SOCIAL STARTUPS

 

Knowledge Transfer

As part of the Ready for Finance program, specialists from the Deutsche Bank bring their expertise and experience to bear and guide social startups in resolving socially innovative and entrepreneurial challenges. This way, the experts enable social startups to drive forward the development and establishment of their business model and, at the same time, give them insights into the latest developments in social innovation.

Part of a greater whole

The Ready for Finance program is an integral part of a holistic program of grants, developed by Social Impact, that has been directed towards prospective social startups since 2011. As part of the program of grants, social startups get the opportunity to develop their socially innovative business idea and make it marketable. During the eight month grant process, the social startups go through an extensive qualification program and can use the infrastructure made available by Social Impact. This also includes free co-working jobs in the Social Impact Labs in Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Potsdam and Duisburg. The grant program is implemented in cooperation with local partners in the Munich, Cologne, Vienna and Zurich locations.


EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION BETWEEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND SPECIALISTS FROM THE DEUTSCHE BANK

  • Nadine Abu-Ghoush for "Über den Tellerrand kochen"

    Über den Tellerrand kochen (cooking outside the box) promotes the integration of refugees into German society. By using cooking as their approach, awareness is generated for the life of refugees.  The asylum seekers share not just their (cookery) knowledge and their culture by giving cookery courses, they also get the opportunity to socialize and improve their language. The course participants, on the other hand, get the opportunity to immerse themselves in the lives and culture of the refugees and actively get to know them in an agreeable and creative environment. Beyond that, the "Über den Tellerrand kochen" cookery book has been put together in cooperation with the refugees, which – in addition to recipes from all over the world – tells us stories of the recipe writers themselves. 


    Jennifer Henke and Janet Peukert for Kiron

    The Kiron University (formerly Wings University) is an international university for refugees. We enable access to university education for refugees and the opportunity to obtain an internationally accredited degree. Anytime, anywhere and free of charge. No tuition fees are charged, college places are awarded on the basis of achievement and documents are only handed out at the end of the course of study. The degrees offered are granted and accredited in cooperation with state-run universities. Kiron takes the special circumstances that the refugees are confronted with into account, by making additional offers available, such as courses that prepare people for academic study, language courses, psychosocial consulting and coaching as well as hardware, Internet access and places to meet – such as our campus in Berlin – where we establish a caring, welcoming structure.


    Steffen Bink for be able

    be able is a very special brand. It markets products that are designed by people with disabilities and which are produced by them in workshops run by social institutions. The individual design processes are guided by young Berlin-based designers and led to production with their support. By selling the products "be able" can enable people who would otherwise be excluded from society to pursue self-determined, creative work.


    Daniel Lenk für The Good Food

    The Good Food is a young startup from Cologne. Since the end of 2014, it has been working on a supermarket, where food that has been rescued from the garbage is sold at a lower price – and it is called THE GOOD FOOD. This way something is done against the enormous waste of food and greater awareness and information is raised about all aspects of this issue. At THE GOOD FOOD, alongside crooked fruit and vegetables, baked goods and food are offered that are close before or after their "sell by" date.


 

Ready for Finance is a intiative of Social Impact and Deutschen Bank. Implemented by iq consult.