From the idea to your own start-up

You have a good idea and believe it could be turned into a business model? Then HIGHEST, the Innovation and Start-Up Center of the Technical University of Darmstadt, can support you professionally and free of charge. Here you will find experts who can develop a business model with you, advise you on the protection of your intellectual property, and find a suitable financing or funding programme for you. All you need is your idea and courage to start your own business!

Even if it sounds exhausting: Starting a business while you are still a student can be adventurous! If you've been working on an exciting project with fellow students, why not continue and create a working environment where you all benefit and learn from each other. With the support of the HIGHEST team and TU Darmstadt on your side, the wind blows in your favor. In addition to the start-up support, you will also have the know-how of your professors and the comprehensive infrastructure of TU (including 3D printers, laboratories, analysis facilities and much more) at your disposal, which you can use to drive your development and your business forward.

In addition, you will get important connections to other companies, network partners, innovators, and people interested in starting a business, who can support you. Various event formats, from networking events and matching events to start-up roundtables and the Start-up & Innovation Day, offer you the opportunity to exchange ideas with others and to further develop yourself and your company.

If that's a little too fast for you, you can take a slower approach and participate in many of HIGHEST's other offers. For example, there is the possibility to attend workshops or to support one of the start-ups in Labs as a student assistant.

The start-up job exchange, offer various opportunities from start-ups and companies that are arranged through HIGHEST. Sometimes the team is also looking for student assistants for marketing and communication. These are awesome student jobs where you build up a personal network that you can rely on when looking for a job after graduation.

Arya himself worked at a start-up while studying. The company, which was founded at his university in Iran at the time, offered online language courses. He gained a lot of valuable experience there: “It really helped me to develop my personality and become a better person. You have a lot of different things you can learn, like business plans, customer service, it’s much more than what you might learn somewhere else. I became more flexible and learned to cooperate more and listen to others. We worked together very closely, and I am still in contact with some of my former colleagues.”

Are you intercultural and international-minded? HIGHEST will connect you with Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and give you the opportunity to work in a start-up abroad!

By the way, the European tech university environment Unite! also offers exchange and networking and you can earn credits in entrepreneurship seminars or lectures at partner universities.

Quite a few opportunities to get started while still studying. If you prefer to concentrate on your studies primarily, but are generally interested in the topic of start-ups, HIGHEST will still support you. No matter from which field you come, start-up can theoretically be an option for all disciplines. Therefore, you have the opportunity to gain valuable entrepreneurial skills in the HIGHEST lecture series. Here you will earn additional credit points while learning about topics related to entrepreneurship. The content includes building blocks that you need on the way to a successful start-up or to entrepreneurship in business. Numerous experts and start-ups are integrated into the lecture and report on their experiences. This way, you will be prepared excellently after graduation if you decide to take this path.

Do you have a passion and a big idea that you're determined to pursue too? Self-employment and being responsible for your own company may not be for everyone, but many skills can be learned and with the right support you can overcome the fear of jumping into the deep end. Maybe you want to make it big with your idea. If you are really interested in founding your own start-up, you now know who to contact!