The Braufässchen didn't quite make it to the top of the German Founders' Award 2015. The winner was Restube from Pfinztal (Baden-Württemberg). But Customized Drinks GmbH, aka Braufässchen, which took advantage of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's startup coaching program, achieved tremendous success by participating in the finals. OnPage.org, another Munich-based company, also made it to the finals. Federal Minister of Economics Sigmar Gabriel: "Munich is a hotbed for startups."
Back in February 2014, the founders decided to apply for startup coaching from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. They had no idea what would happen next: After the first personal meeting, it became clear that they needed professional coaching for public relations. After discussing the details, the founders got started. Together with the consultant, they developed a PR strategy and were initiated into the secrets of press relations. Looking back, the coaching for Braufässchen was a complete success.
Well advised, well connected
But that wasn't all: The founders were planning a crowdfunding campaign. Reason enough to connect them at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – including through our crowdfunding regulars' table. And the founders wanted to export. Founder Dominik Guber remembers the detailed advice on this all too well:
“We didn’t realize how much expert knowledge we would receive at each individual position; that’s a real benefit.”
On the last Young EntrepreneursAt the annual event for coaching participants, the Braufässchen team impressed not only the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but especially the other founders with a lively presentation based on their daily practice and diverse experiences. Wolfgang Westermeier's conclusion about the various contacts is clear: "I think long-term contact is crucial, so that the experts gain a good insight into the company's development." The personal commitment, the startup idea, and the strong team led directly to the nomination by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Expert Team for the German Founders' Award.
The German Founders' Prize is…
...the most prestigious award for outstanding entrepreneurs in Germany. The initiative aims to foster a positive entrepreneurial climate in Germany and encourage self-employment. The prize is awarded annually in the categories of students, startups, rising stars, and lifetime achievement. The German Founders' Award has been presented since 1997 by partners including stern magazine, savings banks, ZDF, and Porsche. The German Founders' Award is supported by a distinguished board of trustees, sponsors, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
About Customized Drinks GmbH:
Homebrewing beer – a dream come true for many hobby brewers, not only in Bavaria. Today, anyone can brew their own beer on the website www.braufaesschen.com Create your own beer in three intuitive steps. With 100,000 possibilities, almost every taste is catered for. And this is how it came about:
Customized Drinks GmbH was founded in May 2012 by three students from the Technical University of Munich. The three founders met at the TU Munich's incubator, the UnternehmerTUM, where they received scholarship support: "During our studies at the TU Munich, and especially during our time together at the UnternehmerTUM, we found ourselves as a team and developed the idea and business model. That was a very crucial time." When they repeatedly noticed the comparatively limited variety when choosing beer, the idea for the company was born: "Increase beer diversity in Germany and enable individual beer enjoyment." It quickly became clear that this path would lead through home brewing. However, all existing home brewing solutions were very complicated and time-consuming. "We wanted everyone to be able to brew their own beer with ease and with a guarantee of success." To achieve this, the founders tinkered for a long time and developed the Braufässchen through countless experiments. The innovative idea, the in-depth coaching and support provided by the UnternehmerTUM, as well as the customer-centric product development, enabled the company to achieve consistently positive development right from the start.
