Many founding teams sooner or later face the same question: How can we finance our idea sustainably? And which funding or financing options are actually the right fit for our venture? As if this were not challenging enough, these topics come with additional considerations and specific challenges for impact-driven companies and ventures.
As part of Startup Week Düsseldorf 2026, venturelab17 and GRÜNDUNGSZEIT Impact at Hochschule Düsseldorf are jointly hosting a workshop focusing on innovation and growth financing as well as innovation management.
What is the workshop about?
The workshop provides a practical introduction to key financing and support opportunities for startups. Topics include:
Financing opportunities – including different types of financing, fundraising strategies, and public and private funding
Innovation management and strategic development of startup ideas
Practical experiences and key learnings from founders
Individual questions from participating startups and founding teams
What can participants expect?
To kick things off, founders Vanessa Westphal and Tim Paulke from the startups Choosy and NUNOS will share brief insights into their own experiences. In their Founder Stories, they will discuss, among other things, the role that public funding, fundraising, and innovation management have played throughout their entrepreneurial journeys.
And since for most investors and other financing partners, it is not just about the question of “ROI”, Lina Gorzinski from Public Value Hub will then introduce the new “Inluma” tool for impact management and measurement.
Following this, the teams from venturelab17 and GRÜNDUNGSZEIT@HSD will provide concise expert input on fundraising, the potential of public funding, and innovation management. The workshop will then open up for exchange, discussion, and individual questions, allowing the specific needs of the participating teams to be addressed.
Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Short introduction by venturelab17 and GRÜNDUNGSZEIT
Founder Stories & Best Practices
Insights from Vanessa Westphal and Tim Paulke, sharing experiences from the startups Choosy and NUNOS
Tool Demo: “Inluma” Impact Measurement Tool
Presented by Public Value Hub
Practical Input: Financing, Funding & Innovation Management
Overview of financing opportunities, innovation management, and relevant support options
Discussion & Q&A
Open exchange on individual questions, challenges, and next steps
Who is the workshop for?
The workshop is aimed at founders, startup teams, and aspiring entrepreneurs with sustainable, impact-oriented, or innovative business ideas who want to further develop their ventures and identify suitable next steps in the area of financing.
When & Where?
Date: Monday, September 7, 2026
Time: 4:00–6:00 PM
Location: Hochschule Düsseldorf, Building 7, Ground Floor
Address: Münsterstraße 156, 40476 Düsseldorf, Germany
Registration
Participation is possible with prior registration. Interested participants can register by September 07, 2026 via email at p.brock@venturelab17.de or annika.kruessmann@hs-duesseldorf.de.
The projects “venturelab17” and “GRÜNDUNGSZEIT Impact” are funded as part of the programme “Nachhaltig wirken – Förderung Gemeinwohlorientierter Unternehmen” by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus).