A building is planned for Bielefelder Straße that will more closely link startup activities, the creative industries, and collaboration. The city of Detmold and the district of Lippe are jointly advancing plans for the startup center, building on a development that was initiated early on by Kreativ Campus Detmold e.V. after the organization had identified the need for such a space.
For the Campus Foundery OWL, the startup center at the (TH) OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, this development represents an important step for Detmold as a startup hub. The planned building offers the opportunity to link the existing startup support in the area even more closely in the future with a permanent space for exchange, collaboration, and community.
“A vibrant startup scene is created by people, exchange, and shared experiences. The opportunity to have our own building opens up new possibilities for this! Founders can meet there regularly, learn from one another, and easily make new connections,” says Tosca Albrecht, director of the Campus Foundery OWL.
Concrete startups, entrepreneurial ventures, and various forms of self-employment have already emerged around the creative faculties at TH OWL, the University of Music, and the regional creative scene. A shared workspace and meeting place is intended to bring these activities closer together on the campuses in the future and facilitate exchange among the various stakeholders on the campuses.
Initial ideas for the campus are taking shape
In the next step, the requirements regarding usage, workspaces, and shared areas will be further defined. Campus Foundery OWL is contributing its experience in startup support and working with the startup community to the process, thereby complementing the existing considerations regarding the campus’s spatial and programmatic design.
At the same time, Detmold already offers programs and formats that connect founders with one another and provide impetus for self-employment and entrepreneurial development. These include, among others, the “stART” event series organized by the Lippe Startup Network, which combines startup initiatives with discussions on self-employment and entrepreneurial topics. The experiences and feedback from these initiatives can also be incorporated into the campus’s further development.
Since April, Henrik Remmert has also been strengthening activities at the Detmold campus as the point of contact for the startup community in the creative and cultural sectors and is supporting the continued growth of the community.
Looking ahead, the startup center could be complemented by a Creativity-to-Business Center, which would create additional connections between creative professionals, founders, and established companies, thereby opening up further opportunities for the campus’s development.
These next steps are intended to strengthen the startup community in Detmold over the long term, foster closer networking among existing stakeholders, and further expand the campus as a hub for startups and entrepreneurial development.
Contact
Henrik Remmert
Community Manager, Creative and Cultural Industries
Campus Foundery OWL
(TH) OWL
University of Applied Sciences and Arts 32756 Detmold
henrik.remmert@th-owl.de
