Funkenwerk Community Meetup Brings Together the THA Innovation Community
Augsburg University of Applied Sciences
How do ideas turn into concrete projects, startup initiatives, or even future companies? The Funkenwerk Community Meetup 2026 at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences provided answers to these questions. Over 100 guests from the university, the business world, the startup scene, and the alumni network came together to exchange ideas, make new connections, and learn about innovative concepts.
The Community Meetup is the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation—Funkenwerk’s—flagship networking event during the summer semester. It brings together people who want to actively shape the future—whether they’re already starting a business, exploring initial ideas, or simply passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship.
From the Idea to a Potential Start-up
A highlight of the evening was the elevator pitches by students from the interdisciplinary innovation seminar, led by Prof. Dr. Christoph Buck and Christoph Hofbeck. Over the course of the semester, the teams developed their own solutions to social, technological, and economic challenges.
The diversity of the projects presented impressively demonstrated how varied innovation can be:
- SkillBite aims to easily connect students and companies through clearly defined project assignments.
- MüllHai aims to make environmental protection more appealing through playful incentives.
- Core4 Engineering is developing an AI-powered daily planner for students and freelancers.
- Light Autonomie is working on a cost-effective retrofit system for autonomous assistance functions in agriculture.
- DriveCheck helps young used-car buyers evaluate potential vehicles.
- CareLink improves the flow of information in hospitals.
- Lupinael is reimagining the handball in terms of materials, grip, and user experience.
- Zada aims to foster spontaneous social encounters through an innovative challenge concept.
- Messe Companion helps visitors to large events find their way around and plan their visits.
The ideas presented were at very different stages of development—ranging from initial concepts to fully fleshed-out business models. Together, they demonstrated the enormous innovative potential of the students at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.
LEW and Funkenwerk Launch Strategic Partnership
The keynote address by Lechwerke AG (LEW) provided further inspiration. Participants gained exciting insights into current developments in the fields of energy, transformation, and innovation. It became clear just how important entrepreneurial thinking and new approaches to problem-solving are for addressing future challenges.
A special highlight of the evening was the official announcement of a new partnership between LEW and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation—Funkenwerk. Together with Prof. Dr. Christoph Buck, Dr. Johann Schwenk
, Head of Corporate Strategy, Digitalization, and Innovation at LEW, presented the future collaboration, which is intended to further strengthen the exchange between universities, the business community, and the innovation scene.
A first visible milestone of this partnership will be the Funkenwerk Award powered by LEW, which will be jointly announced for the first time this fall. The goal of the award is to highlight and specifically promote innovative ideas, entrepreneurial thinking, and outstanding projects from the university community.
Strong Interest in the Schwarzen Brett Spark Plant
The Funkenwerk bulletin board was also in particularly high demand. Even before the event, students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and community members had posted their requests, seeking co-founders, project partners, or supporters.
During the meetup, the community board quickly became a central gathering place. In addition to numerous requests, many offers from the community were also posted—ranging from technical expertise and design skills to support with marketing or sales.
All current requests and offers are now available online: production.tha.de/hochschule/organisation/einrichtungen/institut-fuer-gruendung-und-innovation-tha-funkenwerk/schwarzes-brett/
Innovation thrives on encounters
In addition to the program activities, the focus was primarily on personal interaction. With stable summer weather, the eCommunity took the opportunity to get to know one another, further develop ideas, and launch new projects.
The meetup once again highlighted the role Funkenwerk plays as a bridge between the university, the business community, and the startup scene. Initial conversations lead to connections, connections lead to projects—and projects often lead to the startups of tomorrow.
With numerous insights, exciting encounters, and many promising ideas, the evening came to a close, impressively demonstrating just how vibrant the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship has become at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.
Strong Partners Make for a Strong Community
The Funkenwerk Community Meetup thrives on the dedication of its many participants. Special thanks go to the Computer Science Student Council (VOID), which organized the barbecue with great dedication and thus played a key role in creating the event’s open and relaxed atmosphere.
Funkenwerk would also like to thank the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) for its support and sponsorship of the event.