ASAP is an offer by 
For participants
You can register for our competition at any time and you can also enter the current contest round at all times. If you join towards the end of the current round, you can independently catch up on the challenges that are already running.
You can join our program in three easy steps:
Step 1: Everyone who is on the team must register with the ASAP Academy.
Step 2: Create a project, name it after your startup idea, specify the number of people that make up your team. Add all team members to your project as members if you are working on it as a team.
Important: Only one person needs to create a project for the team.
Step 3: Complete the five challenges in our Academy and apply for our final at the end of the round.
The application template will be released approximately 6 weeks before the finals. As a participant:in the ASAP Academy you will automatically receive an email. One application template must be completed and uploaded per team. The application deadline is about 2 weeks before the final, the exact deadline will of course be communicated in the respective application phase.
Afterwards, each team will receive an acceptance or rejection for the final after our evaluation. Once you have qualified for the finals, it is important that you keep the dates free for the pitch workshop, your individual pitch training and the dress rehearsal. All teams that did not make it to the finals or did not apply may of course apply (again) for the next finals.
At the end of each round, you can apply for our finals using our application template. One application per team is sufficient. The application template is based on the content of the 5 challenges from our ASAP Academy. So it’s important to work through all the challenges in advance at your pace so you can complete the template. Finally, with the help of the completed application template, we can assess how far along you are with your idea, how original and how well validated it is, and whether you are ready to pitch in our finals.
In principle, anyone can participate in the program, regardless of their idea. However, only individuals or teams with with at least one student or graduate (max. 5 years after graduation) from Baden-Württemberg can apply for the final. Any idea, at any stage.
In principle, we also allow participation as an individual, as this can be useful in individual cases (e.g. when testing the potential of a self-developed app for foundation). Nevertheless, we recommend to look for further teammates and to work in a team in order to use synergies. In regard to a later Exist application teams of three people are ideal.
Of course. You are welcome to re-register for ASAP BW in the next round, with the same or a new idea. You can also apply for the final more than once if one round didn’t work out or if you weren’t ready before.
No, the participants are introduced to the topics of founding, entrepreneurship and validation of business models in a structured and systematic way. You only need an idea to start with.
No, the program is open to all ideas. After completing our program, we will gladly refer you to further funding programs that specialize in certain areas (for example Sandbox, Social Impact Lab Stuttgart, fintogether, KI Garage, etc.).
Yes! All challenges and templates are also available for download in English. We are working on offering the content as a step-by-step guide in English as well. However, the workshops and the finals will be held in German – you can still pitch in English though.
No, the competition and all documents are 100% free of charge and of course your idea is still yours!
All participants of the competition who have submitted their application for the final will receive a certificate documenting the contents of the challenges and the acquired competences including workload in the amount of 3 ECTS. With the certificate you can go to your exam administration or your dean of studies and get it credited. It is up to the individual colleges and universities to decide whether and how credits of up to 3 ECTS will be awarded. If your examination office or your professors have any questions, we will be happy to help you!
Our Experience shows that several consulting appointments are necessary for a successful Exist application, since many questions about the business model remain unanswered even with elaborated start-up concepts. With its tools and templates, ASAP BW covers many aspects of an Exist application and helps to assess the chances of success at an early stage. Subsequently a well-grounded application can be made.
The competition uses numerous tools and process models that have become established in recent years under the buzzword “Lean Startup”. This incorporates the experience gained from various collaborations. Among them the collobaration with Steve Blank and Bob Dorf in the creation of the “Handbuch für Startups”, the German edition of the well-known Startup Owner’s Manual,the Lean Launchpad approach based on it, the technical co-design of the Medtech Startup School, the inno-tools.com offering as well as numerous teaching events and innovation workshops.
The basic philosophy is the idea that startups need to validate numerous business model hypotheses on the way to the foundation of their startup.
ASAP (Academic Seed Accelerator Programme) was initiated in 2018 by Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal at Stuttgart Media University and funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economy, Labor and Tourism in its first testing year. The project was launched with the aim of supporting students from the idea to the validated business idea and is now funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Arts.
We are always open for feedback and design ideas. If you feel like getting involved in developing the concept for the next rounds, feel free to reach out to us!
We are always open for feedback and design ideas. If you feel like getting involved in developing the concept for the next rounds, feel free to reach out to us!
For Educators
Yes, there are numerous ways in which you, as a so-called Educator, can incorporate ASAP BW into your courses. Conceivable options include remote events, transfer projects or final theses. For this purpose, we also support you with a Train-The-Trainer, in which you learn how to convey the contents of the five challenges. Here the individual contents are dealt with again in detail.
