Project Funding: StartUpsGEno – Development of a Teaching and Advisory Module for Startups to Evaluate the Cooperative Legal Form

How socially and sustainably oriented businesses position themselves strategically and which business models or legal forms are suitable is a complex question requiring a well-founded decision-making basis for founders.

In many cases, the cooperative (Genossenschaft) legal form could be a viable option. Yet, as recently highlighted by a study from the University of Hohenheim, it has been a largely neglected aspect of startup consulting in Baden-Württemberg.

This is where the "StartUpsGEno" project comes in, funded by the GENO-Foundation WissenSchafftPartner.

The project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a specialized education module that helps startups and university students assess whether the cooperative legal form is suitable for their business model. The goal is to provide effective guidance and decision-making support, testing modules in entrepreneurship education to help founders and aspiring entrepreneurs make informed choices about legal structures.

EnTechnon, under the project management of Christin Eckerle (ARRTI pillar Innovation), and CyberLab, the accelerator of CyberForum e.V., are working together to combine theory and practice and thus to test and evaluate the integration in a prototype manner.

By raising awareness about the benefits and challenges of the cooperative legal form, the project seeks to equip startups and founders with essential knowledge and practical guidelines. The advisory and teaching modules will serve as a key resource for making informed decisions.
 

The project runs from December 2024 to June 2025.

For inquiries concerning the project, please contact Christin Eckerle.