CODE_n new innovation hub kicks off in startup style

CODE_n will be hosting Germany’s first ever Angel Labs startup/investor bootcamp in their new entrepreneur workspace at GFT HQ in Stuttgart. Set in the rather fitting CODE_n SPACES, CODE_n’s dedicated startup hub, the exclusive invite-only bootcamp welcomes companies and private investors interested in backing startup companies, acting as a tailored ‘matchmaking’ service.

This Friday (14th November), the Angel Labs event aims to promote seed funding initiatives and the collaboration it brings between startups and the investment community including private investors. With the Angel Labs event, startups and investors will connect through a series of workshops and talks around how to assess Angel investments, personal investment strategies and legal aspects of these. Startups will also have the chance to present their concept to potential investors.

This type of event will become a regular occurrence for CODE_n SPACES, with the hub now open for events. CODE_n Founder and CEO of GFT Group Ulrich Dietz said “The first question we posed was, ‘What, aside from a brilliant business concept, do young and established firms need to be innovative and successful and to be part of the transition into a digital society?’ The answer was patently obvious: a place for both parties to explore their creativity without limitation; to collaborate and network with universities, international businesses and investors. This fired the starting shot for our very own innovation ecosystem, CODE_n SPACES,”. The founder and CEO of the GFT Group already got the ball rolling for CODE_n in 2011. Every year since then, the international startup contest, which awards a prize of €30,000, has been hitting the headlines at CeBIT, the world’s biggest IT trade show. And all for the right reasons: The initiative has become a mecca for digital pioneers worldwide. Following in the footsteps of the online platform CODE_n CONNECT, which the GFT Group only recently launched, CODE_n SPACES now becomes the next extension to the initiative.

The CODE_n SPACES concept
“CODE_n SPACES are extraordinary places for innovative minds to meet up and work together on the digital themes of the future,” states Dietz. The aim is to create an integrated ecosystem for avant-garde thinkers using different concepts to further innovation – from “design thinking” to “co-working” and all the way through to “accelerator activities” –  creating a stimulating work environment. This will make the new GFT Corporate Center, which is already shaping up at Schelmenwasenstraße 34 in Stuttgart, decidedly different from conventional office complexes. “We’ve been working with wulf architekten and the internationally renowned designer Tobias Rehberger to come up with an architectural concept and usage scenario that is closely matched to our needs as a company and the demands of young, imaginative firms. It’s about spontaneity and improvisation, but, at the same time, it makes a good impression,” states Dietz. The open-plan office is sectioned off by spacious cubicles, which can be modified and positioned as desired. If people have visitors, they can use the sophisticated reception area or book the conference center.

The office areas for startups are just one advantage of working at CODE_n SPACES. There will also be discussion forums, lateral thinking events, and workshops – all designed to stimulate discussion on all kinds of future digital topics. CODE_n SPACES aims to provide the means to network startups with innovation teams at large companies and key players working in business, technology, design, and politics.

The main goal of CODE_n SPACES is to forge links between hand-picked startups and partners in trade and industry, as well as the places they turn to for resources, existing initiatives, and any other stakeholders in education and politics – with everything in a neutral place under one roof. The site in Stuttgart will be used by the GFT Group to focus clearly on the topic of Future Mobility.

The GFT Group is receiving support from EnBW, as CODE_n strategic partner. The energy company will be presenting with CODE_n at CeBIT under the banner for this year’s contest, which is “Into the Internet of Things” (entries closing 30th November 2014). There are also plans to collaborate closely on CODE_n SPACES. This is a fitting union between the two partners: EnBW has been involved in the concept of electric mobility for years. With over 600 charging stations in and around the city of Stuttgart, it has already set up the biggest vehicle charging network in Germany.

Uli Huener, Head of Innovation Management at EnBW: “Transforming existing business models is now a key task for the future for companies in almost all sectors of industry. To succeed, new partnerships are needed as well as platforms to facilitate exchange. These are two things offered by CODE_n, which is why I’m delighted that EnBW will be collaborating closely in the future with CODE_n – as the key partner in the energy sector.”

CODE_n SPACES look forward to a busy events schedule in 2015, acting as a meeting place for great ideas and a buzzing hub of innovation for “Future Mobility” concepts. In the coming months, CODE_n will be announcing how Stuttgart’s startups can get involved – watch this space!