Our Entrepreneurs in Residence introduce themselves! Today: Shivam

January 19, 2022

Funded by the Pre-Start BW program of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg, six students are currently working on their startup ideas at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research.
[Picture: pixabay.com]

Hello, my name is Shivam!

I am currently doing my Master's degree at the Institute of Combustion and Power Engineering in the field of waste treatment and wastewater purification at the University of Stuttgart. Since my childhood, however, I have been passionate about starting a business and then expanding it worldwide. I started together with a friend. We wanted to develop a yoga app because we thought we could be successful and make money with it; that was also our guiding principle. However, the market quickly showed that this was not the case. That's very disappointing, of course, because the vision was shattered right at the beginning. But I chalked it up to a learning experience: It shouldn't just be about making as much money as possible - you also have to consider the potential customer. In the beginning, I was too naive for this and didn't consider this point of view. 

Early beginnings

In the past, I was also very interested in entering the automotive industry. However, there are also upheavals here and the potential of cars based on the combustion engine has changed. For me, it therefore makes no sense to continue working here. Because as I learned with our yoga app, a potentially international business has to meet political and social needs. That's why, in the midst of climate change and related environmental crises, I've developed an interest in bioenergy. However, this field also demands a lot of investment from me and a deep understanding of the subject matter as well as people's relationships to this form of energy.

Because I have only been in Germany for a year, I would like to work on an idea that requires less investment; it should serve as a stepping stone and a learning experience for me. Therefore, I would like to put a startup in the field of bioenergy on the back burner for the time being. A smaller startup at first, allows me to deal with the authorities, the laws and customers. My current idea is to get around one of the central problems associated with the business of "cleaning": the time that customers have to invest in dropping off their belongings and picking them up. The goal of the startup is to make going to the dry cleaners obsolete in order to simultaneously reduce GHG emissions caused by trips to or from the dry cleaners, etc. 

My goal as Entrepreneur in Residence.

I have now been working as an Entrepreneur in Residence at ENI since November 2021. After joining, I have been informed about funding opportunities, such as the EXIST-Gründerstipendium or their research transfer. With the help of the coaches, I was able to push my business idea further and already analyze my potential customer group. Currently, I am doing another market study to develop a solid business plan. Philipp Häßler has been a great help in this and I hope to have one by the end of my residency - even if that is perhaps a somewhat lofty goal. 

Contact

This image shows Andreas Wahl

Andreas Wahl

Dr. rer. pol.

Head of Teaching

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