Bertelsmann Foundation Starts Campaign for 'Reasons Unbounded'

The Bertelsmann Foundation has unveiled the "Founding Without Borders" initiative, inviting founders from all walks of life to share their stories and contribute to shaping a more inclusive and fair startup ecosystem in Germany.

The initiative, led by documentary filmmaker Asya Kozina, aims to provide a platform for founders to become visible role models, inspiring others with their journeys. The project is a response to research conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation over the past four years, which revealed that many talented individuals face challenges in founding businesses due to a lack of capital, networks, visibility, or access to relevant information within the German startup ecosystem.

Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economics in North Rhine-Westphalia, has emphasized the need for a clear strategy, bold investments, visible role models, and a founding culture where everyone has a fair chance. She believes that by addressing these issues, we can create a more inclusive environment that encourages and supports founders from diverse backgrounds.

The related project "Founding Potentials" provides additional background information, highlighting the need for easier visa regulations, multilingualism in banks and administration, and targeted visibility of successful migrant founders. Strengthening foundings with a migration background is a key focus of the initiative.

In addition to this, the initiative aims to empower young people to found by communicating and expanding support offers such as the Young Founders Network or startup basic securities. The importance of encouraging and supporting female founders is also recognized, with programs like EXIST Women, targeted business angel funding, and mentoring circles being implemented to help achieve this goal.

The experts at the Bertelsmann Foundation have identified five strategic goals to create a more inclusive founding ecosystem:

Enable Social Mobility through Founding: Promoting growth-oriented foundings also for founders from non-academic or lower-income families is crucial for fairer participation.
Leverage Synergies through Impact Foundings: Impact companies, with high representation of women and migrants, combine impact with entrepreneurship and are a strong role model for a more inclusive founding understanding.
Strengthen Foundings with a Migration Background: Easier visa regulations, multilingualism in banks and administration, and targeted visibility of successful migrant founders are required.
Empower Young People to Found: Support offers like the Young Founders Network or startup basic securities should be communicated and systematically expanded.
Winning More Women for Founding: Programs like EXIST Women, targeted business angel funding, and mentoring circles can help to encourage and support female founders.

Contributions from organizations, such as cooperations, expertise, or offers, are welcome and can be made by getting in touch with the initiative. A press release is available for download for those interested in learning more about the "Founding Without Borders" initiative.