The Power of Teams

Embarking on the entrepreneurial journey and starting a business is a rollercoaster event. With lots of dust in the air and many conflicting priorities it is easy to lose sight of what matters or who is responsible for what. There are many post mortems of start-up failure with lack of market need usually cited as the No 1 reason. However, the assembly of the wrong team or ambiguity in roles & responsibilites also plays a huge role. Many science-based ventures come out of a more or less egalitarian set-up. All the more important to start early with reflecting on one‘s own strengths and weaknesses as well develop an appreciation of what other qualities and abilities are needed for the bumpy ride ahead. After all, investors do not invest in technologies or ideas, they invest in the combination of attractive technologies with big market potential and teams who prove resilient and adaptable to everchanging circumstances.

PhDs and Postdocs across the Helmholtz Association. This workshop may also be of interest for Helmholtz transfer and talent management offices (e.g. TTOs, Career Development Center and Graduate Schools), or Spin-off teams who are already pursuing a spin-off idea.

Upon the completion of this module participants will have a better understanding of their strengths & weaknesses and will have an appreciation of the importance of different skills and abilities crucial for start-up success. If they are already in the process of building a start-up they will have gained a better understanding of analyzing their team‘s composition and skill sets more holistically and, perhaps most importantly, have a better personal realization about whether they are the best person to lead the company.