Since its inception in 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has thrown many companies, consumers, and individuals into a bit of a confused frenzy.

It’s understandable too - suddenly there was talk of huge fines being imposed, rules of non-EU companies also being effected, what was still allowed regarding data collection, and what no longer was - I can say from my own experience here in the SpinLab, that getting ready for the GDPR was no simple task.

What indicators do investors look for when they talk about sustainable investing? Are there any standard criteria taken into account? How do VCs make sure that their startups are serious about their impact? Is sustainable investment = impact investing? The fifth edition of SpinLab’s and HHL’s Investors Day was all about ESG, sustainability issues  and the future of the German investment market.

Together with top-notch speakers, participants could learn from their experiences in leading towards meaningful strategies, discuss concerns and get insights on best practices. Accompanied by 14 startup pitches and personal as well as hybrid networking sessions, the event was one of the first in-person experiences after a long time for many investors that joined the event.

How would you feel when you were the  customer of a startup, that seems to have some trouble going on – and not knowing what’s happening with your order? 

Have you ever bought something and received the message that the package has been sent, but has not been delivered in over a week?

The fact is: In Germany, health insurance is compulsory. In this article I will explain the different types of health insurances, their advantages and disadvantages and how you can find out which of the insurance models suits your life situation, profession and income best.

Press releases have been a highly debated topic for a while now. Some PR professionals swear they are the best tools to get coverage, others think they are overrated. Depending on the topic and the media outlets you are pitching to, it might make sense to write a press release though. Especially when pitching towards journalists that cover a variety of topics, having a press release with all relevant information, material and contact details is very helpful and spares them a lot of research time. Also, for highly official announcements such as strategic decisions or crisis communication, (wait for our next blog on that topic!) a press release is a good choice.

Despite a different trigger, the current period of unusual turbulences and its impact on the economic situation has many similarities to former large crises of the past few decades (e.g. burst of the dotcom bubble, global financial crisis, European sovereign crisis): in general a high degree of uncertainty, financial distress & large volatility in publicly traded markets followed by a global economic downturn of unknown severity and length.

Product market fit is one of those things that is very much its own unicorn inside of the startup world. A lot of people hear about it, a lot of people talk about it, but not very many people have achieved it.

Let me first start off by saying, welcome to 2020! OK, now that that is out of the way, let’s get back to making our empires as awesome as possible.

Excuse the somewhat crude title to this article (hey, come on it’s not that bad, we all know you’ve seen worse) but let me introduce you to what I have dubbed the HAS Principle. In other words, HAS = Helpful As Shit.

Working in one of Germany’s best accelerator programs, helping startups on a daily basis, we get a lot of insights, on how founders do or don’t do their sales job. Besides finding funding, defining their strategy and developing their product, actually selling their product is the key element for a startup’s success. And that can only be accomplished when sound sales strategies are properly integrated into a startup business plan

You might have heard the expressions “Survival of the fittest” and “A smooth sea never makes good sailors.”

These are the most fitting statements within the ever expanding world of startups. There are over 150 million startups all around the world with more than 50 million brand new startups launching every year.