The first heartbeat: Incubators as the delivery wards of new enterprises

Abstract

Unemployed people who set up their own enterprises do not only ensure their own upkeep through creating their own job but also make a contribution to social inclusion. Based on the observation that people who set up their own businesses not only make an important contribution to the fight against unemployment but also promote the structural change of the economy, the author examines what conditions a start-up entrepreneur must fulfil if his/her start-up enterprise is to be successful. In doing so he differentiates, defines and describes four different types of start-up personality according to varying individual levels of know-how and capability: 'start' types; 'stay short' types; 'stay long' types; 'stop' types. The process of starting up a business is described using metaphors from the field of pregnancy and birth. Through this, the author explains the role of accompanying institutional support for a start-up enterprise in the form of an 'incubator' that functions as a regular 'delivery ward' with an attached 'intensive care unit' but also as a 'toddler's group' where the newly fledged entrepreneurs can take their first steps. A prototype of an incubator is Enigma, a start-up centre in Hamburg, whose methods of working and programmes are subsequently described. (IAB)

Cite article

Wießner, F. (2008): Der erste Herzschlag: Inkubatoren als Geburtsstationen neuer Unternehmen. In: IAB-Forum No. 2, p. 70-75.