Retrospective
Peer Learning Amongst Female Founders at this Year’s EXIST Women Retreat
The EXIST-Women support programme provides women with financial and practical support during the start-up process. At the retreat in September, aspiring female entrepreneurs from a wide range of Departments came together and were able to benefit from sharing their knowledge with one another.
For the second time, EXIST-Women grant recipients from a number of universities in Brandenburg were given the opportunity to take part in a weekend retreat. Under the theme ‘Community, Inspiration & Empowerment’, a total of 18 participants gathered at the 360° Teamgeist Resort on Lake Wolzig. The programme comprised a mix of career talks, peer pitches and outdoor exercise. The highlight for everyone present was the talk by successful tech entrepreneur Maria-Liisa Bruckert, who spoke about her experience of setting up a start-up in the AI sector.
FHP founder Désirée Kosel particularly emphasised the safe space provided by the group – comprising female students from the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam – provided: “For me, the EXIST Women 2026 retreat was an enriching exchange with other female founders and a valuable opportunity to present my own business idea to a small group of like-minded people and to grow through the questions posed by others.”
Project coordinator and start-up consultant Anke Lüers-Salzmann from the FHP looks ahead to expanding collaboration with the universities supported by EXIST Women: the retreat had once again demonstrated how important networking and mutual learning are amongst women founders. Joint initiatives with the other universities will create even more opportunities and synergies for all EXIST-Women participants in future.
The next application round for the EXIST-Women funding programme at the FHP begins in November.
About EXIST-Women:
This funding programme from the BMWE – Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy – supports women at universities and research institutions who are interested in starting a business during the initial phase of setting up their company. The grant has been awarded to current students and graduates of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam since 2023.