MCEI: Teaching for Entrepreneurship

The Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MCEI) promotes entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Mannheim by inspiring, educating and supporting start-ups. We connect entrepreneurial students and startups, help them develop and scale their business models and promote a can-do mentality. Our community is based on mutual support and the commitment of experienced entrepreneurs as mentors and role models.

What we do

The Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MCEI) is the interdisciplinary center for entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Mannheim. With our three pillars Inspiration, Entrepreneurship Education and Startup Support, we help to create a culture of learning, knowledge sharing, innovation and enthusiasm for startup development. We provide excellent networking opportunities for entrepreneurial students and startups associated with MCEI and support them to challenge, test and develop their business models, with a focus on a can-do mentality and scaling. Our offerings are based on a “pay it forward” mentality of give and take: MCEI's success is based on highly motivated students who take on the challenges of new ventures and experienced entrepreneurs who act as mentors, speakers, role models and facilitators.

We at the MCEI...

help the startup ecosystem around the University of Mannheim/ in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region to develop an up-and-coming startup culture characterized by openness and mutual support (Startup Lounges & Founder Talks).

  • encourage start-ups in the early stages to pitch and obtain important feedback (start-up lounges).
  • Support the qualification of our students through targeted courses (teaching).
  • Give students the opportunity to experience the spirit of entrepreneurship in applied courses (Teaching, Inside the Venture Projects).
  • empower students to advance their own startups in accelerator-like course formats (teaching).
  • provide a strong platform for young entrepreneurs, potential founders, students and investors (Events & MCEI Network).
  • support start-ups with targeted support, advice and guidance (Inside the Venture Projects).
  • act as an accelerator and growth accelerator for new companies (Inside the Venture Projects).

Our vision

Creating a culture of serendipity and a thriving startup ecosystem in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and beyond.

Foundation, financing and development

The MCEI initiative was founded by Dr. Jan Zybura, Dr. Daniela Ernestus and Dr. Dennis Lips under the direction of Professor Dr. Michael Woywode and was launched in March 2013. The initiative was launched as part of the follow-up funding period 2012–2014 of the “Gründerverbund Entrepreneur Rhein-Neckar e.V.”, which was supported by the European Social Fund (ESF), the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Institute for SME Research and Business Start-ups (ifm) at the University of Mannheim. In addition to the ifm, the Heinrich Vetter Foundation also supported the MCEI in 2015/2016. Other projects that supported the MCEI initiative were the Junior Accelerator Baden-Württemberg and the Life Science Business Development Program Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar. Since September 2016, we have been supported by the project “Promotion of start-up culture at the University of Mannheim” (as part of the “Start-up culture in studies and teaching (GuStL)” initiative of the state of Baden-Württemberg) and the ifm. For facts and figures, please refer to our semi-annual status reports.

Position within the University of Mannheim

The ifm Mannheim and the Chair of SME Research and Entrepreneurship have a long history and profound experience in promoting entrepreneurial ventures among students. With the founding of the MCEI, we have expanded our activities into an interdisciplinary center for the promotion of entrepreneurial spirit and culture.

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