Workshop: From the idea to the business plan

From 5.3. until 8.3. classes 8 and 9 of the secondary school were allowed to participate in a great project. With the lecturers Robert Kieschnick, high school teacher of history, geography politics and economics in Hamburg/Germany and marketing director Torsten Görl, who developed this project on their own initiative and offer it at schools, the pupils created their own business ideas and compiled a business plan for them. The highlight of the project was the presentation of the group ideas in front of a jury of experts, which judged and awarded them. The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that for the first time economic theory and professional practice are combined with each other and that the multifaceted topic “business start-up” is already introduced to pupils aged 15 and over. In Germany there are a few similar projects merely in advanced courses in the Gymnasiale Oberstufe.

At the end of the workshop, the following fictitious “companies” were awarded:
1st Place: Company “TechMed”, which wants to develop a device and an app that would help older people take their medication on time and properly dosed.
2nd place: Company “UpBoost”, which wants to develop shoes that enhance their own bounce.
3rd place: Company “NKL”, which wants to open a drugstore chain in Qatar, which focuses on German products.

Many thanks to André Reichel and Dr. Alexander Langanka for the great initiative and execution at our school and to the jury: Deputy Diana Guthmann, Principal of German International School Doha; Julia Karnebogen, Art teacher and Marco Bindernagel, Managing Strategist from J. Portman Qatar.