Original things from the university

The Gründomat in the cafeteria is reminiscent of one of those snack machines you find at railway stations. But instead of food, it is labelled "Original product ideas from the university". But what exactly is a "Gründomat"? And how do the product ideas get into the machine?

The "Gründomat" is very easy to use: insert money, select a product and useful and semi-useful things come tumbling out: a jute bag with the inscription "I'm going to be a teacher because of the holidays", the energy drink "Freigeist", which is supposed to clear your head after a night out, crazy water pistols in the shape of goldfish or practical mobile phone charging cables disguised as key rings. But what do these original product ideas have to do with the University of Oldenburg?

Third floor on the university's Lifelong Learning Campus. Prof Dr Alexander Nicolai, Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Oldenburg, and his research assistant Dirk Brunnberg provide the answers. The two economists designed and developed the "Gründomat". Last semester, they offered the seminar "Start-up management - an introduction for non-economists". The target group were students who - as the name of the module suggests - do not have a background in economics. "We wanted to give a solid introduction to the basics of business administration and start-up management - calculating a product, purchasing, marketing. You can go through all these elements wonderfully with the 'Gründomat'," explains Nicolai.

But how do goldfish water pistols, anti-stress balls and jute bags get into the vending machine? "We gave the students the task of finding a product that meets the students' needs," explains Brunnberg. There were no limits to their inspiration: What do students need? What products are available at other universities? What would you get from a vending machine when the shops in the city have already closed? What supplier platforms are there? Which products are offered there? In short: the product didn't have to be innovative. It simply had to sell. Mathematicians, business IT specialists and teacher training students pored over their product ideas.

And just like in business, these ideas were then presented - in a so-called pitch: unit cost calculation, price calculation, pricing - the classics of business administration - all the considerations and calculations ultimately flowed into the product development phase. "There were some really creative minds involved. And it was fun to see how some of them had suddenly tasted blood and were determined to sell their products as economically as possible," emphasises Brunnberg.

With start-up funding provided by the university, the students were able to purchase their products. Creative approaches were utilised. For example, they entered into co-operations with Oldenburg companies in order to purchase the products more cheaply. "The students were surprised at how high the profit margin is in sales, for example, and at which points in the product cycle you can earn money if you act skilfully and cleverly," reports Nicolai.

The bestsellers at the "Grüdomaten" were the jute bags and, of course, the mobile phone charging cables. But the goldfish water pistol also found its customers. So far, the "Gründomat" has not had any real slow sellers. "Each group has raised its start-up funding - which was also a basic requirement for the project. After all, we want to offer the seminar again next year," laughs Nicolai.

Put in the money - select the product - open the flap and you have a piece of student business start-up in your hand. But it's not quite that simple with the "Gründomat". "It's quite clear that you can't make big profits or even make a living with just one vending machine," says Brunnberg. But the "Gründomat" makes it clear that you can make money with a creative and clever product idea. And ultimately, it sensitises people to the topic of start-ups. "The participants now look at products in a completely different way. They think about how I can earn money with it, how I can offer such a product myself. That is already a success," adds Nicolai.

The concept of the "Gründomat" is also a success. Several universities have already enquired about the teaching module, want to offer the seminar and set up a "Gründomat". "Maybe we can create a network of 'Gründomats'. It would have a certain charm if, for example, a few slots were reserved in the vending machines for supra-regional distribution, for product ideas from other universities." With this in mind: goldfish water pistols and jute bags at all universities.