Bayreuth Students at the International Business Plan Competition in Texas

The IBPC is a business idea competition held annually by Professor Dr. Volker Altstädt (Chair of Polymer Materials) and Professor Dr. Stefan Seifert (Chair of Technology and Innovation Management) from the University of Bayreuth, in collaboration with the University of Illinois (UI, USA) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). For the first time this year, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) from Saudi Arabia also took part.

At IBPC, universities do not compete against one another. Instead, students work in internationally mixed teams, with each team including students from all participating universities. This structure provides valuable learning experiences, particularly in intercultural collaboration. The challenge was to strategically combine the strengths of each team member to develop a compelling business idea and a corresponding business plan.

At this year’s event in Austin (USA), students devised new business models in the field of innovative transport and mobility solutions. They were mentored and guided by Christoph Kretschmer (Chair of Technology and Innovation Management), who was also responsible for organising the event at the University of Bayreuth, and Simon Heisig (Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation).

In addition to their intensive teamwork, participants gained valuable insights into industry practice through several company visits. At Tesla, they toured an assembly line in the Gigafactory, while discussions at GM focused on developments in the automotive industry. A specialist talk by a developer from Avride, a provider of autonomous delivery robots used by companies such as Uber, gave students in-depth knowledge about the technological requirements for autonomous vehicles. On the streets of Austin, Avride robots, as well as Waymo’s self-driving cars, were frequently in operation. Students were therefore eager to visit Waymo’s parent company, Google, to exchange ideas with industry insiders on business model development.

A particular highlight of the programme was a day trip to Houston. At the local port, students experienced the operations of a large container terminal up close. The visit continued at the Houston Space Center, where they explored the history of space travel – from moon rocks and a walk-through Space Shuttle to the reusable Falcon 9 rocket, there was something exciting for everyone. The trip was rounded off with a panel discussion featuring employees from Boeing and NASA, who are working on new solutions for space exploration challenges.

Between excursions and work phases, the programme included regular feedback sessions with mentors from the participating universities. Students also refined their presentation skills in a workshop led by an experienced entrepreneur and investor, who provided valuable suggestions for improvement. Then, the big moment arrived: the final day concluded with the pitches, where teams presented their business ideas to a jury of venture capitalists and technology experts. The proposed business models covered a broad range of transport-related innovations.

The team Botler delivered a humorous pitch on a shopping assistant robot designed for malls in Saudi Arabia. Other teams focused on aspects of e-mobility: TagAlong developed a concept for long-haul electric lorries based on an interchangeable battery trailer, while ChargeBot introduced its idea for robotic-assisted charging of electric vehicles in public car parks.

Social aspects were also considered in the business ideas. The third-place team, traveel, presented a self-driving wheelchair designed for cruise passengers with mobility impairments, allowing them to explore port cities with ease. An integrated travel guide, featuring an intuitive interface, enabled personalised route planning. Meanwhile, the team Journey Genie tackled the challenge of coordinating travel plans for large family or friend groups: they introduced an app that facilitates planning, optimises costs, and streamlines bookings on a single platform.

The competition was won by Team OrGo, led by University of Bayreuth students Moritz Winklmair and Dominik Schrüfer. They developed a drone-based service for transporting organs between hospitals, significantly reducing transit times compared to conventional transport methods – potentially saving lives.

The event was organised on-site by a team from the University of Illinois. The comprehensive and insightful programme provided Bayreuth students with valuable perspectives on the many aspects of business model development and start-up creation. The University of Bayreuth’s students performed exceptionally well: in three of the eight teams, Bayreuth students were recognised as Most Valuable Entrepreneurs.

Special thanks go to the sponsors, without whom the event would not have been possible. A particular mention is due to the Ingeborg Gross Foundation, which provided generous financial support for the competition.

Next year, the IBPC will be hosted in Saudi Arabia. Students interested in representing the University of Bayreuth there in January 2026 are warmly invited to apply from June 2025 via Christoph Kretschmer at the Chair of Technology and Innovation Management. The programme will once again offer a hands-on and intercultural learning experience.