Leuphana Startup School: Founders' Talk I — „How I Got Started“

Wednesday, 22 April 2026 | 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm
Leuphana University of Lüneburg | C25.019 (Trafos)
Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg

REGISTRATION

Participation is free of charge.

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No slides, no theory — a real entrepreneur tells the story of how it all began. What was the trigger? What made the difference between ‘thinking about it’ and ‘just doing it’? An honest conversation about the very first phase.

What will you take away from this?

• Starting a business isn’t a myth or magic — it’s real people with real stories who do it
• A first glimpse of what the early stages really look like
• Motivation to take your own first step

Agenda

• Founder shares their personal journey (focus: the beginning)
• What tipped the scales?
• Biggest surprise in the first year
• Interactive Q&A — no lecture, just a real conversation
• Reflection: “What would be YOUR reason for starting?”

We are delighted to welcome Finn Ripp to our first Founders’ Talk! Finn is the co-founder of Coatly and proves that the best business ideas often arise from everyday frustrations.

From a lost jacket to an award-winning start-up

The story behind Coatly sounds almost too classic to be true: An evening at a club, a lost cloakroom ticket and the hassle of having to go home without a jacket. But instead of just getting annoyed, Finn and his co-founder asked themselves: “Why is this process still analogue in 2026?”

Today, Coatly is revolutionising cloakroom management with a smart PoS solution – digital, sustainable and without the need for an app. For this idea, they have already been awarded the ‘Leuphana Start-up Idea of the Year’ and went through the Gateway49 accelerator.

Finn will take us back to the very beginning of his journey – away from glittering awards, back to the first prototype. He speaks honestly about how to turn a ‘beer idea’ into a real business.

The Leuphana Startup School is part of the Leuphana Startup Lab project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of Lower Saxony.