Second Werkstatt der Mutigen
2026-06-03 At the 2nd Werkstatt der Mutigen, the Leuphana Social Innovation Community brought together over 70 stakeholders from politics, business and civil society at Utopia. The aim was to establish Lüneburg as a beacon for social innovation. This time, the focus was on concrete solutions for financing public-interest enterprises and social innovations.
How can social innovations and social enterprises (SIGUs) be financed in the long term without relying on self-exploitation? This was the central question addressed at the second ‘Werkstatt der Mutigen’. Following the launch of the ‘Sustainable Business’ initiative last April, this year’s focus was on practical implementation. Using real-life case studies from Lüneburg, such as Spielerei, Heyho and WirGarten, participants discussed solutions to structural funding gaps and bureaucratic hurdles at group tables.
It became clear that Lüneburg has enormous potential as a location. The ecosystem is growing steadily, with over 300 community members and around 40 supported SIGUs now in Utopia.
For the Leuphana Innovation Community, this format offers immense added value, as it directly connects academia, practice and politics on an equal footing. It was clearly established that SIGUs must be understood as a permanent ‘third pillar’ alongside the conventional economy and traditional voluntary work, and must be specifically supported.
Specific ideas for solutions: social impact bonds and a hackathon for Lüneburg
One idea that was met with great openness by the political representatives and all participants is the future trialling of “Social Impact Bonds” in Lüneburg. Under this innovative model, private investors provide the initial funding, and the city only repays the funds once social success has been demonstrated. In this way, the impact of SIGUs can be fairly rewarded. Perhaps we’ll give it a go in Lüneburg soon? The idea of organising a hackathon on the topic also came up – we’ll let you know if we go ahead with it!
In addition, the ‘Omas gegen Rechts’ (Grannies Against the Right) spontaneously offered to financially support the event with proceeds from their knitted goods. Stay tuned for follow-up events!
