{"id":5557,"date":"2025-12-03T10:27:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T09:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/?p=5557"},"modified":"2025-12-03T10:27:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T09:27:23","slug":"germany-needs-founders-who-want-to-win-not-just-startby-christian-ludtke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/germany-needs-founders-who-want-to-win-not-just-startby-christian-ludtke\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany Needs Founders Who Want to Win \u2013 Not Just Start<br>By Christian L\u00fcdtke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px-1536x806.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Luedtke_Christian_1200x630px.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany needs founders who think like top athletes: ambitious, passionate, and focused.<br>People who don&#8217;t just want to be the part of the game \u2013 but who want to win it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany has no shortage of brilliant minds. We see it every day: outstanding tech talent, deep science and countless start-ups with potential. What\u2019s missing far too often is something less visible \u2013 but far more decisive: the <strong>mindset<\/strong> to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At BRYCK, we believe the future of entrepreneurship in Germany \u2013 and across Europe \u2013 will be shaped not just by what founders build, but by how they think. And right now, we don\u2019t need more participation. We need more <strong>winners<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Startups Should Be Built Like High-Performance Sports Programs<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In elite sports, performance isn\u2019t left to chance. Success is engineered \u2013 through structure, coaching, discipline, and relentless focus. Athletes don\u2019t hope for progress. They train for it. They sacrifice for it. They push limits every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why do we treat entrepreneurship differently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Startup incubators can learn a lot from Olympic training centers. At BRYCK, we\u2019re building exactly that: a <strong>high-performance center for founders<\/strong> \u2013 not a feel-good start-up hub. We work with ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to scale, lead and compete internationally. And we give them what they need: capital access, corporate pilots, deeptech focus and a brutally honest sparring environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because no world-class business has ever been built on free coffee and coworking alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Germany Needs More Than Good Ideas \u2013 It Needs a Winning Culture<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve become too comfortable celebrating the act of founding \u2013 instead of the results that follow. But if Germany wants to become a true start-up nation, it\u2019s not enough to have structures in place. We need to establish a culture of ambition<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Taking big risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expecting meaningful returns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Working through adversity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thinking globally \u2013 from day one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And yes, expecting significant financial reward isn\u2019t greedy. It\u2019s essential. No one becomes world-class without the prospect of real upside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seven Levers to Unlock Germany\u2019s Entrepreneurial Potential<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To move from good to great, we don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel \u2013 but we must sharpen the edges. These seven priorities point the way forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Foster entrepreneurial spirit early<\/strong> \u2013 We need entrepreneurship as a core subject in schools and universities. BRYCK works closely with Ruhr region universities for that reason.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Modernize immigration for global talent<\/strong> \u2013 Many top start-ups were founded by international teams. Let\u2019s stop putting barriers in their way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cut bureaucracy, digitize administration<\/strong> \u2013 Speed and simplicity are the baseline for any functioning startup ecosystem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grow a performance-oriented VC landscape with public co-investments<\/strong> \u2013 Ambitious growth needs fuel. Let\u2019s fund it properly and boldly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Position the state as an active innovation partner<\/strong> \u2013 Not just regulator, but enabler. Public procurement and deep partnerships with private sector players are essential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shine a light on entrepreneurial role models<\/strong> \u2013 Germany needs to celebrate builders, not just managers. We need more founders on the front pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Create excellence with a system<\/strong> \u2013 We need founder training centers modeled after elite sports institutions. BRYCK is one of them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why the Ruhr? Because Hunger Lives Here<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At BRYCK, we\u2019re proud to be based in the \u201cRuhrgebiet\u201d \u2013&nbsp; in the heart of Germany\u2019s former coal and steel region. It\u2019s a place built on hard work and reinvention. And now, it\u2019s becoming one of Europe\u2019s most promising deeptech innovation zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With 22 universities, 250,000+ students, industrial champions and backing from Germany\u2019s largest private foundation (RAG-Stiftung), we\u2019re turning this region into a <strong>testing ground for Start-up Germany<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our new home \u2013 the Colosseum, evolving from a historic Krupp hall into a modern theater and now an innovation hub \u2013 symbolizes this mindset shift. From steel to startup, from heritage to high performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Final Thought: We Don\u2019t Need More Start-ups \u2013 We Need Stronger Ones<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear: start-ups aren\u2019t an end in themselves. They\u2019re vehicles for solving real problems, creating real value, and transforming economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that only happens if we stop rewarding presence \u2013 and start rewarding performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So yes: Germany needs founders who think like top athletes. People who don\u2019t just show up \u2013 but show up to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the author<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Christian L\u00fcdtke<\/em><\/strong>, entrepreneur and investor, is\u00a0<strong>CEO &amp; Co-Founder of start-up coordinator BRYCK<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germany has no shortage of brilliant minds. We see it every day: outstanding tech talent, deep science and countless start-ups with potential. What\u2019s missing far too often is something less visible \u2013 but far more decisive: the mindset to win.<br \/>\nAt BRYCK, we believe the future of entrepreneurship in Germany \u2013 and across Europe \u2013 will be shaped not just by what founders build, but by how they think. And right now, we don\u2019t need more participation. We need more winners. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/?p=5557\">[\u2026]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":""},"categories":[369],"tags":[370,394],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5557"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5557"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5562,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5557\/revisions\/5562"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}