These are the new start-up shared flats in Mönchengladbach

For the second time, the city of Mönchengladbach is awarding a rent-free shared apartment for start-ups. This year's three winners can not only live there, but also use the city's infrastructure at a discount and continue working on their idea with local companies and supporters.

If you want to be attractive for start-ups, you have to make an effort as a location. This is also demonstrated by the city of Mönchengladbach, which offers two shared apartments for start-ups for one year each, free of rent. During this time, the founders can enjoy all the benefits at the location, such as training free of charge at the sports club or networking with other companies. They also receive workplaces and exhibition space and can devote themselves to the further development of their idea in peace and quiet. This year, three startups have that chance: SwarmTech Industries, Parts with X and El Visar.

"We are very excited about the new additions to our local startup ecosystem," says Sebastian Leppert, chairman from the Nextmg association, which takes on the coaching and mentoring role for the startups. This year's winners were selected from ten startups.

SwarmTech is the idea of Yusuf Ismail, a student of bionics at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. He wants to use swarm intelligence in drone robots to monitor critical infrastructure from the air, for example to carry out maintenance work in time.

Kristina Mituzaite and Viktor Yotov want to establish an online peer-to-peer library through which unused items can be easily and quickly loaned to neighbors, fellow students, or colleagues.

The third idea that will move into the start-up flat-share is from Elvira Sakiri, who has already won the NRW-Gründerstipendium: she wants to develop a sustainable and intelligent handbag made of natural materials that has special functions such as an anti-theft device or a simple organisational function.