The platform Zupario (https://www.zupario.de) brings together founders and employees at the operational level to jointly solve problems and drive cultural transformation and digitization in companies. The idea for this was developed by the RH Digital Company Ltd. (the "digital spin-off" of our member company RheinLand Insurances) developed in Neuss as part of a creative process using modern methods, in particular interviews with the business community, universities, public institutions and startups, and implemented at the beginning of this year. In the startup phase, founders and established companies can register free of charge with their employees and solve the challenges of the startups together. Added values for both sides are joint learning and sustainable networking through joint problem solving.
Zupario is a platform that brings together ("matches") founders and employees of established companies on a professional level. The exciting thing: It's not about creating glossy presentations, sharing buzzwords or bagging the next investment. It's primarily about learning from each other together. Company professionals are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of startups for a short or longer moment, where they can provide support within the scope of their expertise. "Does my business management set-up contain all the important content?" "Which programming language do I use to build my website?" "How do I get employees:inside excited about my startup?" "How do I build a marketing plan?" (...)
Target groups
The target group of Zupario are on the one hand startups in the seed or pre-seed phase with modern, innovative business models and products. It also targets people who are either about to start up or are in the process of starting up, but rarely already have an investment. It is precisely this target group that suffers from technical challenges, i.e. issues that complicate or even prevent a startup or further development.
Zupario's second target group is established companies and their employees who have identified digitization and cultural transformation as an important goal in order to remain marketable. Through Zupario, employees can use their professional expertise to help startups with specific problems. In doing so, the employees learn about the methods, technologies and approaches of the startups and can transfer these to their own company. In addition, they receive direct appreciation, which often comes up short in the complex project business under the pressure of hierarchies. Often, such innovative networks are reserved for executives only.
The platform
The platform was developed within a year. In the meantime, founders before and after founding, executives and employees of established companies as well as experts such as hubs, universities and associations were surveyed. Employees often said that working with startups was invigorating, motivating and inspiring, and that they hoped to work more with young companies in the future. Executives were in favor of their employees supporting startups if it would bring added value to their own organizations. These insights were not the only ones that led to the decision to launch Zupario as an MVP in January 2022 as a digital platform. The registration on www.zupario.de is available free of charge in the beta version for startups and established companies. The Zupario team is happy to receive feedback.
Zupario brings together many stakeholders from private companies, hubs, accelerators and public organizations, such as the Mittlerer Niederrhein Chamber of Industry and Commerce. All partners unite under the vision that the startup rate in Germany should increase many times over. Here, role models such as Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv are mentioned.
The RH Digital Company
Zupario was developed and launched by a team from RH Digital Company GmbH. This team has set itself the task of developing digital business models that create immediate added value for founders. In these ideation processes, Zupario was developed using agile and creative methods. The RH Digital Company GmbH consists of 8 employees, who come from various industries and disciplines.
RH Digital Company and InsurLab Germany
RH Digital Company is a "digital spin-off" of our member company RheinLand Versicherungen.
"Insurlab Germany is an incredibly exciting partner and multiplier for us. With a lot of experience with start-ups, established companies and their cooperation, the Digital Hub in Cologne has been a valuable sparring partner for us in the development of the idea. In the future, we hope to give accelerators, incubators and hubs a new opportunity to support the transformation of the rest of the workforce more quickly and efficiently, alongside the managers and CEOs of established companies. Zupario is an extension of the hubs' activities, allowing operational problems and challenges of daily business to be solved, managed and new networks mobilized. InsurLab Germany, as a hub for the insurance world, supports Zupario with open and constructive feedback as part of MVP development, and supports access to startups and established companies that place particular emphasis on accelerating internal transformation. Thank you InsurLab! You are Zupario!"
Christian Peitz (Product Owner) Zupario