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Start-up Coach Mike Arnold

From Münster to Latin America and back again: Start-up Coach Mike coaches teachers in Chile
Mike Arnold is on the road a lot in and around Münsterland. As a Start-up Coach for TAFH Münster GmbH, he helps budding start-ups take the step into self-employment and provides them with important information from the development of a business model to the first pitch. At the beginning of the year, his know-how took him more than 11,800 kilometers away: In Chile, he coached 39 teachers from INACAP, one of the largest educational institutions in the country, together with his colleague Rolf Laakmann and Vice President Carsten Schröder. They learned how they can develop innovations and anchor entrepreneurship more strongly in their teaching. Now, the six best teams came to Münster for a return visit - and the joy of reunion was great.

From Münster to Latin America and back again: Start-up Coach Mike coaches teachers in Chile
Mike Arnold is on the road a lot in and around Münsterland. As a Start-up Coach for TAFH Münster GmbH, he helps budding start-ups take the step into self-employment and provides them with important information from the development of a business model to the first pitch. At the beginning of the year, his know-how took him more than 11,800 kilometers away: In Chile, he coached 39 teachers from INACAP, one of the largest educational institutions in the country, together with his colleague Rolf Laakmann and Vice President Carsten Schröder. They learned how they can develop innovations and anchor entrepreneurship more strongly in their teaching. Now, the six best teams came to Münster for a return visit - and the joy of reunion was great.

"I already got along fantastically with everyone in Santiago de Chile; the people are very warm and the community is really great. It was a lot of fun," says Mike. "And now here in Münster, we were able to return the favor for their hospitality." The coaching for INACAP was part of a six-month, largely digital training within the Higher Education Management Program at FH Münster. The participants dealt with the challenges of Chilean industry and learned to think entrepreneurially.

Rodrigo Andrés Fuentes Lillo (front M.) and Fernando Muñoz López (front R.) were among the teams supervised by Mike Arnold (front L.) who came to Münster. They developed software for a logistics company and were impressed by the science-to-business approach of our university. (Photo: Stefanie Gosejohann)
Rodrigo Andrés Fuentes Lillo (front M.) and Fernando Muñoz López (front R.) were among the teams supervised by Mike Arnold (front L.) who came to Münster. They developed software for a logistics company and were impressed by the science-to-business approach of our university. (Photo: Stefanie Gosejohann)

The focus was on practical relevance: "One of the three teams I supervised developed a solution for a logistics company on how to better manage import orders from the Chilean population. This is often difficult, explains the 29-year-old. "Time and again, products are ordered that are not allowed to be imported and are not collected at customs. A transparent process is lacking, which the team has developed." Other groups looked for new ways to save water in the cherry cultivation or developed an augmented reality app for a company whose sales engineers help with the design of control units on site. At the final week in Santiago de Chile, participants and the FH team met in person for the first time after months of only being able to exchange ideas online. A jury selected the six best teams on site - and they now came to Münster.

Now, the return visit took place at FH Münster. Among other things, the Chilean guests visited the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center. (Photo: Stefanie Gosejohann)
Now, the return visit took place at FH Münster. Among other things, the Chilean guests visited the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center. (Photo: Stefanie Gosejohann)

"We had a pretty full week here with a busy program. But it was also important for us to show what our university has to offer in the field of innovation management," says Mike. In addition to various workshops, the agenda included visits to the Saerbeck Bioenergy Park, the Maker Space and the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Centre. "We learned something very important: the science-to-business approach," explained Fernando Muñoz López, one of the participants supervised by Mike. "I was particularly impressed by the concept of collaboration - in South America, science and business tend to be rather closed systems, we really need to change that."

The teachers with their coaches in Chile in January (Photo: INACAP)
The teachers with their coaches in Chile in January (Photo: INACAP)
A necessary break: Mike Arnold (3rd from right) and his colleague Rolf Laakmann (2nd from right) at the foosball table. (Photo: private)
A necessary break: Mike Arnold (3rd from right) and his colleague Rolf Laakmann (2nd from right) at the foosball table. (Photo: private)

Mike wouldn't want to miss his time in Latin America. "The trip helped me a lot; I improved my Spanish language skills and got to know a different culture. And it was very exciting to observe how diversely the teams approached problems and developed different ideas."

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