Story of the month
A fun story from everyday office life
Today I would like to write about the mysterious attraction of Herforder Straße 237 in Bielefeld. We call it the P-phenomenon. Sounds mysterious and rightly so… so what’s it all about?
Let’s start from the beginning…
Since word has spread in the startup scene that we actively support young startups in the pre-seed phase, we often have larger workshops in our office in Bielefeld. The startups travel all the way from Munich, Berlin, Karlsruhe and sometimes even from nearby neighboring countries to the vibrant heart of East Westphalia. We then spend a whole day fine-tuning the idea, looking at the development roadmap, the market orientation and the GTM strategy. The meetings are very inspiring and often a win-win situation for both parties. So far so good.
Now comes the P-phenomenon!
Now the P-phenomenon has made its appearance. Just a few days later, we receive emails thanking us profusely for the workshop and for the culinary care, and at the same time suggesting a follow-up in Bielefeld. Our answer that the follow-up could also be organized remotely is simply ignored. A few weeks later, the startups are back in our office. But why? Why do the startups take the long way again? Is it the creative chaos we leave behind in some spaces? Is it the missing artwork that Jürgen has been trying to get for a year for the white walls in the office? Or is it the lounge music blaring from Patrick’s office?
A clue to the solution is provided by the commotion that arises in meetings around 11 a.m. – furtive glances at the clock and repeated emphasis that breakfast has been a really long time now. Some even go so far as to provocatively place a menu card on the table. Curiously, it is always the same one: MUNDFEIN!
Mundfein is the delivery service where we regularly order pizzas, which we share family-style during a workshop break. The narrative of young founders who live only on pizza while holding workshops in garages doesn’t pass us by – for us, it’s just in the office rather than a garage.
And that’s just the way it is: Pizza Prachtvoll, Pizza Veggetaria and Pizza Salami are the reasons why startups keep visiting us. We seem to be turning into a second MUNDFEIN location, one that includes startup support. Is “Pizza-ton x Mundfein” perhaps a new business model? Maybe we will start a pizza challenge soon?
In the end, the hope remains that our services will also lead startups to us… and not just an empty belly. In this sense: Bon Appetit!
