Interview with Karina Buschsieweke
A: Why did you choose to study IMES?
K: After my extremely interesting bachelor studies in economics and anthropology it was not that easy to find a study program that could keep up with that. Actually IME with it’s broad approach was the only program I was interested in – at least when taking into account that moving to Berlin was kind of set.
A: What were your expectations?
K: I had none specific, as I was always interested in learning about new concepts and ideas I hadn’t thought about before. So in that sense I am thankful that I’ve studied IME, as it really brought my interest for technology, innovation and it’s management to life. As I was always into entrepreneurship, of course it was cool to gain an understanding for the theoretical aspects as well.
A: How did IMES support you in your life paths?
K: Especially courses as Technology Management, Dodo’s Strategic Management where I really learned how different business models work, IP Rights and Technological Forecasting were really useful. Especially the latter one got me into a working student position in Innovation Management and Technology Watch at inpro, where I would later also start my first job after graduation.
A: What tips do you have for prospective and current IMES students?
K: Just be open for any input that you will get. For any topic. For example, I didn’t choose a course on standardization as obviously it doesn’t sound that exciting and other things interested me more. However, today I think standardization actually is exciting, if you take into account the economic impact and what effects it could have on your business.
A: You went to Budapest for your exchange. How come?
K: Studying in Münster before (which is really close to Enschede/Twente) it simply didn’t feel like the most beneficial experience in terms of studying abroad. I rather wanted to experience something really different. So I went to Budapest. The university was a great contrast since it was more organized as a school and had a high quality in teaching and course selection. The city itself at that time felt like Berlin back in the days. I was in a totally euphoric mood being surrounded by those many opportunities development and business wise. If the political situation would have been different, who knows if I had come back.
A: As your studies ended, how did you get to start your business?
K: I constantly thought about starting my own business. So I did what was the best opportunity I could take advantage of: I grew up in a family business, where we manufacture high quality furniture in Germany.Business was made in the traditional ways, mostly producing for brands in the retail segment. Me and my partner Johann then started a new chapter by setting up the online shop www.mb-zwo.de for design focused solid wood tables. This was quite a challenge in the still relatively young online furniture segment, especially in our price range. But it worked out! After finishing my degree, I’ve worked as a technology analyst parallel to bringing up my business.
A: Which challenges did you encounter at the beginning of this business?
K: You need to be an autodidact. You usually don’t know right away how to fix the problems that come your way, as you are doing almost everything for the first time so you need to be able to teach yourself something new. You also don’t have the money to let experts from outside fix it – at least if you bootstrap. No studies can prepare you for that. It’s problems as „how do I build an online shop?” or “How do you get customers to trust you brand so they feel good about paying 3.000€ via advance payment?”
A: How did you then get to your second start up, Lana Labs?
K: IMES really initiated my interest in technology. While working as a technology analyst after my studies this was even strengthened. But for me the employment was always rather an experiment, something where I would prove myself that being an entrepreneur is the right thing for me. Since my online shop already felt right, I decided to go into tech even further. Then apparently fate was with me and I met my current co-founders at a workshop of the HPI Design Thinking School in Potsdam. Since then I am exploring the exciting world of process analysis and optimization.
A: What tips do you have for prospective or current founders?
K: Don’t try to make your product perfect before showing it to others. Instead, create a prototype early on and show it to as many people as possible to get feedback. And also try to sell it. Right away! We were at CEBIT with a click-dummy prototype and it made us win a big pharmaceutical company as a customer.
A: Is there something else you would like the reader to know?
K: Lana Labs is an amazing employer and we are always looking for working students and employees in all kinds of fields! You can find more information on our website www.lanalabs.com. We are very open to individual applications!