"beginning." Students found digital startup for bereavement counselling

The innovative start-up was created in the Social Management degree programme beginning.a digital grief counsellor developed by students Luisa Otto, Janek Voss and Pia Mauermann. beginning. shows impressively how an innovative and socially relevant project can emerge from a student idea. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences supports students in realising their visions and developing sustainable solutions for real challenges.

The idea was born in the winter semester of 2023/24 during a three-semester theory-practice project seminar, but above all from personal experience. The founding members realised that there were hardly any digital services to support people in mourning.

With beginning. the students want to close a gap and offer those affected a digital platform to cope with grief together. The app enables users to communicate with other mourners via a chat function. In addition, various modules are available to help preserve memories, develop mourning rituals and cope with everyday life in mourning. There is a particular focus on the community, as grieving together can make the process easier.

The founders received support from HIKEthe university incubator at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. "HIKE was our anchor right from the start. The regular weekly meetings, the constructive feedback sessions, the support with prototype development and the access to experts have helped us enormously," reports the team from beginning.. The university's network provided valuable contacts and new opportunities to develop the idea further.

The team is currently working together with HIKE on the next big challenge: applying for comprehensive funding in order to beginning. ready for the market. Their aim is to create a platform that accompanies people in their grief and offers them a protected digital space.