When experienced employees retire, valuable knowledge often disappears with them. This is exactly where Implora comes in – an AI-based knowledge management system that won first place in the Headventures innovation competition organized by the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center. The idea was developed by Business Development student Vincent Nelles and two teammates. In this interview, he talks about how his studies supported him in turning an initial idea into a viable business model – and why Business Development is the right program for anyone who doesn’t just want to learn about entrepreneurship, but actually experience it.

You won first place at Headventures with your AI-based knowledge management system Implora. Could you briefly explain what it is about?

In many companies, valuable knowledge gets lost because it was never documented. Often, it only exists in the minds of experienced employees. With many baby boomers approaching retirement, this knowledge is at risk of disappearing. Traditional knowledge transfer methods are usually incomplete and time-consuming.
This is where Implora comes in: our AI regularly conducts language-based interviews with employees. It is trained on different job profiles and industries, asks targeted questions, and follows up when needed. In this way, a structured knowledge archive is created, which is made accessible to employees through a large language model. As a result, knowledge is preserved and actively usable.

The first ideas for Implora emerged during the Business Development program. In what way did the skills and knowledge you gained there help you develop the project?

The program taught us a structured approach: from identifying a real problem, to validating the solution with potential users, to developing a complete business plan. Thanks to this, we know what steps are necessary to turn an idea into a viable startup. Particularly valuable, however, was the close exchange with experienced founders and the regular feedback we received during coaching sessions. That constantly sharpened our idea.

What advice would you give to school or university students who are also interested in starting a business?

First of all: we are still at the beginning and have not officially founded our company yet. Right now, we are working on further developing our prototype, validating the solution, and we have, among other things, launched our website (implora.de) to reach as many companies as possible.
Our most important advice: build a team with diverse strengths. A startup requires many skills – technical expertise as well as business understanding in different areas – and hardly anyone can cover all of that alone. Programs like Business Development or startup initiatives such as REACH offer valuable networks and opportunities to connect with other founders.
And if you have an idea: just get started! Talk to potential users, put your idea to the test. That way you’ll quickly get an initial sense of whether it truly has potential.

Our interviewee: My name is Vincent Nelles. I am studying for a Master’s degree in Business Development and will soon be starting my third semester. At Implora, my focus is on marketing and strategic topics. Since we are still in an early project phase, our responsibilities often overlap, and we work together in the team in a very flexible, hands-on way.

Here you can visit the Implora website

More information about the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center