Monika is StartMiUp project manager at Justus Liebig University and holder of the professorship for technology, innovation and start-up management as well as director of JLU's start-up center, theECM. She also brings experience from founding her own company and works as a consultant in the field of technology management, innovation management and marketing for international companies.

Monika advises founders: "First, it is important to identify a specific problem, ideally a specific customer group, and then address it. It is important to remember that the first solution idea is often not the best idea, so it is important to test and develop ideas. Meanwhile, it's important to discuss the idea with many different people from different fields to get valuable feedback."