The Power of Networking & Stakeholder Management: Your Key to Start-up Success

Did you know that your network can be one of the most critical assets on your entrepreneurial journey?

For many successful founders, the turning point in their start-up story wasn’t just the product, the pitch, or the prototype – it was the people. Your network can unlock everything from strategic advice and talent to funding and partnerships. At Max-Planck-Innovation and through our incubation program MAX!mize, we provide more than just space for ideas – we offer a dynamic platform to connect, learn, and grow.

A Strong Network for Stronger Start-ups

Whether you're looking for your first investor, a trusted advisor, or even your future co-founder — your network can be the difference between potential and progress. At MAX!mize, we help you tap into an exclusive community of researchers, industry experts, and experienced entrepreneurs. Through events, direct introductions, and peer-learning, you gain access to a network designed to accelerate your venture.

"Thanks to the start-up coaches of Max-Planck-Innovations' broad network, we were able to establish contact with many industries. This enabled us to take our start-up to a new level." – Saadet Baltaci, MAX!mize Participant and Doctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

Networking & Stakeholder Management: An Underrated Superpower

Building a network is more than exchanging business cards. It’s about networking and stakeholder management — the strategic art of identifying, understanding, and engaging everyone who can influence your start-up's success.

This includes both internal and external stakeholders:

• Internal: team members, co-founders, advisors

• External: customers, investors, suppliers, regulatory bodies, and more

  
  

Managing their (sometimes conflicting) interests creates long-term value and can open unexpected doors. At MAX!mize, we show you how to build these bridges and maintain them effectively.

Practical Tipp: How to identify stakeholders?

1. Brainstorm all possible stakeholders

Start by writing down everyone you can think of who might be a stakeholder. Don’t worry about prioritizing yet – just get everything out. Each team member should write their own sticky notes and place them on a wall or whiteboard. While some are sticking their notes, others can keep writing – seeing what others came up with can trigger new ideas.

Don’t forget: you and your team are stakeholders too.

Use the following questions to identify your stakeholders:

• Who do we positively influence through our activities?

• Who do we negatively influence through our activities?

• Who inside or outside our organisation uses information that we make publicly available (e.g. business or sustainability reports)?

• Which public or private institutions or companies might have an interest in us?

• Who haven't we thought of yet?

• Who else influences us that we haven’t thought of yet?

2. Group your stakeholders by how close they are to you

Once you’ve collected your ideas, start sorting them into two broad groups:

• Direct stakeholders:

  People or groups you regularly interact with and can easily reach.

  Examples: your team, research partners, mentors, key collaborators.

• Indirect stakeholders: People or groups you don’t usually talk to, or who are harder to reach. Examples: funders of your funders, policy makers, communities impacted by your work.

3. Prioritize: who really matters right now?

You’ll likely end up with a long list – but not all stakeholders are equally important. Narrow your focus by asking:

• Does this stakeholder or group have influence over us (our work, decisions, funding, etc.)?

• Is this stakeholder or group interested in how we work and what we’re doing?

  
  

The ones who say “yes” to one or both questions are your key stakeholders – these are the ones you should understand and engage with first.

4. Optional Add-on (if you want to go further):

Pro tip: Once you’ve identified your key stakeholders, map them visually (e.g., on a 2x2 grid: interest vs. influence). This makes it easier to decide how to communicate or collaborate with them.

More Than Contacts: Shaping Your Founder Mindset

The people you surround yourself with will not only contribute to your business — they will also shape your mindset. The motivation, persistence, and clarity you need as a founder often come from shared experiences and honest conversations with those who’ve been there.

That’s why our network is not only wide, but also curated: We connect you with people who understand the science-to-business journey and want to see your ideas thrive.

MAX!mize: More Than a Network

Besides a powerful network, the MAX!mize incubator offers you:

• Funding opportunities

• Individual coaching and mentoring

• Hands-on workshops and training sessions

Become part of MAX!mize and experience how your start-up project evolves through the right support, the right people — and the right moment.