Back to the roots: MU graduate brings her start-up Hoffloh to the lecture theatre in Cologne

As part of Prof. Dr Boris Alexander Becker’s Media and Event Management course, students were given the opportunity to work directly with a female entrepreneur from Cologne’s communications and media sector. Andrea Schmitz, now a freelance PR consultant and co-founder of Hoffloh, not only presented her company but also acted as a real-life client for the development of a communications and events concept.

Cologne-based start-up: reimagining the neighbourhood

The young company Hoffloh, founded in Cologne in early 2025, is pursuing an innovative concept: using an app to organise neighbourhood flea markets on private property. The aim is to strengthen local communities, promote sustainable consumption and connect entire neighbourhoods, from Ehrenfeld to Nippes.
Regional media are already picking up on the idea. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger describes it as follows:
“This Cologne-based start-up brings the neighbourhood together via an app.”
Hoffloh is thus clearly positioning itself within the trends of urban community building, sustainability and the sharing economy – topics that are particularly relevant to Generation Z.

Practical project: Students as an event and marketing agency

In this course, students at the Media University Cologne take on the role of an event marketing agency. The aim of the project is to:
develop innovative event formats for Hoffloh design content tailored to Gen Z to devise social media strategies to increase reach to actively promote the use of the Hoffloh app
In doing so, participants benefit from a realistic project setting that optimally combines theory and practice, a central component of the degree programme at the Media University.

Studying in Cologne with direct links to the industry

The Media University in Cologne offers students not only a solid academic education, but also direct access to the local media, PR and start-up scene. Projects like this one demonstrate how closely the university is integrated with the professional world and how students are able to forge valuable contacts within the industry whilst still studying.
Many thanks to Andrea Schmitz for the inspiring visit and the successful launch of this project!