---
title: "LexConnect"
description: "LexConnect (Haufe-Lexware, 2024/25): Small business owners are matched with peers facing the same challenge"
url: "https://www.sugar-network.org/en/projects/lexconnect-2024-25/"
lang: "en"
---

# LexConnect

**Small business owners are matched with peers facing the same challenge**

_A platform to bridge_

- **Corporate partner:** [Haufe-Lexware](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/network/partners/haufe-lexware/) (https://www.lexware.de/)
- **Cohort:** [2024/25](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/projects/cohort/2024-25/)
- **Theme:** [Work & organisations](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/projects/themes/work-organisations/)
- **Type:** Platform
- **Key fact:** 3.8 million Small and micro-enterprises in Germany
- **Universities:** [Hasso Plattner Institute](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/network/universities/hpi/), [University of Bologna · Almacube](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/network/universities/unibo/)
- **Team:** 6 master students
- **Disciplines:** Business Administration, Computer Science, Law, Economics, Psychology

## Challenge

Owners of Germany's small and micro-enterprises often decide alone, on intuition. They lack time for strategic planning and budget for consultants, and existing advice feels generic and detached from their daily reality.

## What they built

A mobile platform for small-business owners only. An algorithm matches them by industry, business size and current challenges, then sets up confidential one-to-one conversations where they swap practical advice and build a trusted support network.

## Impact

Owners would decide with more confidence and spend less time searching for answers. For Lexware, it adds a community layer to its digital advisor strategy and a channel for new users.

## Full project text

A social network connecting MSE owners to consult each other and get practical, real-world advice.

### Challenge

How might we provide small companies with data-driven, actionable suggestions to help them make enduring business decisions?  
Why: Germany’s 3.8 million small and micro-enterprises (MSEs) are the engine of its economy, yet their owners are often professionally isolated. Lacking the time for strategic planning and the budget for expensive consultants, they make critical business decisions alone, relying on intuition rather than data or peer advice. Existing advisory services are often too generic and disconnected from their practical, day-to-day realities. This leaves a crucial gap: a need for accessible, trustworthy, and relevant advice  
that can help them navigate challenges and secure sustainable growth.

### Solution

LexConnect is a peer-powered mobile platform designed exclusively for MSE owners. It transforms the challenge of professional isolation into an opportunity for connection and growth. Our solution uses a data-driven algorithm to match entrepreneurs based on their industry, business size, and specific challenges they are facing. LexConnect facilitates confidential, one-to-one conversations where users can exchange practical, real-world advice to gain new perspectives and build a trusted support network. It's not just a tool, it's a community designed to enable collective success.

### Impact

For small business owners, LexConnect helps to break the feeling of having to do everything on their own. It offers access to a trusted network of like-minded peers, who understand their challenges and can share valuable insights. This kind of connection leads to smarter, more efficient and confident decisions and saves time otherwise spent searching for answers.

For Lexware, LexConnect adds a whole new layer to their digital advisor strategy. It boosts customer loyalty by offering real, community-driven value, while also opening up a fresh channel for attracting new users. Most importantly, it strengthens Lexware’s role as a go-to partner for small business success in Germany.

## Who built it.

- Cezary Kujath, Computer Science (Hasso Plattner Institute)
- Enes Sürmeli, Computer Science (Hasso Plattner Institute)
- Lucas Kerschke, Computer Science (Hasso Plattner Institute)
- Jette Sauer, Law, Economics and Governance (University of Bologna · Almacube)
- Zeynep Saka, Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (University of Bologna · Almacube)
- Mustafa Nikzad, Business Administration & Sustainability (University of Bologna · Almacube)

## Sources

Summarised by the SUGAR editorial team from the team’s project page.

Open the 2024/25 booklet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xTUQoA8DWtrKZirgI_On_TPranx_BzUi/view?usp=sharing