Sustainability Focused Startups in BW

Organifarms is a company that specialises in the development of harvesting robots for greenhouses. Their first product, BERRY, automates the harvesting, quality control and packaging of strawberries and enables year-round 24/7 operation. The founders, Dominik Feiden, Marian Bolz, Hannah Brown and Mario Schäfer, launched their mission in 2021 to make agriculture more sustainable.

apic.ai is a leading company in the field of automated monitoring of pollinators, especially bees and bumblebees. Their technology uses computer vision to quantify the behaviour of these pollinators and detect even minor effects of substances, agricultural practices and environmental factors on them. This enables their customers to design bee-friendly products, activities and habitats. The aim is to combat bee mortality and help beekeepers preserve their colonies by utilising technology.

HelioPas AI helps farmers and agricultural service providers to recognise and reduce harvest risks. With the help of satellite data and artificial intelligence, field-accurate analyses are created to detect drought damage and plant diseases at an early stage. The aim is to produce enough healthy food sustainably.

SAM Dimension has specialised in weed mapping with drones. Artificial intelligence is used to detect emerging weed problems by identifying every weed germ on every square centimetre of the field. The classified target weeds are linked to their geo-location and transferred to an application map so that farmers can apply the herbicide exactly where it is needed. This leads to efficient weed control and machine utilisation.

Bee friendly for Earth is committed to biodiversity, environmental protection and social sustainability. They accompany people and companies on their way to becoming more bee-friendly without falling for the pitfalls of greenwashing. The founders not only implement nature conservation measures and promote wild bees, but also offer workshops and seminars.

CYCLIZE is a pioneer in the circular carbon economy, using its innovative plasma technology to convert plastic waste into new chemical intermediates. Their goal is to reduce CO2 emissions and combat plastic waste pollution. The process can even be carbon-negative by utilising existing carbon dioxide as a feedstock source.

Resourcly is a platform founded in 2023 by Helena Most and Ian Draxten that addresses changes in the international trade of natural resources and analyses their sustainability impact. It enables manufacturers to improve their return on working capital by using product information and AI to strategically share, reuse and prevent unused stock. The platform aims to improve efficiency and sustainability in the supply chain and maximise the value of resources.

VCG.AI is a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to develop circular economy solutions and utilise industrial waste. Its Value Chain Generator® (VCG) helps companies transform organic by-products and waste into profitable assets with a positive climate impact. The platform contributes to the circular economy and supports companies in achieving their waste reduction targets. With their solution, the founders, Jon Goriup and Mateja Dermastia, want to promote sustainable economic development and transform the industry towards sustainable models.

WeSort.AI is an up-and-coming technology company that specialises in systems for the granular analysis and sorting of waste objects using artificial intelligence. The company develops innovative AI sorting systems to recycle waste more efficiently and sustainably. The founders of WeSort.AI are Nathanael and Johannes Laier, who founded the company with the aim of revolutionising the waste cycle.

Resycure brings recyclers directly together with major brand owners and packaging manufacturers with the aim of building long-term customer relationships. The platform makes it easier to enter into long-term supply agreements without having to make large commitments. The founders, Jörg von Walcke and Michel Weinketz, are thus committed to promoting recycling and the seamless transition of the industry into the circular economy in order to increase recycling rates.

Evergrow Elements is a start-up that has developed an innovative, sustainable wall-building material based on the plant Bulrush is produced. This building material can serve as an alternative to conventional interior and exterior wall constructions and enables a more cost-effective monolithic construction method.

SAX-Power is a company that develops innovative energy storage solutions, including the SAX home storage system for private households. The SAX battery is characterised by its cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate cells and an integrated inverter function. This technology offers maximum safety, high efficiency and an extended battery life.

Preflet was founded by Francesca Rubbiani, Jorge Mendes, Mexson Fernandes and Shailendra Tomar. Their AI platform uses machine learning to analyse data such as energy consumption and climate data. The aim is to help building managers cut energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions.

Puerro specialises in energy-optimised production planning and plant control. Its artificial intelligence-based optimisation software enables companies to reduce their energy costs by planning production energy consumption so that energy-intensive production steps take place at times when electricity prices are low.

The founders of Ecalia Mithil Badam, Sabine Harsch and Michael Ilewicz are developing the first spiral compressor with integrated energy recovery for energy-saving heating and cooling in households and vehicles.

MELT develops resource-efficient heat storage systems for public buildings. The products are integrated into the building envelope and offer high storage efficiency with a low CO2 footprint.

Beneto Foods is a food start-up that develops, produces and sells protein-rich foods based on cricket flour.

Dona Sá is a company that offers fairly traded speciality coffee from Brazil. The coffee is produced by women in small family businesses, marketed directly and freshly roasted regionally. The founder, Adriana, is committed to sustainable coffee production and maximises transparency for consumers.

The founders Christoph Pitter, Marco Ries, Tomas Kurz and Michael Baunach have created the ProteinDistillery a German biotech start-up. The aim is to produce the first customisable vegan protein that completely replaces all the functionalities of animal proteins. The innovative proteins are obtained from upgraded brewer's yeast and contribute to a sustainable circular economy.

Viva la Faba is a young start-up from Stuttgart that produces the world's first cheese made from organic field beans. Founders Ariana Alva Ferrari and Jan Haberzettl have a vision: to rethink the traditional cheese craft and create sustainable alternatives. Together with their team, they are revolutionising the future of cheese with the faba bean as a secret ingredient. Their products are purely plant-based and free from unnecessary additives and preservatives. Whether sliced or grated, Viva la Faba offers a cheese alternative for anyone who wants to avoid animal products.

PIONIX is a company that specialises in open source software for electromobility. With their main project EVerest, they offer a comprehensive solution for charging electric vehicles that supports all common industry standards. The founders, Dr Marco Möller, Johanna Claussen, Benjamin Mosler and Cornelius Claussen, have set themselves the goal of promoting the global spread of e-mobility and setting standards for a uniform EV charging system.

chargeIQ is an online platform for customised access management, billing and operation of commercial and private charging infrastructure. Founders Stephan Dengler and Volker Walter Fricke enable companies to efficiently manage and bill charging stations for electric vehicles.

Vrakos Grid offers end-to-end solutions for bidirectional charging of electric trucks, including development, design, procurement, installation and optimisation through its own fleet software tailored to the needs of each customer.

Peercharge is a company based in Tübingen, Germany, that specialises in the development and sale of innovative products in the field of charging infrastructure and electromobility. They offer solutions for charging electric vehicles, including charging stations for private and public use as well as intelligent charging infrastructure for companies and fleets.

Ammonigy offers CO2-free solutions for heavy-duty applications by combining the advantages of ammonia and hydrogen. They enable large engines to run on ammonia-hydrogen to eliminate emissions.

PV2+ GmbH is a deep-tech spin-off project of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. The founders, Dr Markus Glatthaar, Dr Katharina Franziska Braig, LL.M., and Dr Thibaud Hatt, have developed a patented solution to reduce the cost of highly efficient solar cells while improving their performance and sustainability. PV2+ is shaping the future of solar energy with its ground-breaking technology.

UV Energy offers an innovative solution for the fast and efficient provision of solar power on sealed surfaces, especially on car parks, in order to cover energy requirements directly on site.

Greenventory offers consulting services and software solutions for energy planning in the field of renewable energies. They support municipalities, municipal utilities and grid operators in driving forward the energy transition by offering data-based decision-making tools and creating a digital twin for energy projects. As a spin-off from two research institutes, the founders Dr Kai Mainzer, Dr David Fischer and Dr Sven Killinger have the vision of making sustainable energy use the new standard.

HighLine Technology develops and markets highly efficient dosing technologies for future-oriented production industries, particularly in the field of photovoltaics. The focus is on reducing material consumption in the PV industry in order to increase its competitiveness and sustainability.

Solakon specialises in balcony power plants that enable private households to use self-generated electricity. The founders Marc Scheurer and Julian Böer are committed to sustainable energy generation and have already installed over 20,000 Solakon balcony power plants in Germany.

PVision is an innovative start-up from Stuttgart that specialises in the development of AI-supported software for the inspection and maintenance of photovoltaic systems. The solution combines drone technology with artificial intelligence, enables real-time analyses of PV systems and thus reduces the time required to identify damage.

The founders, Dr Andrew Clifton and Ines Würth, have worked with enerlace founded a company that develops digital solutions for the wind energy industry. Their web application automates the monitoring of wind lidar data, saves time and helps to scale wind farm development projects.

The project µWind is a start-up specialising in the development of micro wind turbines in order to create a sustainable source of energy and, above all, to develop efficient and compact wind turbines. The aim is to facilitate access to renewable energy in urban and rural areas.

ICODOS is a start-up that offers pioneering technologies for the production of e-methanol. Based on their patented hybrid process, harmful exhaust gases are converted into the versatile liquid methanol. The sustainable and climate-neutral production of e-methanol enables climate-neutral transport and chemistry.

Carbonfuture is a company that specialises in offering high-quality and reliable carbon credits. These allow companies around the world to offset their emissions. One Carbonfuture credit corresponds to the safe removal of one tonne of CO

TREEO is a company that offers high-quality, certified carbon sinks to actively cool the climate. These enable companies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and achieve their climate goals. The founders of TREEO have a vision based on years of experience in tree planting and aim to effectively capture and account for the CO2 sequestered.

AIPERIA is a software start-up from Würzburg that specialises in sustainable demand planning for fresh food. With the help of an AI-based planning solution, AIPERIA enables the precise prediction of sales quantities and thus reduces food waste.

Footprint Intelligence is a digital platform for sustainability and decarbonisation that enables companies to achieve their climate targets quickly and easily. It offers an efficient carbon footprint calculation in line with the GHG Protocol (Scope 1-3), science-based targets and the CSRD reporting standard. The founders are Daniel Scholz and Sebastian Gier, who built the company with the aim of combating greenwashing and promoting informed footprint decisions.

MaDeCa is shaping a sustainable and CO2-neutral future by turning the sea into artificial farmland for algae cultivation. In collaboration with local fishermen, they are revolutionising the marine economy and creating clean supply chains.

LIMEBIRD is an innovative platform for sustainable and decentralised cloud computing. It operates data centres that are supplied directly with regional green electricity from wind and solar energy. The company relies on environmentally friendly technologies and offers a scalable, resource-efficient alternative to conventional cloud services. 

Anna Zießow, Christian Knobloch and Vivian Loftin offer with their company Recyda a packaging sustainability management software that enables companies to analyse the recyclability of their packaging portfolio. The platform enables the centralised management of packaging information and helps with the calculation of EPR fees and plastic taxes.

The CU reusable system is an innovative returnable food deposit system that reduces single-use waste and promotes sustainable packaging solutions. It is based on its successful use in the beverage industry and enables customers to buy food in reusable containers. These are returned for a deposit, cleaned and refilled. The system offers low costs for manufacturers, reliable cleaning partners and customisable container labels. It is a sustainable solution based on lightweight plastic and digital tracking.

PROSERVATION is a company that specialises in ecologically and economically sensible packaging solutions. Their mission is to develop sustainable and plastic-free padded packaging made from plant-based waste materials. They follow four principles: Utilisation of what already exists, bioeconomy, regionality and recyclability.

we.box.circle is a company that specialises in sustainable packaging solutions. Their packaging is made from renewable raw materials and is 100% recyclable. By using this reusable packaging, they help to reduce waste and close the loop

Paze is an innovative company that specialises in packaging-free shopping. Their solution enables retailers to offer sustainable products without unnecessary packaging. Customers can bring their own containers and fill them with the items they want. The founders Vincenz Brandl and Michael Breidebrücker want to reduce the environmental impact of packaging material and at the same time make shopping more convenient for consumers.

EVOPACK offers innovative packaging and hygiene solutions for water-based products with no or low biocide content. EVOPACK's main objective is to ensure long-term performance while protecting the environment.

The founders, Katrin, Fides, Gibran and Moritz, began their work in November 2020 as part of a programme at the University of Stuttgart with the idea of developing digital water meters. This is how Hydrop Systems: a company that specialises in saving water. Their product, the "hydrop meter", enables building owners to monitor their water consumption and detect anomalies that could indicate leaks.

Water 3.0 is a company that specialises in the removal of microplastics and micropollutants from water to ensure healthy water resources. Using standardised analysis and removal technologies, they are committed to environmental protection and sustainability. The founders take a systemic approach that combines research, technology and education to raise awareness of microplastics and promote clean water.

Pluvion (formerly Grimm Water Solutions) is a Freiburg-based high-tech start-up specialising in sustainable water management with the help of artificial intelligence. As an agile SaaS service provider, GWS contributes to the digital transformation of the water industry and ensures resource-efficient and competitive operations.