Five-day intensive programme of the Up2B Accelerator supports twelve IT and high-tech start-ups with contacts to experts, investors and established entrepreneurs and helps them to successfully enter the market. The highlight was the finale with presentations in front of more than 100 guests, 27 investors and a four-member jury above the rooftops of Heidelberg.
From the twelfth floor of the Print Media Academy, the view extends far beyond Heidelberg. But the eyes of the more than 100 guests at the finale of the Up2B Firecamp on Friday, 19 July 2019, firmly focused on the stage, on which twelve IT and high-tech compete for the favour of 27 investors. The final was preceded by four days of intensive work with experts and mentors.
On Monday, the start of the five-day programme, Dima Sarle, Managing Director of ArcticStartup from Helsinki, gave the startups their first impulse as soon as they arrived. Sarle, himself the founder of five companies, accompanied the startups throughout the entire Firecamp week as a mentor for stage presentations in front of a very specific target group - the investors. Further developing the presentations was also on the programme on Tuesday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the start-ups were able to receive qualified and individualised feedback on their solutions and business models during one-to-one coaching sessions with 16 mentors. The final day had two highlights to offer: Firstly, the founders were able to take part in the so-called Corporate Speed Dating make personal contacts with entrepreneurs from the Rhine-Neckar region. In the evening, the start-ups made their grand entrance in front of guests from politics, business and culture, as well as a jury.
The jury honoured the Munich startup dismantles as the winner of the Up2B Firecamp. Daniela Bach, Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds, explained the decision: "dismantles has already won over customers, not least because this innovation meets great demand in the construction industry and therefore has great potential." The founders of the winning start-up dismantlesMax Falkner and Sebastian Kaluza, develop intelligent systems to automate the value chain in the construction industry - from the extraction of raw materials to the production of building materials and the construction of a building to its operation. Sebastian Kaluza sums up: "It was a total enrichment to be part of this programme. In just five days, we received great coaching, developed our company further and networked with relevant players in the Rhine-Neckar region - now we're pretty exhausted, but we're going home happy". "And we'd love to come back," adds Max Falkner. As the winner, the startup dismantles took home a cheque for 1,500 euros. The prize money was provided by Techniker Krankenkasse.
"We are delighted when the start-ups come back and decide in favour of Heidelberg as a business location. In this way, we can help ensure that the start-ups' solutions can be applied as quickly as possible. That's why we make sure that the ideas of the young entrepreneurs match the needs of various branches of local industry," explains Thomas Prexl, head of the start-up office in the Technology Park and one of the brains behind the Up2B Accelerator. The participating start-ups all develop products and services for the business customer segment (B2B). Whether in the manufacturing industry, construction or information technology, digital solutions for companies are in high demand!
"Many international companies are based in the Rhine-Neckar region - that's why we want to attract young entrepreneurs and their innovative ideas here and bring them together with the market leaders in the region," adds André H.R. Domin, Managing Director of Heidelberg Technology Park. Second place went to the apheris AI from Cologne. Third place went to the Munich-based start-up vypno.
The winners of the Up2B Firecamp in July 2019 at a glance:
- Place:abaut GmbH
- Place:apheris AI GmbH
- Place:vypno GbR
These start-ups took part in the Up2B Firecamp:
vypno (Munich), Peers (Aachen), Nord Check (Espoo, Finland), dismantles (Munich), apheris AI (Cologne), attentio (Hamburg), flyingshapes (Mainz), EMBEVER(Magdeburg), Industry List (Heidelberg), TRANSOLT (Istanbul, Turkey), whelp (New York, USA), sklls (Constance)
The following companies were involved:
SAP, Bilfinger, FESTO, BASF, Siemens, iDS, NEOCEPTION, GELITA, edataconsulting, ABB, Bito Campus, NEC, Vetter Pharma
We would also like to thank the Techniker Krankenkassewhich organised the catering for the start-ups during the Firecamp week and sponsored the prize money. The Up2B Accelerator is a joint project of Technologiepark Heidelberg, Startup Mannheim and innoWerft Walldorfand is financed by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the European Social Fund (ESF).