First place, worth EUR6,000 in prize money, was won by PartikelART. The team led by handling directors Dr. Ronny Zwinkau and Roman Möhle from the Institute of Production Systems (IPS) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering has established a mobile particle analysis system that examines the tidiness of production procedures. The start-up offers companies digital options for keeping track of the contamination of vital parts and resources. The team’s pitch convinced not only the specialist jury but also TU capital, the equity capital seed fund of TU Dortmund University, which awarded PartikelART this year’s special reward.
The social fashion app Grwm. won second place and EUR4,000 in cash prize. GRWM is the acronym for “Prepare with me”, a popular social media trend where material developers show their followers how they use their make-up or choose their clothing. This is exactly where the app comes in, which aims to develop a smooth interface in between developers, brand names and shopping by connecting attire displayed on social media straight to where users can purchase them and by using a personalized, AI-curated style feed. The start-up’s founders, Ben Richter, Niklas Toporysek and Tom Zulbeck, took part in CET start-up programs with their service concept. For its persuading principle, the group won 2nd location and the audience award worth EUR1,000.
The third prize, to the value of EUR3,000, went to the start-up Rivopump, which has established a self-dependent water pump based upon a physical operating principle. The objective is to offer smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa a sustainable service for watering their fields, which are threatened by dry spell. Unlike diesel pumps, the Rivopump is driven by hydropower and built from recycled materials. Anton Güntheke, a member of the Rivopump group, is presently studying for a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering at TU Dortmund University.
Other finalists were the start-ups PottPilz, Ziya and SemanticMap, which are establishing sustainable building and construction materials along with AI services for companies and market researchers.
Details and networking
The specialist jury for the competition made up the following members: Professor Tessa Flatten (Teacher for Technology Management and Vice President International Affairs, TU Dortmund University), Dr. Thomas Seidensticker (CSO, Simplyfined), Dr. Martin Oettmeier (Global Director R&D Method, Innovation and Research & Predevelopment, Wilo Group), Hendrik Schabsky (CEO, ATLAS Security Shoes) and Dr. Hans Schulze Schwienhorst (Handling Director, Jaeger Gruppe, and member of the Financiers’ Board Of Advisers, TU capital). Dr. Thomas Seidensticker, who became part of the winning team in the previous year, motivated all the start-ups in participation to attend to difficulties with passion and perseverance. In a keynote speech, Hendrik Schabsky reported on modernization in a household service and advised how young business can develop sustainable structures for long-term development.
Together with presentations and the pitch competition, the event in addition used various opportunities to obtain additional details on how to launch a start-up and to network: During the evening, 20 other start-ups had the ability to present themselves and talk about with visitors. Business and financiers were likewise displayed on a type of noticeboard called the “Partner Wall”. With potential collaboration in mind, QR codes assisted the individuals to connect with each other.