From bouquets of flowers with a bite to gamified recruiting and an exoskeleton that is integrated into the work clothes of nursing staff: the start-ups that presented themselves at the University Founders' Day surprised the audience with original ideas.
The founders from OTH Regensburg, the University of Regensburg, OTH Amberg-Weiden, the University of Passau, Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences and Landshut University of Applied Sciences presented their concepts in an exciting pitch competition. In addition to prize money totalling a record 10,500 euros, there were special awards recognising pioneering contributions in areas such as sustainability, female founders and innovative networking.
‘With our new East Bavaria Start-up Hub, we are offering founders the opportunity to develop their ideas at East Bavarian universities and get them off the ground with broad support and the best networking opportunities. Young talents can benefit directly from our proximity to partners such as TechBase and Biopark,’ emphasised Prof. Dr Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen, Head of the Start-up Centre at OTH Regensburg.
The three sustainability prizes went to the start-ups:
- Pendura: The team from OTH Regensburg and the University of Regensburg supports companies with efficient sustainability reporting with their tool.
- Inklusionsmatch: The team from OTH Regensburg enables companies to better integrate inclusion activities into their operations via a platform.
- VoluLink: The team at the University of Regensburg connects companies and IT students through charitable projects.
This year's Female Founders Award went to Celina Bauer for her innovative workwear for carers. Her idea of integrating elements of an exoskeleton into clothing is intended to make work in the care sector physically easier. ‘Women bring strong impetus to the start-up scene. We are actively committed to attracting more women as founders,’ explained Dr Sevim Süzeroglu-Melchiors, Head of the OTH Female Founders Programme.
The award for innovative networking went to Biopark Jump, the Regensburg funding programme for start-up ideas in the healthcare and life sciences sectors.
In the pitch competition, the audience was then able to select the winners in a live vote. Nine founders took up the challenge of presenting themselves and their start-up in a three-minute pitch to over 200 spectators.
The first prize of 1,500 euros went to the ‘Lesson Organiser’ team (University of Passau) with a platform to support student teachers and teaching staff. Second place in the amount of 1,000 euros went to the sustainability project ‘FlowHerb’ (OTH Regensburg), which develops edible flower bouquets. Third place was shared by ‘Curiox’ (OTH Regensburg) and ‘Sichero’ (University of Regensburg). The Curiox team is developing an interactive character for children. Sichero offers an AI-based fall detection system for senior citizens. Both teams will receive 750 euros in prize money.
In addition to the audience prize, a jury prize was also awarded, which is endowed with the same amount of money. Here, the ‘2Lock’ team impressed with an innovative lock for e-bikes that rethinks theft protection. Experts expect 2Lock's technology to become the new industry standard. ‘Sichero’ secured second place in the jury voting. The start-up ‘Career Captain’, which is developing a recruiting platform specifically for Generation Z, was awarded third place.
‘Entrepreneurial spirit at the highest level!’
Prof. Dr Carina Braun, Vice President of OTH Regensburg, was impressed by the diversity and innovative strength of the projects: ‘The entrepreneurial spirit that prevails at OTH Regensburg and which is also visible at this event is impressive! And it shows: OTH Regensburg offers ideal conditions for promoting creativity and initiating interdisciplinary product ideas. Our funding is not only aimed at producing start-ups, but also at creating a start-up culture that enables sustainable change.’
The get-together after the award ceremonies provided an opportunity for all participants to socialise and network. The University Founders' Day proved once again that OTH Regensburg is a key hub for innovative start-up ideas in the region. This was also demonstrated by the recent MöglichMacher 2024 award, which the OTH Regensburg Start-up Centre received in November.
