Danish energy startup wins Nordic Startup Challenge 2025
‘Circular Economy & New Materials’ was the guiding theme of the second Nordic Startup Challenge, which took place on 25 March at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Ten startups from ten European countries presented their products and business ideas, with TEGnology Aps from Denmark being the winner of the evening.
Solutions for less waste and plastic
The idea behind the Nordic Startups Challenge is to invite promising international startups to Hamburg in order to establish contacts with potential partner companies and investors. The topic of sustainability in all its facets is becoming increasingly important, which certainly increases the chances of the startups taking part. A common thread in the pitches was the avoidance of waste in general and plastic in particular. Wood is the main substitute material, for example in the packaging solutions of Fibu AB from Sweden and RAIKU Packaging from Estonia, Vacuum Insulation Solutions Oy from Finland for house construction and KiriCore from Poland for wind turbine rotor blades.
Woolero from Sweden manufactures flowerpots from wool scraps, which can also be used as fertiliser. Moree from the UK produces recyclable packaging for the B2B business, for example for the coffee trade. Biohifas from Lithuania is also active in the food sector; this startup offers meat substitutes made from mushroom mycelium and is seeking to enter into partnerships with breweries. Microalgae will also play an important role in the food of the future, but Bloom Biotech from Belgium is turning them into textiles.
Winners from Denmark and Latvia
A jury of experts selected TEGnology Aps from Denmark as the winner of the Nordic Startup Challenge. The startup will receive a number of non-cash prizes including a trip to the Plug & Play Summer Summit in Silicon Valley. TEGnology Aps impressed the jury with its self-powered IoT sensors. These sensors monitor processes in industrial plants and utilise the heat generated there for their energy supply. A side note: founder Jörg Rehder was born in Wedel near Hamburg and therefore had a bit of a home game. A special prize, supported by Scaleup Hamburg and Start-up Labs Hamburg, went to Catalyco from Latvia for a process for extracting zinc oxide from industrial waste.
