This year marked the 20th edition of the Gründergeist startup competition, organised by the Wirtschauftsjunioren (young entrepreneurs) of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. As in 2025, the final took place at the XPERION in the MediaMarkt on Mönckebergstraße. The FiberGuard team won, with exære and RYLEVÉ coming second and third respectively.
The finalists of Gründergeist 2026 © Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups
Four of the best out of over 90 startups
Over 90 startups had entered the competition. So securing one of the seven places in the final was a major success in itself, not least for re_source, a platform for packaging that is both sustainable and affordable. The following had also qualified: Wysor with an AI solution that places particular emphasis on data security, Universal Carbon using a CO₂ capture process and Anori Tech, which speeds up and simplifies the creation of battery management systems using a modular approach. During a pitch to a panel of experts, which had taken place a few days earlier behind closed doors, these four startups had not quite managed to secure one of the top three places.
Dr Yen Dieu Pham and Zhe Jun Yao of RYLEVÉ © Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups
RYLEVÉ makes care work easier
However, the jury’s decision was not announced until after the pitch had been delivered in front of an audience. Thus RYLEVÉ secured third place and with it 2,000 euros. The name is derived from the term ‘relevé’, which describes a dance movement in ballet. The startup develops specialised workwear that supports the musculature of care staff, thereby helping to prevent back pain, amongst other things. The technical term for this is ‘exowear’, which is a lighter version of an exoskeleton.
Jan Dethloff, CTO of exære © Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups
exære recycles critical metals
Second place, along with a prize of 3,000 euros, went to exære, which aims to tap into a huge and to date unused potential. Critical metals, for which there is a high degree of import dependency – including, for example, rare earths from China – have so far been impossible to recycle. exære has now developed a technology that makes precisely this possible, thereby turning electronic waste into a valuable source of raw materials. A patent application for this biochemical process is currently being filed.
The team of FiberGuard: Hannah Koeth, Jill Gern, Sophia Lorenz, Hanne Willner and Nooshin Pourkamali © Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups
FiberGuard detects damage to bridges at an early stage
What was striking about the evening was the dominance of female founders. Women took to the stage for four out of seven pitches; at exære, Yelda Nur Demirdögën usually handles public appearances. And the team from FiberGuard entered the competition with five female members. Founder Sophia Lorenz presented a technology that uses optical fibres to enable continuous monitoring of critical infrastructure. Even the slightest changes can be detected, for example, in bridges, which allows for timely repairs and thus prevents higher costs or even potentially dangerous damage. This earned them first place, with a prize of 10,000 euros.
