Hamburger Gründerpreis 2022 goes to traceless, nerbe plus and Dieter Becken
The Hamburger Gründerpreis, initiated by the Hamburger Sparkasse and the Hamburger Abendblatt, was presented monday evening at a gala in the Altona Fish Auction Hall in the categories startup, up-and-comer and lifetime achievement. The awards honor entrepreneurial initiative, courage and success in the Hamburg metropolitan region. This year's laudators were Hamburg's first mayor Peter Tschentscher, the editor-in-chief of the Hamburger Abendblatt Lars Haider and Chamber of Commerce president Norbert Aust.
traceless materials is one of the most successful startups in Hamburg
The prize in the "Startup" category went to traceless materials, a startup founded in 2020 by Dr. Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare. With its material innovation, the company is making an important contribution to solving the problem of global plastic pollution. The patent-pending technology makes it possible to produce a plastic alternative from plant residues from agricultural food production that is completely degradable.
traceless materials has set up an initial material production facility and launched several material tests in parallel. Among others, the 22-member and steadily growing team is working on pilot products in cooperation with the online retailer OTTO and Lufthansa. After a successful seed investment round in spring 2021, traceless materials received a commitment for a 2.42 million euro grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) in fall 2021. On September 13, the decision will be made as to whether the startup will also win the German Founder's Prize.
nerbe plus has more than quadrupled its sales in two years
The life science company nerbe plus, based in Winsen/Luhe, came out on top in the "up-and-coming" category. Founded in 1976 and managed by the second generation of the family, Philipp Nerbe, the company specializes in the development, manufacture and worldwide distribution of disposables for laboratories, clinics and the pharmaceutical and food industries, with a focus on injection-molded products for the preparation, storage and transport of liquids and samples. The company is on a permanent growth path, not least due to the Corona pandemic. In 2021, the 40-plus employees achieved annual sales of more than 30 million euros. This represents a more than fourfold increase compared to the pre-crisis year 2019. The award went to Philipp Nerbe and his wife Heike, who also plays an important role in the company's success.
Dieter Becken shaped the cityscape of Hamburg
Hamburg real estate entrepreneur Dieter Becken was honored for his "lifetime achievement". Now 73, he started his career with an apprenticeship as a bricklayer, later studying architecture and engineering. Professionally, he began with construction contracts for single-family homes, later adding larger units and office buildings. His most spectacular projects include the Berliner Bogen at Anckelmannsplatz, the Deichtorcenter on Willy-Brandt-Strasse, the Hanse-Forum at Axel-Springer-Platz, the Doppel-X skyscraper on Heidenkampsweg and the Berliner-Tor-Center on Beim Strohhause. At the end of 2006, he sold a large part of his real estate portfolio for around 700 million euros.
