On November 7, two Hamburg startups had reason to celebrate in Berlin. BLUU Seafood won the KfW Award Gründen, while the founder and CEO of 1KOMMA5°, Philipp Schröder, was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 in the Sustainability category.
BLUU Seafood honored for cell-based fish
KfW Bankengruppe has been honoring innovative young companies with the KfW Award Gründen since 1998 (Gründen means founding). One prize is awarded per federal state and an overall winner is selected from these 16 winners. In 2024, it was Farming Revolution from Baden-Württemberg. From Hamburg, BLUU Seafood was successful. The startup grows real animal cells outside of the fish body in the fermenter, thus developing an alternative to conventional fishing, which is increasingly burdening the environment. BLUU Seafood closed a financing round of 16 million euros in 2023, with an initial market test in Singapore planned for 2025. Approval of the products in the EU is still pending.
Philipp Schröder receives award for his commitment to climate protection
The consulting firm EY organises the “Entrepreneur Of The Year” competition worldwide. In Germany, the prize is awarded in four categories: “Family Business”, “Young Companies”, “Innovation” and “Sustainability”. In the latter category, this year's award went to Philipp Schröder, CEO and founder of 1KOMMA5°. The startup achieved billion-dollar unicorn status in 2023 and is continuously expanding its business throughout Germany and internationally. The aim is to accelerate the conversion of households to renewable energies. 1KOMMA5° supplies both hardware and software solutions for this. The company aims to convert over 1.5 million households by 2030.
