The Future Founder Demo Day impressed with strong ideas
In a few months, the decision will be made as to whether Hamburg will succeed at the Startup Factory lighthouse competition by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The core objective of the initiative is to use research achievements from universities to create successful startups. The Future Founder Programme, whose final pitch has now taken place, impressively demonstrated what this can look like in practice.
Great response to the Future Founder Programme
In October 2024, the call went out to students at Hamburg universities to apply for the Future Founder Programme. The response exceeded all expectations. More than 200 applications were received, and the 30 most promising candidates were selected. They were given three months to develop products and business models for science-based startups. This resulted in a total of 15 projects, five of which were presented at the Future Founder Demo Day at Factory Hammerbrooklyn. It was particularly impressive was how mature most of the ideas already appeared, with some even having their first prototypes.
AI was at the heart of many projects
One example is synqio, a startup that has built a device that reduces the error rate when monitoring cell cultures. This plays an important role in the development of new medicines. Founder Julia Rocha received a special prize for this, the Exist Women Award. A recurring theme was the use of artificial intelligence (AI), as was the case with the styx team. It implements AI directly in computer chips and thus accelerates processes where fractions of a second are important, such as drone flights through confusing terrain. Audit Impact uses AI to relieve auditing companies of work resulting from EU regulations.
Awards for healthier walking and suitable glasses
Prizes were also awarded on the evening, which were decided by a three-member jury. The first was for a special technical achievement and went to Gaitxpert. This team presented a wearable that analyses walking behaviour, which can have a significant impact on health. The product promise was that, thanks to the use of Gaitxpert, you could still run marathons at the age of 75. The prize for the best business model went to pickz ai. Here, AI helps with the purchase of glasses. The artificial intelligence analyses a facial scan and finds the best fitting glasses frame.
All of the pitches were convincing with well thought-out business ideas and products, especially considering that they were created within just three months and that most of the participants only got to know each other during the programme. In this respect, the event was a good advertisement for the Startup Factory Hamburg. The application phase for the final funding ends in April, and if everything works out, the official starting shot could be fired as early as August of this year.
