Epicure has won the Munich Business Plan Competition 2024. Epicure is developing a novel drug for cancer therapy based on epigenetic processes. These processes influence which genes are active in cells without altering the DNA itself. These mechanisms are of great importance in cancer research, as they contribute to better understanding, diagnosing, and treating cancer. Epicure's initial focus is on the treatment of leukemia.
Second place went to Qualiwise awarded to a startup working on an AI-powered B2B platform to optimize and make more flexible the quality and procurement of products in industrial companies and their suppliers.
The team from Audavis impressed the jury and secured third place. The startup aims to optimize auditing through data automation by developing a globally scalable, AI-powered cloud solution for annual financial statement audits and internal audits.
Increase in submissions
Max Akhmedschin, head of the Munich Business Plan Competition at Baystartup, said about the current round of the established competition:
"This season, we saw a remarkable increase in submissions compared to a decline in the previous year. Solutions from the life sciences sector are strongly represented and scored very highly in terms of quality. In addition, the number of startups with AI solutions has increased enormously, reflecting the current technology trend."
A total of 221 startups participated in the Munich Business Plan Competition, an increase of over 35 percent. The Munich Business Plan Competition offers a total of approximately €50,000 in prize money and is supported by business partners, including the LfA Förderbank Bayern (Bavarian Development Bank). Through its expertise and network, the competition offers valuable support to participating startups.
Also Matthias Heiß, future managing director of the startup Epicure, drew a positive conclusion about participating in the competition:
"Through our participation, we can optimize our business plan, gain insights into the entrepreneurial requirements of a pharmaceutical startup, and establish valuable contacts – both with potential investors and partners who can advise us on business and legal issues. We have already successfully integrated feedback from the judges into our planning and established important contacts in the first two competition phases."
The following startups were also nominated:
- Fluvion from Freising is developing bioreactors that make it possible to produce biological liquids such as milk, toxins or musk, as well as complex pharmaceutical active ingredients or silk, in a climate-neutral and cost-effective manner without the use of animals.
- onyx from Munich is developing a digital platform as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that makes the development of biopharmaceutical active ingredients more efficient and faster.
- Perian from Augsburg is developing a sky computing platform that makes the use of cloud services easier, more cost-effective and more flexible.
- Radical Dot from Munich is developing a technology that converts mixed plastic waste into basic chemical building blocks, thus helping the plastics industry achieve its recycling goals.
- Vortex Aerotec from Munich is developing a vertically take-off long-range drone to deliver to the middle mile of the logistics chain.
