The winners of Weconomy 2018 have been announced: Ten startups impressed the jury with their business ideas. The award-winning innovations came from sectors including industrial engineering, medical technology, and information technology. Among the lucky winners are three Munich-based companies.
The first award-winning company from the Bavarian capital, Blickfeld, equips self-driving cars with silicon scanners, giving the vehicles eyes, so to speak. Young entrepreneur Miriam Haerst from the second Munich-winning startup Kumovis has developed a 3D printer with an integrated cleanroom environment that can be used to custom-make medical implants. And with the help of the winner Continuity Circuits and embedded systems can be developed without extensive knowledge of programming languages or hardware. Nearly 100 startups applied for the twelfth round of Weconomy, and the eleven-member jury selected the ten winners from 20 finalists on Tuesday.
“This is not about rankings and cash prizes”
From now on, Weconomy will provide the founders with intensive support for a full year in implementing and developing their business ideas. The ten winners will benefit from the expertise of experienced entrepreneurs and receive personalized support on various topics such as market entry, product development, and organizational and corporate development.
"Weconomy is the platform for up-and-comers with good ideas. It's not about rankings or cash prizes, but about professional exchange between startups and decision-makers. This often results in advice that can make a difference,"
says Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schwenker, Chairman of the Advisory Council of Roland Berger GmbH and chairman of the jury of the start-up competition.
"Germany needs more founders with innovative business ideas. Because they challenge established companies and thus strengthen our economy as a whole. Weconomy, with the excellent network of the Wissensfabrik, is making an important contribution to this."
