One Bamberg, two Munich: The final of the TV show "The Thing of the Year" is dominated by Bavarian participants. While first place goes to a Bamberg inventor, two Munich startups, Leaf Republic and Ridetronic, also land on the podium.
With his foldable car trailer "Faltos," Bamberg-based founder Ulrich Müller won the final of "The Thing of the Year." But the two Munich-based startups that competed in the final also didn't go away empty-handed: Leaf Republic took second place with its sustainable disposable plate. And Ridetronic — the actual favorite of the jury consisting of Rewe purchasing manager Hans-Jürgen Moog, model Lena Gercke and presenter Joko Winterscheid — was able to secure third place with his e-bike motor “TronicDrive.”
If the public vote had been successful, the journey for Ridetronic would have ended before the finalHowever, the young Munich startup managed to convince the jury to secure a ticket to the finals. Regardless, according to Maximilian Gassner, Business Developer at Ridetronic, participation in the ProSieben show was definitely worth it: In addition to increased visits to the website and numerous new followers on social media, the young startup also received new orders for its e-bike motor, the "TronicDrive," which can transform almost any regular bicycle into an electric bike.
Leaf Republic was also able to capitalize on the hype surrounding "The Thing of the Year" and turn it into cash. According to the Munich-based startup, Amazon sales have increased by $13.2k in the last few days. A deal with Aldi Süd was also finalized. The sustainable disposable plates can already be found in the supermarket chain's stores — while supplies last!
Against this background, the disappointment of the two Munich startups is certainly limited that the actual profit from the TV show — an advertising contract worth 2.5 million euros — ultimately went not to the Bavarian capital, but to Upper Franconia.
