The City of Munich's 2019 Innovation Award has been presented. Winners include the Dachau-based startup Bike Solutions and Neighbor, a spin-off of the Munich company builder Innovationpunks.
The 2019 Innovation Award sought digital solutions for various areas of administration. The goal of the competition was to open the city administration to innovation. The Minister for Labor and Economic Affairs, Clemens Baumgärtner, explained:
“With this competition, Startup City Munich aims to promote the existing innovation potential and benefit from creative and bright minds.”
Winner of the Innovation Award 2019 announced
The winners were now announced by municipal representative Kristina Frank, city director of the cultural department Marek Wiechers and IT representative Thomas Bönig.
The Dachau-based startup Bike Solutions was named the winner in the category "Using Crowdsourcing – Collecting Data Together for the City of Munich." The startup collects precise movement data with the help of cyclists. Thanks to a small tracker that also offers theft protection, problem and dangerous areas can be identified. If the city combines this data with existing data, it can be used for improved traffic safety and planning.
“Bike Solutions offers a user-oriented, lightweight, and cyclist-friendly solution that, with a high level of detail, can make an important contribution to the further development of the city’s cycling infrastructure,”
justified IT consultant Thomas Bönig the jury decision.
Pilot projects planned for the city of Munich
The business idea of "Digitaler Wochenmarkt München" (Munich Digital Weekly Market) also received an award in the "Digital Weekly Market" category. The idea was to create a digital weekly market for market operators that also appeals to people who don't have access to a weekly or farmers' market in their own neighborhood.
Now, a test will be conducted to see how consumers assemble their weekly market shopping online. The ordered goods are then collected at the market, assembled in a warehouse, and finally delivered to various pickup points or to the door. The jury was impressed by the well-thought-out delivery system solution, as well as the creativity of the applicants. Kristina Frank added:
"As head of the Munich Waste Management Authority, I am also pleased that the straw packaging crates are reusable and therefore no additional waste is generated."
Sharing idea convinces jury
In the third category, the state capital sought a business idea for a "self-generating district cultural calendar." The Munich startup "Neighbor" won. The challenge was to provide a conveniently bundled, user-oriented, up-to-date, and location-based overview. The winning team impressed with, among other things, its solution, which is easy to enter and can be integrated into the Munich Smart City app based on location. Marek Wiechers explained:
"The solution's approach is convincing because of its sharing concept. It offers low-threshold access, which also provides a platform for small-scale activities in the neighborhood."
The winning teams of the City of Munich's 2019 Innovation Award will be able to implement their innovative approaches in a municipal test field starting this fall. The pilot projects are intended to help further develop their products. The startups will be supported by the city administration and the incubation program. Xpreneurs accompanied by the UnternehmerTUM.
