History
Events and Highlights
Insights Demo Day #4 June ’24
Demo Day #4 @ WILO SE, Wilopark
On 06.06.2024, the fourth batch of the HIGH-TECH.NRW Accelerator program culminated with the Demo Day in a production hall of the host WILO SE on the Wilopark site with the support of the Dortmund Economic Development Agency. The pitches presented not only fired up the expert audience, but also our expert jury, consisting of Mira Knauer, caesar.vc, Jan Gräfe, Gründerfonds Ruhr, Dr. Ralf Jede, former RAITH Group, Dr. Martin Oettmeier, WILO SE, and Dr. Jens Busse, Evonik Ventures, and accordingly made the task of selecting the top 3 from the promising 10 program participants more difficult.
While the jury turned its attention to selecting the top 3, Meike Neitz, embassidy, moderated an exciting panel on the topic of “How can technology start-ups collaborate with industry and SMEs, and what role do accelerators play in this?”. The panel featured Josef van der Linde, Viega GmbH & Co. KG, Alexander Kanitz, LIDROTEC GmbH, and Dr.-Ing. Harald Cremer, NMWP Management GmbH, the panel offered an engaging discussion that revealed the starting points of industry, companies and start-ups and showed how fruitful a functioning cooperation can be.
The top 3 start-ups will receive prize money totalling 20,000 euros. First place went to OSPHIM GmbH, RWTH Aachen University, with its plug’n’play AI solution for injection moulding processes. Second place went to the start-up mechIC, Ruhr University Bochum, with its energy-autonomous sensors for measuring chain optimisation. Third place went to Hydrogenea GmbH, Gelsenkirchen, with its innovative membrane electrode arrangements for the automotive sector.
Once again, the start-ups had the opportunity to present their prototypes and innovations in an exhibition and engage in dialogue with our guests. Not only were the basic ideas of the ventures explored in more detail, but one or two promising contacts were also made.
After four batches, we can say that we form a real deep-tech family with our start-ups, alumni and our network. Would you also like to become part of this family and experience 12 weeks of acceleration? Applications for Batch #6 are open!
Insights Kick-off #4 March ’24
Kick-off #4
Numerous applications have once again been received for the fourth batch of the HIGH-TECH.NRW Accelerator program. Around 50 (!) applications from up-and-coming start-ups from the deep-tech sector and throughout NRW. The decision was made carefully and with the help of a panel of experts and was not an easy one. Nevertheless, 10 start-ups were selected that more than live up to the zeitgeist of parity and inventiveness. We present to you Batch #4:
HyBird AerospaceÂ
Hydrogenea GmbH
ivilion GmbH
LymphDot
mechIC
MicroQuasar Technologies
OSPHIM
RayVen (former HoLa)
Regascold GmbH
SLAPStack
After a warm welcome from the HIGH-TECH.NRW team, Robin Heidel, red cable robots GmbH 1st place Batch #3, not only gave our start-ups a good insight into our program with his alumni report, but also showed the development opportunities that an early-stage start-up can have.
Batch #4 introduced itself to our mentors and participants via short presentations and was then able to move directly into relaxed networking, which resulted in several matches in the informal atmosphere.
Want to experience our Batch #4 live? On June 06, 2024, HIGH-TECH.NRW will be a guest at Wilo in Wilopark with Demo Day #4. Tickets are available here!
Insights Demo Day #3 November ’23
Demo Day #3 @ Microsoft, Rheinauhafen
A Demo Day at the foot of Father Rhine at host Microsoft in Rheinauhafen. The cozy autumn weather had no chance against the radiance of our 12 start-ups from Batch #3 and the cozy, modern atmosphere of the Microsoft premises. The pitches presented not only fired up the expert audience, but also our expert jury, consisting of Ms. Silke Beaucamp, founder DNTOX and entrepreneur, Sebastian Dreßen, Siemens AG, and Jörg Wamser, Fraunhofer Technologie Transfer Fund, and accordingly made the task of selecting the top 3 from the promising 12 program participants more difficult.
While the jury turned its attention to selecting the top 3, Dr. Daniel Stadler, NMWP Management GmbH, moderated an exciting panel on the topic of “The Cloud of the Future”. With Najat Messaoud, Microsoft, Dr. Markus Beckers, ARQUE Systems GmbH, and Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe, University of Duisburg-Essen, the panel offered interesting insights into cloudworking, quantum computing, AI and hyperscalers and their significance for the digital business models of the future.
The top 3 start-ups will receive prize money totaling 20,000 euros. First place went to red cable robots, University of Duisburg-Essen, with its industrial cable robot for more dynamics and flexibility in the workspace. Second place went to the start-up Plasma Additive, RWTH Aachen University, with its innovation for the automation of build-up welding. Third place went to Induvos, University of Wuppertal, with innovative software for greater crash safety in the automotive sector.
Once again, the start-ups had the opportunity to present their prototypes and innovations in an exhibition and talk to our guests. Not only were the basic ideas of the ventures explained in more detail, but one or two promising contacts were also made.
After three batches, we can say that we form a real deep-tech family with our start-ups, alumni and our network. Would you also like to become part of this family and experience 12 weeks of acceleration? You can still apply for Batch #4 until the end of February 2024!
Insights Kick-off #3 September ’23
Kick-Off Batch #3
For the third batch of the HIGH-TECH.NRW Accelerator program, we were once again able to review numerous applications: +40 applications from up-and-coming start-ups from the deep-tech sector and throughout NRW. The decision was made carefully and with the help of a panel of experts and was not an easy one, which is why there are even 12 (!) start-ups for Batch #3 that will inspire you.
We present to you Batch #3:
 Accensors GmbH
 CRCL GmbH
 Deeplify GmbH
 FloodWaive
 FOX Composites
 Ubitium, former Hyperion Core
 Induvos
 KINEMO GmbH
 Ningaloo Biosystems GmbH
 Plasma Additive GmbH
 Red Cable Robots GmbH
 Sionic Smart Glass GmbH
After a warm welcome from the HIGH-TECH.NRW team, Orlando Kleineberg, Co-Reactive 1st place Batch #2, not only gave our start-ups a good insight into our program with his alumni report, but also showed the development opportunities that an early-stage start-up can have.
Batch #3 introduced itself to our mentors and participants via short presentations and was then able to move directly into relaxed networking, which resulted in several matches in the informal atmosphere.
Want to experience our Batch #3 live? On November 14, 2023, the Demo Day will take place at our host Microsoft in Cologne’s Rheinauhafen. You can find more information about the event here: Eventbrite Demo Day #3.
Insights Demo Day #2 June ’23
Demo Day #2 @ Vodafone Skylounge
This time, in addition to the amazing view from the 18th floor of the Vodafone Tower, there was also great weather for Demo Day. But not only the sun could shine, but also our 11 start-ups from Batch #2 delivered dazzling pitches in front of our expert jury, consisting of Dr. Jürgen Wesemann, Ford, Dr. Frédéric du Bois-Reymond, Earlybird-X, and Eike Gerhardt, Schumpeter Ventures, and our audience, which was not only made up of experts from politics, science, finance, and industry, but also alumni from Batch #1: Enno Dülberg, AUXSYS, Carlotta Altringer and David Günter, Vitrofluidix, and Moritz Schmidt, GEMESYS.
While the jury turned to the difficult selection of the top 3 together with Dr. Kirsten Bender, Head of Department Innovation & Markets, MWIKE.NRW, Dr. Daniel Stadler moderated an exciting panel discussion entitled “Deep-Tech – Europe’s last chance?”. With Dr. Theresa Schredelseker, ZBT, Malvine Komorek, Schauenburg Ventures, Dr. Sebastian Dreßen, Siemens, Tobias Weißgerber, DeepTech & Climate Fonds, as well as our alumnus Dr.-Ing. Dennis Michaelis, GEMESYS, the panel offered a broad cross-section of industry, founders, finance, and science and provided exciting views of the respective perspectives.
The top 3 start-ups received prize money totaling 10,000 euros. First place went to Co-reactive from Aachen with a solution for decarbonization in the cement and construction industry. Second place went to the start-up Alteva Technologies from Aachen, which develops new materials for next-gen batteries. Third place went to BlindSpot Software with a solution for more efficient firmware testing on hardware.
This program was surrounded by a start-up exhibition of the participating ventures, which was very well received by our guests and invited them to network. The event ended in the truest sense of the word with a sundowner on the roof terrace of the Skylounge.
In conclusion, after two batches, we can say that we form a real deep-tech family with our start-ups and alumni and our network. Would you like to become part of this family and experience 12 weeks of acceleration? Applications for Batch #3 are still open until 16 August 2023!
Insights Kick-Off #2 March ’23
Kick-Off Batch #2 |27. März 2023
The second batch of the HIGH-TECH.NRW Accelerator program was again very popular: Almost 40 applications from start-ups from the deep-tech sector and the whole of NRW. They all showed so much know-how, innovative drive, and passion that it was really hard for us to select the final participants for Batch #2. Nevertheless, we put together a great Batch #2 on 11 participating startups that will inspire you as well.
Here is Batch #2:
AiML Technology, Jülich
Alteva Technologies, Cologne
BlindSpot Software, Bochum
Co-reactive, Düsseldorf
Galvani Energy, Aachen
Humobility, Aachen
N-Level, Cologne
Quantum Cybersecurity Group, Essen
Vivalyx, Aachen
xemX, Bochum
Zolarize, Köln
The event started in the morning with a get-to-know-you workshop and a Q&A of the 1st place winner of Batch #1. Christof Schares and Boris Mayer from Innovative Robot Delivery, as fresh alumni, reported on their experiences with our Accelerator program and also knew how to helpfully answer the numerous questions of the young founders.
The actual kick-off of the event was also joined by the participants from the HIGH-TECH.NRW (mentor) network, to whom the start-ups presented themselves in exciting pitches. A lively exchange during the mix & match format could be continued fluently over a delicious finger food buffet and an after-work beer.
Insights Demo Day #1 Nov. ’22
Demo Day | November 25, 2022
HIGH-TECH.NRW invited to this year’s Demo Day to the premises of Evonik in Essen.
The Demo Day not only concluded the Accelerator’s 12-week program, but also gave the start-ups of the first batch the opportunity to present their hardware prototypes for application in areas such as energy efficiency, agribusiness or electrical engineering. Three start-ups were selected by a jury of experts and will receive prize money totaling 20,000 euros. First place was secured by Innovative Robot Delivery GmbH from Bonn with a solution for the automatic delivery of parcels. Second place went to the start-up Biothrust from Aachen, which optimizes industrial bioprocesses. Third place reached GEMESYS Technologies from Bochum with a new chip design specifically for artificial intelligence.
The state’s Accelerator program helps highly specialized startups from North Rhine-Westphalia accelerate their innovations and expand their own networks.
These start-ups and spin-offs were part of Batch #1:
·        Auxsys GmbH, Aachen
·        BioThrust, Aachen
·        Funktion* GmbH, Köln
·        GEMESYS Technologies, Bochum
·        GLIM Skin, Bochum
·        HoDforming GmbH, Düsseldorf
·        Icy 3D, Bonn
·        Innovative Robot Delivery GmbH, Bonn
·        LiveSen, Bochum
·        NUNOS, Bonn
·        VitrofluidiX, Köln
The HIGH-TECH.NRW accelerator program gets a patroness
Ms. Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economy, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia assumes patronage for the Accelerator HIGH-TECH.NRW.
We are very pleased to have Ms. Neubaur at our side, as she is committed to maintaining NRW’s international competitiveness by creating a climate-neutral and strong industry. This requires new technologies, which are created primarily by national High-Tech and Deep-Tech start-ups.
With their groundbreaking innovations, technology startups can become trailblazers for sustainable transformation in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond. With the HIGH-TECH.NRW program, the state government therefore supports innovative founders in further developing their high-tech solutions for key issues of the future with the help of broad networks. The diverse university landscape, the strong industry and the lively start-up scene in our state offer the best conditions for this. With HIGH-TECH.NRW, we are pooling this enormous potential and at the same time strengthening North Rhine-Westphalia as a technology location.
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economy, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy
Batch 2020
Based on the pitches given, the start-ups were evaluated by a jury of experts. The three winners were awarded prizes at the subsequent award ceremony.
First place went to the founding team of LIDROTEC from Bochum for the development of a laser system for high-precision cutting of high-tech materials such as cell phone displays and microchips. The laser system combines ultrashort-pulse laser processing with the controlled use of liquids, enabling it to cut faster and more precisely than conventional techniques.
Second place goes to FreeD Printing, also from Bochum: The company is revolutionizing the implementation of additive manufacturing processes with a robot-based multidirectional modeling process that builds components from multiple directions with freely formed layers – making support structures superfluous.
Third place went to Midel Photonics from Bonn, Germany, for the development of high-quality laser beam shaping elements that are particularly inexpensive and always tailored to the application thanks to the unique proprietary technology. This saves valuable resources in manufacturing processes in key areas such as automotive, displays, semiconductors and clean energy.
HIGH-TECH.NRW supports hardware-oriented start-ups in the field of key technologies in successful first program
With the virtual closing event, Demo Day, the first program of HIGH-TECH.NRW ended on November 13, 2020:
the first Business Accelerator or hardware-oriented high-tech startups in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In addition to the presentation of the 12 participating start-ups in front of an expert audience from business and science, a discussion round with Dr. Johannes Velling, head of the group „Gründungen, digitale Impulse, Finanzierung“ of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Media, NMWP.NRW Clustermanager Dr.-Ing. Harald Cremer and three founders Dr. David Dung (Midel Photonics), Christoph Seidenstücker (Pixel Photonics UG) and Professor Dr. Niels Benson (airCode UG) under the moderation of Dr. Heinz Brückelmann the challenges for founders in the high-tech sector were discussed. The focus was on the integration of founders into start-up ecosystems, the importance of strategic intellectual property management and access to venture capital.
The state government has set itself ambitious goals: By 2024, we want to increase the number of startups from universities in North Rhine-Westphalia by 50 percent. The HIGH-TECH.NRW business accelerator specializes in supporting technology-oriented start-ups and thus fills an important gap in the accelerator landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is characterized by intensive cooperation with the leading startup universities in North Rhine-Westphalia – first and foremost the Excellence Startup Centers. I am impressed by the great teams that presented themselves at the Demo Day. This underlines the strength of the startup ecosystem in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economy, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy
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