Innovative Demo Day in Saarland: Start-ups inspire with new ideas!

Innovative Demo Day in Saarland: Start-ups inspire with new ideas!

At yesterday's Demo Day of the 8th Saarland Accelerator, seven finalists presented their innovative business models to around 100 guests in the Innovation Center at Saar University. This event marks the conclusion of an intensive three-month support program organized by Triathlon - Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship and fitt gGmbH. The aim of this program is to support start-up companies in order to make it easier for them to enter the market.

The main prize of 2,000 euros, sponsored by Sparkasse Saarbrücken, went to Team LAHA. This developed a laser-based hearing aid that generates sound directly on the eardrum. The team also received sales coaching worth 500 euros. Second place went to carnAIvore, which introduced an AI-powered nutrition app for dog and cat owners. For this, the team received 500 euros from SWG – Saarländische Wagnisfinanzgesellschaft mbH as well as a workshop credit of 2,000 euros. Third-place finisher Kyuchess received €500 from PwC – PricewaterhouseCoopers for its online platform promoting fair play in chess.

Diverse ideas and support offers

A total of 31 teams took part in the accelerator program, which, in addition to the presentations, also included over 30 workshops, company visits and pitch training. Economics Minister Jürgen Barke emphasized that the innovative strength of founders in Saarland is of great importance. The event jury consisted of six members, including Jürgen Barke as well as representatives from Ergosign, Sparkasse Saarbrücken, AWSI, SWG and PwC.

The winning teams developed very different concepts. In addition to the aforementioned LASER hearing aid and the nutrition app, the following ideas also received awards: marisol, a technology for digitally recording buildings via smartphone or 3D scanner, and the Kyuchess platform. These initiatives demonstrate the forward-thinking solutions promoted under the program. The Saarland Accelerator is part of the Impuls project, which is supported by both the Saarland state government and the EU.

A solid basis for growth and innovation

Since the accelerator program was founded in 2018, a total of 80 teams have participated, 35 of which remain active. In recent years, no less than 16.5 million euros in financing have been raised. This development reflects the trend that support for start-ups in Germany is continuously increasing.

An important point in this context is the WIN initiative (“Growth and Innovation Capital for Germany”), which was launched by the federal government. The goal of the initiative, which aims to create a leading location for innovation and growth capital by 2030, is ambitious. A total of around 12 billion euros will be invested to further improve the framework conditions for start-ups. Club projects like the Saarland Accelerator are essential building blocks in this network.

In conclusion, it can be said that the initiatives collected and the success of the teams presented at Demo Day underline the lively start-up scene in Saarland. With the constant support from various programs and initiatives, such as the WIN initiative, the prospects for future companies are promising.