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Startup Lab Spring 2022STARTUP LAB closes with successful Pitch Night

28 April 2022

On Friday, 8 April 2022, the fourth STARTUP LAB by hei_INNOVATION was successfully closed out with a final pitch night at the Betriebswerk in Heidelberg. After an intensive work phase in the qualification programme for future entrepreneurs, the teams pitched their business ideas live in front of a jury and an interested audience.

Beforehand, seven teams had worked intensively on their business ideas for four weeks in the STARTUP LAB and developed them into viable business models. During that period of time they were supported by the hei_INNOVATION team, mentors and coaches. At the pitch night, five teams had the opportunity to present their business idea, win prize money of 500 Euros and 200 Euros, respectively, and network within the startup scene in Heidelberg.

Priscilla Owusu, founder of the startup OogTech AI and winner of the second STARTUP LAB, opened the evening with a keynote. She described the opportunities that Heidelberg University offers to founders, spoke about the challenges she encountered during her founding process and shared insights she has gained on the way.

Afterwards, five teams each had three minutes to convince the jury and the audience of their business models. The jury consisted of Markus Robl from the Sparkasse Heidelberg, Amina Daca from the hei_INNOVATION team and David Müller, founder of cura-assistent, who is a successful participant of a previous STARTUP LAB. The three jury members were particularly impressed with the team Lumi&Leia. For their pitch and their idea to produce luxury goods for dogs and their owners, the team won the first place and prize money of 500 Euros. The audience prize of 200 Euros went to the team of Beyond in Virto that aims to improve the reliability and affordability of cancer diagnostics and therapy. Both prizes were donated by the Sparkasse Heidelberg.

Julia Piechotta, organiser of the STARTUP LAB and the final pitch night, draws a positive conclusion: “The event was a great success and showed that a strong and ever-growing start-up scene is forming in Heidelberg. It is always great to see how much the teams develop within just four weeks in the STARTUP LAB and inspire a wide audience. I am very pleased that we were not only able to show exciting innovations with the teams of the fourth Lab, but also to represent a diverse field of ideas and disciplines.”

The STARTUP LAB by hei_INNOVATION took place for the fourth time in March. During the free four-week programme, participants learn to think like an entrepreneur, to develop their idea with new, creative methods and to transform it into a sustainable, scalable business model. The programme is open to all students, young scientists and alumni of universities in Baden-Württemberg who have a business idea and want to take it to the next level of development.