On 08/24/2022, the Solingen headquarters of codecentric AG once again opened its auditorium and hosted the tenth edition of the largest startup event in the Bergisches Land region. Just three days after tickets went on sale, the entire allocation for the competition — organized jointly with the coworking space "coworkit" from the Founders and Technology Center Solingen (GuT) — was sold out. Interest in the anniversary pitch was enormous!
After the welcome by Frank Balkenhol and codecentric board member Lars Rückemann, the figurative baton was passed to Minister Mona Neubaur, who praised the entrepreneurial spirit of startups in general and Mirko Novakovic in particular in a video message. The codecentric co-founder later had the opportunity to speak himself as part of the welcome.
Solingen's Lord Mayor Tim Kurzbach was also back at the berg-pitch, welcoming the jury, guests, and startups, and appealing to the latter: "You have to dare, you have to believe in yourselves!" But Kurzbach made it clear that success requires even more: "Let's also use the time alongside the pitching to get into conversation!" There would, however, be plenty of opportunity for socializing throughout the evening.
But first, the well-established moderator duo Jan Hölter (ABS Safety GmbH) and Sven Wagner reminded those present of the rules and format of the berg-pitch.
Time to Pitch!
The first pitch of the evening was delivered by Artur Janiszek from Eldertech, who have developed an app for communication and organization around the care of elderly people within the family. This was followed by the second pitch, Printinue from the GuT in Solingen. Victor Jürgensohn and Max Borhof presented their concept around their company's smart and automated 3D printers. Berkant Bostan then presented "Memnun", an app designed to boost mental wellness and conceived for people with a migration background.
The subsequent break offered the chance to grab a (non-alcoholic) cocktail and exchange a few words with guests, before "the Oater" took to the stage next. Sisters Lisa and Sarah Nesti had the idea for a machine that enables cafés to produce oat milk freshly and with minimal waste on their own.
"Grammario" was presented by Dominik Klepek and Georg Reifferscheid as the fifth and final pitch of the evening. Founder Klepek developed the language-learning app at just 16, having experienced the difficulties firsthand in his immediate surroundings.
After all startups had successfully completed their 6-minute presentation slots and subsequent 6-minute Q&A rounds, the jury withdrew to deliberate. During the voting phase, guests had the opportunity to take part in a prize draw by the coworking space Orangery Solingen, which was raffling off temporary workspaces.
Even before it was announced who would be taking home the €10,000 prize money, it was time to officially bid farewell to Sven Wagner, who is leaving the Founders and Technology Center — and thus the berg-pitch team — after 12 years to pursue new endeavors.
After the touching moment, things quickly turned serious — it was finally time to announce the winners of the evening!
The Nesti sisters and "The Oater" prevailed over their competitors and took home the main prize money for the further development of their startup. 2nd place and €3,000 went to "Memnun", the Solingen team from "Printinue" secured 3rd place and €1,000. Places 4 and 5 went to "Eldertech" and the team from "Grammario".
The event wound down with colorful bowls and music from a DJ, and at the end of the evening guests and organizers agreed: it was a worthy 10th anniversary!
[Thanks to photographers Leon Sinowenka (LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook ) and Daniel Rüsseler (LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook ) for the photos.]