Startschuss für TechFounders Batch 13

Garching near Munich, January 18, 2021. Today is the kick-off of the 13th batch of the Startup Accelerator Program TechFounders. The Munich-based accelerator program of UnternehmerTUM, Europe's leading center for innovation and business creation, will host seven innovative technology startups over the next 20 weeks. Due to the current situation and regulations, the program will start remotely.

During the upcoming 20 weeks, TechFounders will support the startups with individual training, coaching and mentoring to scale their companies and prepare them for their next financing round. In addition, the selected startups will conduct a pilot project with one of the TechFounders’ corporate partners ALDI Nord & ALDI SÜD, Festo, Knorr-Bremse, and Miele. In the upcoming batch, TechFounders also supports an additional startup that works on a solution to contribute to alleviating climate change. The selected startup joins the program to receive support from TechFounders to develop their product ready-to-use and to further distribution.

The future of the selected startups looks promising: 92% of the TechFounders program’s alumni companies are still active. Since 2015, TechFounders alumni startups have collected in total close to €318 million financing capital and created over 1,750 jobs and therefore contributed significantly to the growth of the European startup ecosystem. Success stories such as Konux, ProGlove, Arculus or Inveox prove that the TechFounders concept works.

The combination of highly individual coaching, projects with industry leaders on real use cases, and a rich network of experienced mentors and investors give startups a massive boost at an early stage. At the same time, the established business partners can use the solutions of startups to develop new, innovative products and digitalize their traditional business models.

The TechFounders Batch #13 Startups are:

BlinkIn

BlinkIn from Germany offers an AI-based visual support system for technical troubleshooting. Their solution offers a video chat function, which allows the support agent to see into the customer’s environment and visually inspect equipment or error messages. This technology allows businesses to guide their customers at each step from diagnosis to a successful resolution with the assist of AR tools. Without waiting for the onsite arrival of the agent, problems can be resolved faster, leading to reduced costs and an increase in customer satisfaction. The solution is ideal for industries such as insurance, manufacturing, automobile, and consumer durables.

DeepReason

DeepReason.ai is a spinout from Oxford University’s Department of Computer Science, founded by award-winning researchers and seasoned entrepreneurs. This startup from the UK has developed a Knowledge Graph platform, which converts big loads of enterprise data into understandable knowledge. Their solution supports complex decision-making by giving recommendations and insights to the user based on expert knowledge from different domains. It also examines real-world dependencies and cross-correlations before offering suggestions. The system connects to relational and graph databases and allows user to question, backtrack and explain any automated decision-making or recommendation.

Plant Jammer

Many people struggle to find tasty and healthy recipes or just want to be more creative in the kitchen. Plant Jammer from Copenhagen, Denmark, offers a solution: an app which assists the day-to-day cooking activities. It generates dynamic recipes with the ingredients that the user has available and adapts to individual diets and tastes. The app uses artificial intelligence and feedback from other users and professional chefs to propose suitable recipes. In addition, it informs the user about local grocery store discounts.

Stabl Energy

Stable Energy from Munich, Germany, has developed a battery storage system which is more economically and environmentally friendly than the existing alternatives in the market. Their solution ensures safety by avoiding high voltages and is robust against battery malfunction. The startup has also patented inverter technology that allows them to offer energy storage solutions from second-life batteries. This technology reduces conversion losses by up to 70%, which saves energy and thus costs and minimizes CO2 emission. Their solution is optimal for commercial or industrial sectors.

Sternum

Sternum is an Israel-based startup that has built a unique embedded security and monitoring solution for IoT devices. Their holistic and highly scalable solution prevents attacks in real-time while providing ongoing visibility and insights into any connected device. The technology seamlessly integrates with the company’s existing development environment and requires no extra hardware. The product suite fits the needs of IoT device manufacturers in various fields, such as medical, industry 4.0, and energy.

Terra Vegane

Terra Vegane produces gourmet foods with an emphasis on optimal nutrition compositions, high-quality ingredients, and bold flavor profiles. This Berlin-based startup offers vegan alternatives for meat, eggs, and cheese without compromising taste, texture, or health. Their products are recognizable, easy to prepare, complimentary to your favorite meals, and can creatively be infused in modern recipes as well. Terra Vegane creates artisan organics foods, all handmade from their vegan production kitchen in Berlin.

UVENTIONS

Germany-based UVENTIONS develops, produces, and distributes smart IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) solutions for disinfection and hygiene management in public spaces. Their system disinfects indoor spaces with UV light, eliminating almost 100% of all infectious agents on surfaces and in the air. It provides continuous, fast, and effective disinfection during normal operations, without using any chemicals.

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At the end of the 20-week program on May 20, the startups will present themselves at the Demo Day in front of an audience consisting of venture capital firms, business angels, industry representatives, experienced founders, and the media.