Startup Challenge is seeking pilot projects for rapid implementation

Aachen, Bremen, Oldenburg- Oct 2nd 2019 - Those who have the right cooperation partner at their side can realise innovative ideas more quickly. For this reason, kraftwerk city accelerator bremen and Innoloft GmbH have launched the kraftwerk city accelerator Startup Challenge.

Start-ups have the opportunity to realize their innovation projects in the areas of e-mobility, smart grids and recycling with specific support. The range of innovations targeted is broad. In the field of e-mobility, submissions are possible, ranging from fleet management to the control of charging stations. Applications from startups whose project ideas are dedicated to the topic of automated local networks in Bremen are welcome in the Smart Grids area. In the field of recycling, solutions are in demand that range from liquid manure to sewage sludge to lithium-ion batteries.

Three pilots worth 30,000 euros each

Startups that apply for the kraftwerk city accelerator Startup Challenge and then, after submitting their cooperation ideas, make it into the second phase, will receive an invitation to a pitch event in Bremen in November 2019. Here they have the opportunity to present their cooperation ideas directly at the event. Three startups, which convince the jury most of their project ideas, will be awarded a contract in the form of a pilot project worth 30,000 euros each. If the pilot project is successfully implemented, further long-term cooperation will be discussed. Startups can still apply for the kraftwerk city accelerator Challenge until 7 October 2019. The Kraftwerk city accelerator Bremen is supported by the regionally strongly based company swb as a central infrastructure provider in the region. Swb has committed itself to the goal of boosting innovative strength in the Bremen region and is also focusing on new formats. "Project Pitch is our first event of this kind and replaces the Smart Tech Trophy which has taken place in recent years. We are very much looking forward to getting to know our potential pilots together with swb on 26.11.2019," says Christoph Wiegmann, General Manager of kraftwerk - city accelerator bremen. Since last year, kraftwerk has been pursuing a new support strategy for start-ups: instead of rigid support programs, kraftwerk now adapts its support individually to the level of maturity and needs of the start-ups. This time, the winners of the Project Pitch will be given the opportunity to prove their prototypes, products or services in the Bremen market. "Together with swb and EWE as strong partners, we are creating a platform for startups from the utility and smart city sector," adds Wiegmann.

Looking forward to implementing pilot projects in the mobility sector

While the kraftwerk city accelerator Bremen Challenge is in full progress, the winners of the EWE Challenge have already been chosen. Innoloft GmbH and EWE AG had already announced it in August and generated great interest among start-ups in the mobility sector. "We are incredibly proud to have organised a pitch event of a different kind - both for the jury and for the start-ups. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, all the selected startups delivered Pitches on a very high and professional level" is the positive echo of the organizers of the Creator Space Team. "That's why we're very happy that e2work has also won an award in addition to IO Dynamics and can't wait to start working together," the Creator Space Team continues. Both startups can look forward to an starting grant of 40.000 Euro for the implementation of their pilot projects.

Finding suitable cooperation partners through individual startup challenges

In order to accelerate innovations in companies, Innoloft GmbH supports the process and helps to find cooperation partners. "With our Startup Challenges, companies can take an abbreviation for the realization of their innovation and digitization strategies. The challenges are based on a well thought-out, structured process and are embedded in our digital network," explains Sven Pietsch, CEO of Innoloft GmbH. "Each challenge is individually designed as a white label solution for the company. They are given access to precisely targeted cooperation ideas from startups with whom cooperation is imaginable," continues Pietsch. Innoloft accompanies the challenges as a partner throughout the entire application and selection process, including the organisation of the Innovation Day.

For more details …

kraftwerk city accelerator Bremen - Challenge: https://kraftwerk-accelerator.innoloft.com/#challenge
EWE Challenge: https://ewe.energieloft.de/

Katja Reisswig
Innoloft GmbH c/o digitalHUB Aachen
Jülicher Str. 72 a
52070 Aachen
k.reisswig@innoloft.com
+49 162 136 05 96
www.innoloft.com

About Innoloft
Innoloft is an innovation network that provides companies and investors with an intelligent network of start-ups and creates transparency about current innovations. Startups can develop better because they can find suitable partners, customers and investors more quickly. At the same time, companies also gain easier access to new innovations and corresponding implementation partners. In addition to the digital network, Innoloft offers established companies a wide range of services in the field of innovation management, such as start-up challenges, innovation and start-up scouting as well as business model development. Since its foundation, more than 4,000 companies in Germany have joined the network and numerous companies from the energy sector use Innoloft's services. The network partners include major trade fairs at which Innoloft has successfully established the Startup Speed-Dating format. Until recently, Innoloft GmbH was still active under the "Energieloft" brand. With the new name, the network has opened up to all technology sectors. Innoloft not only wants to take account of the fact that the topic of energy also plays a major role in other industries, but that other technology sectors also need an innovation boost in order to solve important social challenges.

About kraftwerk-city accelerator bremen
Shaping the future means giving space to ideas so that they grow and become reality. Coworking-Space, Incubator, Accelerator - kraftwerk supports start-ups and young companies on their way to the market. Our topics: Energy, Mobility, Transportation/Traffic and Waste disposal/Recycling. Our goal: The infrastructure of tomorrow's cities. Together we bring ideas to success. www.kraftwerk-accelerator.com

About swb
swb has been firmly established as a commercial enterprise in Bremen, Bremerhaven and the surrounding area for more than 160 years. With energy, drinking water and telecommunications, the group offers the basis for a modern life. swb also provides lighted roads, disposes of your waste and is the largest provider of e-mobile charging infrastructure in the state of Bremen. And this is only a small part of its know-how. swb is a company from the region for the region for education and for the environment. Offering meeting places for people, promoting new ideas or formats, this and much more is part of their self-image. swb supports the kraftwerk city accelerator Bremen. Because swb wants to stay in motion and move things. The kraftwerk is exactly the right place for this. www.swb.de

About EWE
As an innovative service provider, EWE is active in the fields of energy, telecommunications and information technology. With over 8,500 employees and a turnover of around 5.7 billion euros in 2018, EWE is one of the largest energy companies in Germany. The company is headquartered in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, and is predominantly owned by municipalities. It supplies around 1.4 million customers in north-western Germany, Brandenburg, Rügen and parts of Poland with electricity, around 0.8 million with natural gas and around 0.7 with telecommunications services. Various EWE Group companies operate electricity, natural gas and telecommunications networks with a total length of over 190,000 kilometres. In the coming years, EWE intends to invest more than 1.2 billion euros in a comprehensive fiber glass expansion project and thus create the basis for the digitalization of the Northwest. You can find out more about EWE at www.ewe.com

This release was published on openPR.