The most innovative and forward-looking ideas were honored at the award ceremony in the Power Tower of Energie AG Linz - with prizes worth a total of around EUR 50,000!
The award winners
Category PIONIER:INNEN powered by Sparkasse Oberösterreich
MindEcho: A bridge to a self-determined life
MindEcho is an assisted communication system for children and people with speech impairments that, apart from the ability to make sounds, can be used without any other motor or cognitive skills, as a neural network is trained with the individual sounds of the impaired person to express basic needs and thus enable a self-determined life through communication with the environment.
The winners receive prize money of € 5,000. Unicorn sponsor: Sparkasse Oberösterreich. Other sponsors: Creative Region Linz, University of Art and Design Linz
Category GREENTECH powered by Siemens AG
BIOSHIFT Energy: An innovative approach to producing biomethane from waste materials
BIOSHIFT develops innovative, decentralized plants for the production of renewable gas. Our patented technology efficiently converts biomass residues into storable, feed-in biomethane, which can directly replace fossil natural gas. Industry gains access to renewable gas, farmers generate additional income per hectare, grid operators benefit from load balancing and communities benefit from regional value creation instead of fossil fuel imports.
Prize money of € 5,000 was awarded. Unicorn sponsor: Siemens Upper Austria
MEDTECH powered by GE HealthCare
PflegeZeit: Seeing the person.
PflegeZeit specializes in using digitalization to put the focus on people in care. We make this possible by combining cognitive [&] physiotherapeutic exercises and cultural heritage. This not only relieves the burden on care staff, but also enables seniors to age with dignity.
Prize money of € 5,000 was awarded. Unicorn sponsor: GE HealthCare
HIGHTECH powered by KGG UBG & OÖ HightechFonds
Straion: The future of AI-supported software development
Straion is developing an AI-powered software platform that helps large engineering teams develop software products faster, more transparently and in compliance.
Prize money of € 5,000 was awarded. Unicorn sponsor: KGG UBG & OÖ HightechFonds
EDISON JUNIOR powered by Flow Factor
Motorized through life: Revolutionary walking aid sets new standards
The innovative walking aid gives people with mobility impairments new freedom and quality of life. It is designed to help people regain their independence with the help of a walking scooter and active walking support.
The prize money of € 2,000 was awarded to the entire school class. In addition, the winning team received a free bank account including card, free pitch training and a free workstation for one year at the Sparkasse Startrampe in the Tabakfabrik.
Unicorn sponsor: Flow Factor GmbH. Other sponsors: Sparkasse Oberösterreich, Schrack Technik GmbH
CHANGEMAKER powered by WKO OÖ
Moldsonics is the manufacturer of a completely new type of ultrasonic sensor system for injection molds and plasticizing units, which makes it possible to measure quality parameters such as flow fronts, flow speeds, solidification behavior or wear without contact.
The precise determination of these quality parameters leads to a reduction in rejects in the manufacture of products, lower production costs, greater efficiency and increased productivity.
The winners received a PR package worth around € 15,000. Unicorn sponsor: WKOÖ
EDISON ALVA powered by PIER 4
The EDISON ALVA award category for companies recognizes particularly outstanding collaborations between start-ups and leading companies from the PIER 4 network in Upper Austria. It was not possible to apply for this award; the experts from the PIER 4 lead consultant group had the right to nominate. The "Automated end-of-line test system with AI-based image evaluation" project from Aspöck Systems emerged as the winner among the nominated cooperation projects. The automated AI quality control system was developed and implemented together with the startup Danube Dynamics.
The winner will receive media coverage in the form of a PR package worth around €10,000. Unicorn sponsor: PIER 4 Other sponsors: CHEFINFO, Die Macher
Thank you to all participants, the jury - and a very special thank you to our sponsors and partners for their support!
Congratulations to all the winners - we are thrilled with your ideas and excited to see how your journey continues!
