The first Bonn Impact Pitch Night sent a strong signal for regional innovation and entrepreneurial spirit: Five promising teams presented their ideas to over 100 interested attendees in the packed hall and to an experienced jury awarding prize money of €3,000, €2,000, and €1,000 to the three best concepts.
First place for Team Femi-ON
First place went to the Femi-ON team with a medical solution for relieving menstrual pain without medication. The interdisciplinary team consists of engineers and biologists with a strong technical background.
Second place for mobilityHQ
Second place went to mobilityHQ. The team presented a dashboard that bundles mobility data from various modes of transport and supports local authorities in efficiently managing mobility services, thereby enabling better cooperation with mobility providers, for example by quickly setting up no-parking zones. The idea originated from the MIAAS research project at H-BRS.
Third place for Science Music Show
The Science Music Show, an interactive science communication format from the University of Bonn, was awarded third place. The show combines live music with live experiments to make complex scientific topics such as the energy transition accessible to a broad audience. Project manager Dr. Jana Heysel has already conceived and staged a physics show musical this year. The format was developed by the physics show at the University of Bonn and is unique worldwide.
SafeRouty and InterRegioReconnect also in the final
The two other finalists were SafeRouty from the University of Bonn with its app for safe journeys home, and InterRegioReconnect from Alanus University, which provided innovative solutions in line with the spirit of the times with sustainable solutions for regional transport.
The evening kicked off with a keynote speech by Rebecca Göckel, co-founder of the vegan organic ice cream brand NOMOO. In her keynote, she emphasized the importance of impact-oriented business models for a sustainable economy.
Passion and innovative spirit
"At the end of the first year of the SoNaR project, the focus is on our founders. With passion and innovative spirit, these teams have proven that it is possible to turn bold ideas into viable business models that combine social and environmental impact," says Karoline Noth, who is the project manager at H-BRS and hosted the evening together with Paul Ziegler from Alanus University. Greta Mittweg-Grapentin, Innovation Scout at the University of Bonn, adds: “The great response and the high-caliber business ideas we saw on stage today confirm our approach. With our consulting services in the field of social entrepreneurship, we support the teams in developing their ideas into marketable products and making a contribution to society.”
The jury was made up of experienced representatives from the regional start-up and impact ecosystem: Christopher Franz (Office for Economic Development of the City of Bonn / Sustainability Hub Bonn), Rebecca Göckel (nomoo), Verena Hermelingmeier (bonnvivir GmbH), Jonathan Kümmerle (VEMO Logistik), and Patrick Weisker (Anthropia).
The Bonn Impact Pitch Night impressively demonstrated the potential for sustainable and public welfare-oriented innovations in the region, as well as the interest in them, and underscores the role of universities as potential catalysts for a sustainable start-up culture.
The “SoNaR” project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy with funds from the European Social Fund Plus.