A new technology for splitting stone fruit kernels, virtual reality tours for houses, predictive analytics or a CNC milling machine and software – the range of startups in the # believing-Challenge Industry in the Linzer Tabakfabrik was great. In the end, UpNano was able to prevail in the jury of experts among the nine young companies. The startup has developed a 3D printer that can fabricate very small parts – about the size of a pencil tip.
UpNano prevailed against 7lytix, compunity, Minimill, Mixteresting, MoxVR, The Button, Kern-Tec and Seven Bel. Now the Vienna startup, a spin-off from the TU, will meet the other finalists on the stage of the 4Gamechangers Festival – the MedTech SteadySense, the Mobility startup Carployee, the FinTech getsby, the Tourism Startup Rateboard and the Energy Startup Fishcon , The overall winner of the Challenge # 2019 Challenge will be “Startup of the Year” and will receive prizes worth more than € 100,000 from Erste Bank & Sparkassen, Trending Topics, Simon Kucher & Partners, Coca Cola and Conda.
The jury decision
“With UpNano, you can print castles on pencils in high resolution,” says co-founder Denise Mandt, who pitched for UpNano. The “High Resolution 3D Printing” is exciting for the pharmaceutical industry, for example, where the technology could be used in cell research or drug research. A printer – it costs about 500,000 euros – could already sell the startup.
For the jury – Anita Raffetseder (Sparkasse Oberösterreich), Markus Manz, (tech2b), Michael Altrichter (startup300), Andreas Schwarzenbrunner (Speedinvest), Alex Stockinger (Founder Service Chamber of Commerce Upper Austria) and Othmar Schwarz (Simon Kucher & Partners) – it was not easy decision.
“We really did have a hard time. Anyone who has pitched has already won. We wanted to send two startups as winners in the final. But in the end it has become UpNano, “says jury spokesman Michael Altrichter. The jury would not only have looked at the business model, team and product, but also the pitches themselves. “We also looked at who can best bring his startup through in a pitch on the big stage of the finals,” said Altrichter. Beside UpNano Mixteresting was in the shortlist.
Next Stop: The final in Vienna
UpNano, SteadySense, Fishcon, getsby, RateBoard and Carployee are now on stage on the 9th of April in the grand finale at the 4Gamechangers Festival. It will decide who will be the big winner of the Challenge # 2019 Challenge. Get your tickets here and be there live!