As a sponsor of By starter price Activelaw was once again able to recognize the work of Lower Saxony startups this year. The prize is awarded by the state of Lower Saxony and NBank to startups from four categories. In addition to prize money of over 40,000 euros, the winners receive mentoring tailored to their needs.
Starting a business is always a bold step. Starting a company during the all-encompassing uncertainty of a pandemic, developing ideas and moving on when bureaucracy, research setbacks or financing problems sets you back... particularly fearless. Twelve Lower Saxony startups were honored for their innovative spirit and courage on December 6 as part of the DurchSTARTER Prize at the Pavillon Cultural Center in Hanover honored.
“We turn founders into entrepreneurs”
But how can activelaw help startups as a law firm? “Startups face the difficulty of being confronted with too much bureaucracy and too little financing,” explains ActiveLaw partner Jörg Offenhausen at the award ceremony. “With EU law in particular, the start has become even more difficult for founders. We help you turn founders into entrepreneurs. If ideas or concepts are not yet fully developed, we can support them and push them in the right direction. After all, good ideas must also sell in the end. ”
More than 80 startups originally applied for the categories “Newcomer/Scale-up”, “Science Spin-off”, “Life Science” and “Social Innovation”. All companies were founded in January 2015 at the earliest and are either still in the development phase or have already successfully launched on the market. Michael Kiesewetter, CEO of NBank and member of the jury, stated on the evening of the awards ceremony: “The wide range of startups, the very different industries — that made the selection of this year's winners particularly exciting! ”
From disinfectant dispensers to social cereal
In fact, the winners could hardly be more different: VisioLab from Osnabrück, 1st place in the “Newcomer/Scale up” category, have developed an autonomous cash register system for canteens and company restaurants. The customer places their tablet on an iPad-based cash register scanner and this automatically recognizes which foods and drinks have been selected. In addition to significantly shorter waiting times for customers, VisioLab is expected to have outstanding scaling potential.
The idea of the winner of the “Life Science” category MAGNUS Medical from Göttingen, promises protection against the rapid spread of viruses: With a combination of hand sanitizer dispenser and door opening system, fewer door handles should be touched and more hands will be disinfected at the same time.
AGVOLUTION from Göttingen, winners in the “Science Spin-off” category, have created a forecasting system for agriculture and forestry based on business intelligence. By evaluating large amounts of data, gardens, fields and trees can be proactively protected against climatic changes and risks.
Received 1st prize in the “Social Innovation” category HEYHO. The organic cereal roaster from Lüneburg employs people who normally have little chance of employment on the job market — true to the motto “We don't hire people to roast oats, we roast oats to hire people! ”
