Pitched — and Winning

Kevin Costa and Carlo Mailänder (2nd and 3rd from left) and Darcy Maguire (not pictured) were awarded the audience-selected Community Award (€5,000) for their app “Bloom Future.” The team said, “Our recipe for success lies in our background as UX designers. We are taking on an issue that is incredibly relevant: providing real support to young people in their career orientation. The app not only looks good, but is also 100 percent tailored to its target groups: students who need guidance and companies looking for suitable apprentices.

Maritza Bonano and Ann-Sophie Czech (first and second from left, with Katharina Rust from Heilbronn University on the right) have won the Female Founders Award (€5,000), presented by Heilbronn, the city of knowledge. Their app, “ChangePath,” is an AI-native platform for young professionals looking to change jobs or careers. CEO and co-founder Czech says: “For us, excellence means being strict about the why, flexible about the how, and always closely connected to the people whose needs we are developing ChangePath for. We work remote-first and communicate asynchronously using Slack, Notion, and Fathom. Every decision is documented, and every new team member is immediately able to take on tasks. Thinking AI natively and launching quickly—we built the first version of the app in 30 days.”

The ONE Driving Force Award (€10,000), presented by early-stage investor D11Z Ventures, went to Philipp Heideker (left) and Lennard Greve (right) from “Sleak AI.” The software trains sales teams at companies such as Würth and Vodafone, among others, using AI-supported conversation simulators. The founders explain: “In the age of AI, we are deliberately focusing on people. We believe in a future in which technology does not replace, but empowers and helps, people to develop their potential. We support salespeople so that they can act with more confidence, communicate better, and continue to grow step by step.”

A budget of €25,000 for a pilot project with Audi—that is the prize awarded to “Common Sense Robotics” for winning the Co-Innovation Award. The founding team was not present at the award ceremony (pictured are three representatives from Audi holding the check). Co-founder Valentijn Destoop says: “Our excellence lies in combining scientific depth with industrial applicability. We have brought together more than fifty years of robotics and AI experience from research and industry to develop reliable manual ‘touch work’ automation.” Our software automatically translates human work instructions into reproducible, safe robotic execution.

Co-founders Charlene Lin and John Iwueke (3rd and 4th from left) and Daniel Lupan (not pictured) from “EcoComply” were delighted to receive the ONE Hundred Award and a €100,000 investment from the Campus Founders Venture Studio. The AI platform offers small and medium-sized manufacturers tailor-made compliance solutions: complete product files, test requirements, declarations, and registrations for batteries, packaging, and more. Lin says: “For us, excellence is not something loud or extraordinary, but something elemental. Our system combines the precision of AI with human judgment. We translate vague and constantly changing regulations into something that actually helps companies move forward, so they are not just working through checklists, but bringing products to market faster and without any anything being overlooked.”