Biotech startup Opsyon wins the first place with innovative antibodies for cancer therapies. Second and third place go to fintech Divizend and robotics startup sewts.
The three startups win the final competition phase after two evaluation rounds with around 80 participating teams from all over southern Bavaria. They receive winning prizes worth a total of 30,000 euros. Their focus is on tech solutions for the fields of biotechnology, application software and mechanical engineering.
Dr. Carsten Rudolph, Managing Director of BayStartUP
Many of the nominees and winners in the competition work on new technologies in a university setting. BayStartUP works closely with them via startup workshops and consultations for encouraging the startup scene in the university landscape. Particularly in view of the breadth of Bavaria, there is still some potential to be leveraged here.
Partner
A huge thank you to our long-time partner and sponsor of the business plan competitions, the LfA Förderbank Bayern.
The winning teams
1st place: Opsyon from Munich
Opsyon is developing innovative multifunctional antibodies with reduced side effects to improve therapeutic options for cancer patients. Opsyon's antibodies directly target cancer cells as well as the so-called immune checkpoint and use the full spectrum of the immune system to specifically and permanently eliminate cancer cells. With these novel therapies, Opsyon offers patients with acute myeloid leukemia or pancreatic cancer, among others, the opportunity for longer survival with a high quality of life.
2nd place: Divizend GmbH from Munich
Divizend is developing a software platform that allows private investors to reclaim foreign withholding taxes on dividends. The aim is to make the refund process as digital as possible and barrier-free for the customer. To this end, the digital tax assistant guides end customers intelligently and purposefully through the process. The use of open bank API interfaces, such as the EU standard PSD2, is an essential prerequisite for this. For this purpose, the company creates the connection to international tax authorities for the seamless digital transfer of tax data.
3ed place: sewts GmbH from Munich
sewts is a provider of innovative control and image processing software that enables robots to perform more sensitive motor skills when processing easily deformable materials. Their technology uses high-precision finite element method simulation to efficiently train machine learning algorithms. The intelligent software solution enables numerous applications in industrial automation, such as textile processing in industrial laundries or garment manufacturing.
Startups that were also nominated in the finale
- 247FactoryNet from Tutzing develops a digital platform that enables machine manufacturers and operators to exchange information. From documents or videos to digital machine data, any digital knowledge can be mapped and used in a variety of ways by means of flexible modeling technology.
- Accemic Technologies from Kiefersfelden provides a patented solution that monitors and analyzes embedded processors live. This makes their tests more efficient and thus software-based systems safer as well as more reliable.
- AVES Reality from Garmisch-Partenkirchen generates virtual 3D worlds as environment models based on satellite data, deep learning and automation. Their technology is used in the simulation of autonomous vehicles; other B2B applications are conceivable in architecture or urban planning, among others.
- Dynamic-Video from Aitrang offers "Mozaik", a cloud-based software-as-a-service solution that enables organizations and companies to shoot professional videos with their smartphones quickly, easily and inexpensively.
- HyLOG from IFEC GmbH based in Munich enables automatic air and surface disinfection during room use. The patented technology is based on ultrasonic cold fogging and complements previous hygiene measures.
- Invitris from Munich is tackling the challenge of antibiotic-resistant infections. To this end, the startup is developing therapies with natural virus particles known as (bacterio)phages. Invitris has a proprietary platform technology to produce any phage safely and in high concentrations.
25th anniversary of the Munich Business Plan Competition
The Munich Business Plan Competition has existed for already 25 years. Numerous successful companies took their first steps onto the market with the help of the competition, including ChromoTek, Fazua, Pieris and Aerolas. Today, as in the past, the focus of the competition is on sharpening business ideas through expert feedback and preparing young founding teams for challenges in the market environment and in financing. A good ranking in the competition is often the starting point for inquiries from investors and industry.
Hans Peter Göttler, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of LfA Förderbank Bayern
The Munich Business Plan Competition is a success story. The past 25 years have impressively shown how many innovative ideas, what great talent and how much courage the Bavarian founders have. And that pays off, because many startups from past competitions are successful companies today. Of course, this requires the right financing. LfA provides sustainable support for founders with further optimized development loans, risk assumption and venture capital that are specifically tailored to their needs.
Photo stage: BayStartUP / Andreas Gebert