Winners from phase 1 in the Northern Bavaria Business Plan Competition

Better Reply (Köditz) is an AI-supported platform for the efficient management of Google reviews. Better Reply generates intelligent reply suggestions in over 100 languages, which are formulated in the style and content of the company. By taking into account stored company information, precise and authentic answers are created that contribute to strengthening customer loyalty and a professional online reputation.

BreatheAssist (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg / Medical Valley Center Erlangen) offers a measuring and control unit on the patient that reacts to every breathing impulse in real time. For the first time, the system fully compensates for tube resistance and enables ‘electronic extubation’. Patients breathe naturally, remain conscious and retain their respiratory muscles. The benefits are impressive: less lung damage, shorter ventilation times, reduced need for sedation and considerable relief for hospital staff.

ENDOLEASE (University Hospital Würzburg) is developing an implantable platform technology for the precise, localised release of drugs directly into the arterial bloodstream. This technology minimises systemic side effects and maximises treatment efficiency through targeted drug delivery to affected tissues or organs. ENDOLEASE has great potential for difficult-to-treat diseases in cardiology, oncology, neurology and transplantation medicine.

fiveD (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) is developing a software solution for hyper-realistic radar simulations. Thanks to physics-based modelling, radar systems can be efficiently developed, optimised and validated - from sensor hardware to AI-supported signal processing. Companies from the automotive industry, aerospace, automation and other sectors benefit from accelerated development cycles, lower costs and improved performance.

LaMa Recycling Technologies (SKZ Würzburg) has developed a scalable technology to make post-industrial materials (PIR) available so that they can go into the normal product stream. Until now, this plastic waste has been sent for disposal due to its composition or material content, even though it consists of more than 95% pure plastic. In future, several thousand tonnes of valuable raw materials can be made available again for plastics processors and waste avoided.

ProcessBridge (Würzburg) combines in-depth SAP knowledge with generative artificial intelligence to accelerate the completion of IT projects. ProcessBridge provides support through the automated creation of test cases, documentation and training materials, thus helping to reduce overheads in project operations. This saves costs, standardises results and frees up human resources for value-adding activities.

Rivercyte (Max Planck Centre for Physics and Medicine Erlangen) is fundamentally changing clinical infection diagnostics in newborns by recording the physical properties of blood cells for the first time. All that is needed is a drop of blood, the cells of which are deformed using high-throughput microscopy and AI-based image analysis in combination with microfluidics, and the infection status is sensed from this. This makes infection diagnostics faster, cheaper and standardised.

RocketMind (OTH Regensburg) combines an app with an interactive, sensor-based toy. Scientifically sound psychological methods, cleverly integrated into challenges, strengthen the self-esteem, resilience and emotional intelligence of children and young people. Gamification elements and personalised content ensure a target group-specific approach. The physical gadget and the augmented reality functions in the app bring the game into the real world.

StrokeCap (University of Würzburg) significantly improves stroke care through mobile, radiation-free diagnostics in the emergency services. The innovative cap uses magnetic nanoparticles to measure cerebral blood flow in real time, enabling rescue teams to make precise diagnoses and initiate treatment at an early stage. This shortens treatment times, reduces follow-up costs and increases patient safety. Cost-efficient, user-friendly and scalable, StrokeCap sets new standards in emergency medicine.

Vasc-on-Demand (University Hospital Würzburg) develops artificial blood vessels for more realistic tissue models and thus improves preclinical studies. Currently, 90 % of drug candidates fail in clinical trials, 40 % of them due to lack of efficacy in humans. Functional, human-like vascularisation in ready-to-use consumables can overcome precisely these hurdles - saving time and money, reducing animal testing and accelerating research in pharma, biotech and academia.

Tobias Bladowski, Head of the Business Plan Competition Northern Bavaria:

‘The diversity and innovative strength of this year's winners show the enormous potential of the North Bavarian start-up scene. Our aim is to prepare start-ups for market entry and the next round of financing in the best possible way with practical expert feedback and a strong network.’