After an 18-month scaling program, the first cohort of Scale-up.NRW was officially discharged yesterday. A total of 13 startups received intensive support for further growth and expansion into international markets.
Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst opened the graduation ceremony: “The startup scene in North Rhine-Westphalia is a creative center and driver of economic growth. The many committed founders create new jobs and help maintain our international competitiveness. They are willing to take risks, are open-minded and adaptable, and are thus like a fresh cell cure for our economy. Scale-up.NRW provides important support in scaling up and establishing themselves on the market and takes the startups to the next level. These innovations ‘made in NRW’ play a crucial role in the future of our business location.”
Olympic champion and Germany’s most successful swimmer Michael Groß gave a keynote speech on the topic of “Digital Leadership”. In the Fireside Chat with Delia König, Chief Product Officer of the Berlin B2B FinTech Solarisbank and Forbes 30-under-30 award winner, there were exciting insights into the scaling story of the Unicorn company.
Among the guests were ambassadors and mentors from the Scale-up.NRW program as well as ecosystem partners and investors – including from the newly formed DeepTech & Climate Fonds, UVC, eCAPITAL or Haniel Growth Capital.
Financing rounds completed and new markets conquered
The focus of the evening was on the teams of the first cohort, who were ceremoniously presented with certificates and trophies for their successful participation in the program. From completed financing rounds and newly conquered markets to strategic collaborations and winning awards, each startup achieved its own milestones during the program.
“Even in the first startup cohort of Scale-up.NRW, we can celebrate many success stories with each individual team,” says Dr. Klemens Gaida, program manager of Scale-up.NRW. The most important program highlights of the 13 teams summarized:
ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH (Aachen)
ACCURE and STABL Energy announce strategic partnership; ongoing expansion in the U.S.
BenFit-Nutrition GmbH (Düsseldorf)
BenFit conquers new distribution channels and is Germany-wide at Flink
Camper Active GmbH (Düsseldorf)
Development of the U.S. market and progressive expansion in various European markets
Dermanostic GmbH (Düsseldorf)
Dermatologist by app gains collaborations with first public health insurers and new top consultants: Ex-CEO of Douglas Tina Müller & digital expert Marcus Diekmann
FibreCoat GmbH (Aachen)
Successful commissioning of a new production facility in Georgia; FibreCoat CEO Robert Brüll as part of the NRW delegation in Japan led by Minister President Hendrik Wüst
FoxBase GmbH (Düsseldorf)
The sales startup raises 2.5 million euros in venture capital in May 2023; finalist of the Best of Technology Awards 2023 (by WirtschaftsWoche)
IANUS Simulation GmbH (Dortmund)
Internationally, it went to Poland and Italy. In addition, there were several awards, including Top 3 of the German Innovation Award in the SME category; finalist of the Best of Technology Awards 2023 (by WirtschaftsWoche)
Livello GmbH (Düsseldorf)
Acquisition of new customers in Germany and Europe
PHYSEC GmbH (Bochum)
TeleTrusT Innovation Award 2022 goes to PHYSEC; CEO Prof. Dr. Christian Zengerbecomes Ambassador of the City of Bochum
SoSafe GmbH (Cologne)
Development and establishment of new offices in the Netherlands (Amsterdam), France (Paris) and England (London)
troy GmbH (Lippstadt)
3x Gold at the DACH CX Awards
VYTAL Global GmbH (Cologne)
Successful crowdinvesting campaign: 2.9 million euros venture capital for further expansion of reusable solution; market entry in Ireland
Wegatech Greenergy GmbH (Cologne)
10 million euros venture capital from Gothaer
The founders of the first cohort will remain part of Scale-up.NRW and, from September onwards, will help to build up a unique scale-up community in NRW in the form of an alumni network.
About Scale-up.NRW
Scale-up.NRW is the scaling program of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIKE for short). With the program, it completes its already extensive range of support for startups and focuses not only on foundation, but also on internationally oriented growth for startups in the later development stage. It is implemented by the Digital Innovation Hub (digihub) Düsseldorf/Rhineland and German Entrepreneurship.