In the past months, we received more than 130 applications for the second batch of the Future City Incubator.
The BIA team and our panel of judges – which was made up of people from the public and private sectors; partners, investors, and experienced entrepreneurs – selected from a diverse range of applications nine teams for the second cohort of the program.
We are proud to introduce the fantastic startups who made the final cut: Loop, Morpheus, Foodhi, Reflecta.Network, Digital Rheuma Lab, Waste Reduction, KEEP Systems, EcoPals, and Greener EU.
Over the next 8 months, we will support these pre-seed teams in all stages of development to prepare their businesses for market launch & funding, which is enabled through access to the resources of the strong entrepreneurial and urban innovation network within our Smart City Hub.
Learn more about our Teams:
Digital Rheuma Lab:
Digital Rheuma Lab’s mission is to support and develop patient-centric, digital solutions for better rheumatology care. One of the strengths of this company is their interdisciplinary team of patients, physicians, and marketing experts as well as product and software developers, working together to create smart software solutions with the singular goal to improve the everyday life of people affected by rheumatic diseases. In the long term, they would like to contribute to fueling research, exploring new evidence, and improving therapies in rheumatology.
Website: https://digital-rheuma-lab.de
ECOPALS:
Under the mantra “Build new ways”, EcoPals addresses the plastic waste streams that were not recyclable – until now. Ecopals alleviate costs from waste management companies associated with the disposal of non-recyclable plastics by transforming these plastics into a value-add in the road construction industry.
Ecopals works in alliance with the Fraunhofer ICT and Kassel University, together they validated a process and formula to make an asphalt additive based on non-recyclable plastics. During the recycling process, Ecopals identifies feasible plastic waste streams and makes them available to recyclers with the right processing equipment. At the same time, they provide them with a supplement to be mixed with their non-recyclables to create their product.
Additionally, Ecopals offers their innovation to contracting authorities and asphalt mixing plants based on local supply and demand. With this amazing product, they enable the industry to build stronger, sustainable, and affordable roads.
Website: https://ecopals.de
Foodhi:
Foodhi is a hyperlocal online marketplace for locally- and sustainably-sourced food. With a D2C model, concierge convenience, and digital tools for smart food choices, they challenge the status quo of food retailing. Foodhi wants to prevent food waste and reduce the carbon footprint of our food with the help of a smart supply chain. Foodhi is also community-driven and believes that producing and buying food is a joint effort when it comes to sustainability.
Website: coming soon
GreenerEU:
Picturing tourism as a vehicle for positive ecological, economic, and socio-cultural impact. GreenerEU promotes sustainable tourism creating a unique opportunity to positively impact society, the economy, and the environment. By practicing sustainable tourism, we can create prosperity with integrity for generations to come.
GreenerEU’s main challenge is to address inequality and environmentally-related issues and transform them into something positive and beneficial for the communities. With the Green Deal of December 2019, the EU is rapidly turning toward innovative, sustainable solutions, and encouraging sustainable practices to create the foundations of a strong green economy.
Website: https://www.greenereu.com/
KEEP Systems:
With the clear statement “Data protection is not only a cost, it’s also an opportunity” KEEP Systems is helping companies to automate GDPR-required activities and processes for customer data protection. The way it works today is that companies have to communicate and practice how they manage customer data, but at the same time, data is in silos with no way of efficiently retrieving it when needed. KEEP Systems is automating this process and in doing so, also strengthens customer trust and user experience.
“Our goal is to develop software that lowers the barrier for smaller companies to implement GDPR requirements for personal data protection. Customer data protection shouldn’t be an afterthought but instead, something that is built-in from the start.”
Website: https://www.keephq.io/
Loop:
The world now has new requirements for workplaces. No longer is work happening only in offices, but rather spread across many locations, including homes, offices, and co-working spaces. Managing these workplaces flexibly and sustainably is important, whether that’s finding the right service providers for drinks, merchandise, and interior design, or implementing a hot-desking system that keeps your team safe when coming to the office. Loop combines everything you need to run hybrid workplaces into one tool to make this effortless.
Website: https://www.joinloop.io/
Morpheus:
“Simply switch to eco!” Morpheus challenges and makes the ecological decision to switch to 100 % real renewable energy as easy, simple, and democratic as possible to drive the energy transition and cut fossil fuels as soon as possible. Morpheus contributes to a sustainable and brighter future trying to stop the climate crisis.
Website: https://www.joinmorpheus.com/de
reflecta.network (Reflecta):
”A sustainable society that lives together, does business together and includes all parties involved.”
reflecta.network is the first digital platform for social innovators and people who are actively tackling social challenges. This is where future-shapers find the ecosystem they need to make their social ideas come to life. The platform offers a unique network for socially engaged people, organizations, and companies that can enter into the purposeful exchange through an ”intelligent” matching process and find new cooperation partners, mentoring, co-founders, or simply an exchange of knowledge. Reflecta creates the breeding ground for social innovations and the ecosystem for future creators.
Website: https://www.reflecta.network/
Waste Reduction:
Waste Reduction is a group of passionate, creative, and diverse individuals committed to making a difference in the world. Fighting environmental degradation is at the heart of everything they do. Waste Reduction’s goal is to accelerate the transformation towards a circular economy and, by doing so, a clean environment offering a holistic plastic compensation, which enables both industry and consumers to immediately counter today’s plastic crisis. Waste Reduction applies the logic of CO2 compensation to the plastic industry to achieve a reduction in plastic footprint.
Website: https://waste-reduction.de
