The #believeinyourself challenge, the largest startup competition in Austria, is entering the second round of events in the federal states and is stopping in Lower Austria. On Wednesday, March 29th, seven young companies from the field of Bio & Agricultural Innovation will compete in the Konerei in St. Pölten.
Register here to be a spectator at the event. The winning startup will then compete in Vienna on May 24 against the winners of the other City Pitches for the title “Startup of the Year 2023”. The winning teams of the City Pitches will also receive a cash prize of EUR 1,000 from Erste Bank and Sparkasse as well as two annual licenses for wîse upthe digital platform for education and training for Austria’s economy.
The nominated startups
Worm Systems
The Upper Austrian startup Worm Systems is known for its worm boxes. These are man-high wooden boxes full of soil, compost – and of course compost worms. This is particularly attractive in the city because, unlike in the country, there is often no access to a compost heap on which to empty the organic waste. Eager gardeners in balconies can gain valuable humus through composting.
grovvy
The startup grovvy offers a tiny garden for your home. It is a fully autonomous and self-sufficient planting system. Customers should be able to grow plants on every balcony and terrace. It should be possible to operate the modules for up to three weeks without watering thanks to the solar-powered irrigation system, which waters in doses adapted to the conditions.
Atta
The Styrian start-up company Atta concentrates on mushroom cultivation. The start-up’s mushroom cultivation systems should enable a smooth entry into professional mushroom cultivation. With its fruiting modules, the company creates the ideal climate for the respective type of mushroom. With this, the team wants to bring more mushrooms onto the menu and thus make the world a little more sustainable and healthier.
Unique Insects
The startup Unicus Insects comes from Lower Austria and wants to contribute to a strong circular economy through insect breeding. The young company fattens the larvae of black soldier flies with unused residues from the feed and food industry. The larvae can then be used as meat and fish substitutes in animal feed. There should be no waste, as the larvae droppings are used as organic fertilizer.
Zez power
The Styrian start-up company Zetz Kraft has set itself the goal of making an effective and sustainable fertilizer from sheep’s wool. According to the team, sheep’s wool is an excellent long-term fertilizer for plants thanks to valuable ingredients, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Sheep’s wool is also a perfect water reservoir, loosens the soil and regulates the pH value.
Chianinahof
The Chianinahof farm in Styria offers quality meat from very special livestock breeds. The farm, run by model Cheyenne Ochsenknecht and her husband Nino Sifkovits, promises high-quality products from Chianina beef, straw pig and Ile de France lamb. The farm promises the highest animal welfare and controlled breeding of the animals.
OASYS
The young Viennese company OASYS wants to support its customers in growing plants in their homes. Own compact towers with a number of openings allow you to grow plants using the hydroponic method. This method completely dispenses with the use of soil and uses 95 percent less water than conventional cultivation. OASYS modules also do not need any pesticides or chemicals.
The jury in St. Pölten
The startups compete again in front of a top-class jury. This decides which start-up company will make it into the final of the #believeinyourself challenge. The jury members are:
1,000 euros await the final winner and, of course, advancement to the final! There, the prize money of 10,000 euros and a PR package worth 10,000 euros are at stake.