It’s that time again: The #believeinyourself challenge by Erste Bank and Sparkasse, Austria’s largest start-up competition, will bring the country’s best young companies to the big stage again in 2023. Once again, the candidates for the final in Vienna will be determined in various categories in the federal states. The event in Burgenland on March 28 marks the beginning. Seven startups compete in the Energy & Climate Protection category.
The event will take place on Tuesday, March 28th, from 6 p.m. at the Hotel Galántha in Eisenstadt. Registrations to be part of the event as a spectator are possible here. The winning startup will then compete in Vienna on May 24 with 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 up, the digital platform for training and further education for Austria’s economy.
The nominated startups
ClearCO2
The start-up ClearCO2 wants to make it easier for customers to offset their CO2 emissions through investments. Small and medium-sized companies in the food sector in particular should be able to invest in green projects and receive “carbon credits” for them. The goal of ClearCO2 is to support one gigatonne of CO2 savings in the food sector by 2030.
nista.io
The Viennese startup nista.io offers analysis software for energy managers. This should enable them to set their efficiency targets as precisely as possible. The system examines sensor data with the help of artificial intelligence, which means that its own technology can be researched in detail without any programming skills. In addition, the young company also offers an “Energy Coach” with which users can determine their own energy consumption.
Airxbig
The Burgenland startup Airxbig focuses on the area of drones. These have many opportunities to optimize and digitize work processes, for example in agriculture. To help companies use drones effectively, Airxbig is developing its own one-stop-shop solution for these machines. In a current project, the startup uses the drones to analyze the solar potential of communities.
REEDuce
Noise protection walls for motorways, railway tracks and residential areas made from completely natural materials: This is the concept of the Viennese start-up REEDuce. Your noise protection walls made of thermowood, clay and reed represent a much more sustainable alternative to the usual concrete or aluminum walls.
REPS (Road Energy Production System)
The young company REPS (Road Energy Production System) comes from Tyrol. The startup has developed a patented system for converting lost energy from automobiles into electricity. It consists of a mechanism that withstands the high loads on roads and converts impulses into electricity. Roads should thus become sustainable sources of energy.
energy digital
The Graz start-up company energiedigital has integrated all the important functions for operating an energy community on one platform. This includes energy planning, participant administration, monitoring and billing. Customers should be able to obtain local, green electricity at cost price through these energy communities.
Sunforge
The team at the Graz startup Sonnenschmiede makes it easier to switch from apartment buildings to solar energy. The young company takes care of the planning, construction, operation and billing of photovoltaic systems. This gives the apartment buildings a PV system that is individually tailored to their needs.
The jury in Eisenstadt
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 winner of the City Pitch and, of course, advancement to the final! There, prize money of 10,000 euros and a PR package worth 10,000 euros as well as tickets for the Wolves Summit and a preliminary round match of the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 are at stake.