On 30 October, the Innoclub of the TechnologieZentrumDortmund into a stage for bold ideas, creative pitches and real start-up power. Six finalist teams took part in the TU Start-up Award 2025 the judgement of a high-calibre jury - moderated by Sina Ramin Sadegh Nadi.
Impulses & inspiration to kick things off
Dr Ronald Kriedel (CET) and Prof Dr Tessa Flatten (TU Dortmund) opened the event with a clear message: Dortmund offers outstanding conditions for founders - in particular through strong networks, lively dialogue and courageous mentors. The importance of the ecosystem was emphasised once again Dr Thomas Seidensticker, from last year's winner simplyfined, on. Events such as the TU Start-up Award are the perfect opportunity for young entrepreneurs to present themselves and make contacts.
The importance of networks was demonstrated once again Hendrik Schabsky (CEO of ATLAS). It's not just start-ups that have to constantly evolve, traditional companies also have to keep reinventing themselves.
Then it was time for the pitch contest: six finalist teams each had five minutes to convince the jury of their ideas - followed by an open Q&A round for feedback and questions.
Jury & Partner
The jury was made up of experienced experts: Prof Dr Tessa Flatten (TU Dortmund), Dr Thomas Seidensticker (Simplyfined), Dr Martin Oettmeier (Wilo Group), Hendrik Schabsky (Atlas) and Hans Schulze Schwienhorst (Jaeger Group) judged the pitches and chose the winners - no easy task with so much talent on stage!
The winning teams 
🥇 1st place - ParticleART SolutionsDigital solutions for the measurement & visualisation of particles to analyse the cleanliness of production processes
🥈 2nd place & audience award - Grwm.Social fashion shopping app that links outfits from social media directly with shops - including an AI-based, personalised shopping feed.
🥉 3rd place - RivopumpSustainable water pump for small farmers: Powered solely by river current - completely without electricity or diesel.
Other finalists: Ziya, PotMushroom, SemanticMap
Networking & conclusion 🎉
After the exciting pitches, the event moved on to the cosy part: At the after-show party, networking and a start-up fair in the innoclub, founders, investors and interested parties got talking. n a relaxed atmosphere, contacts were made, ideas exchanged and the evening's successes celebrated.
The competition was organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET) - thank you very much for this great event in the service of the Dortmund start-up scene.
