Naotilus, Sustomer and StickTo fly to Silicon Valley.

Convincing ideas for the energy and mobility transition, the shortage of skilled workers or sustainable consumption - the finalists of the nationwide high-flyer competition offer solutions to current challenges. The applications submitted were so exciting that this time the jury nominated seven instead of six start-ups for the final on October 5 in the state government's guest house.

In just 6 minutes each, the founders presented their business idea to Minister of Economic Affairs Claus Ruhe Madsen and the jury made up of representatives from various Schleswig-Holstein companies. Their goal: to win one of the three trips to San Francisco and Silicon Valley. "With your innovative and often technological ideas and products, you are making an important contribution and are also challenging established companies to develop further with your innovative strength. This makes Schleswig-Holstein stronger as an economic state overall," said the Minister of Economic Affairs, as patron of the competition, emphasizing the role of the young entrepreneurs.

After strong pitches and an intensive jury meeting, Christian Rühmann from Naotilus was able to win the most votes with the control and optimization of heating networks. "The USA is definitely an interesting market for us. We are looking forward to the trip to Silicon Valley, the spirit on site and many good and useful contacts," said Rühmann after the award ceremony.

The jury voted Samira Huber and Ruben Hammerle into second place with Sustomer, an app for demonstrably sustainable shopping. Lena Mertens, Philipp Özren and Julian Rissen from StickTo took third place with their app to help students with career guidance

The high-flyers are expected to spend a whole week in February 2023 experiencing the start-up mecca of Silicon Valley and San Francisco up close. They will benefit from The Bay Areas' close contacts as they take a look behind the scenes. The association organizes meetings for the winning start-ups with investors from Silicon Valley, American start-ups and business representatives. The high-flyers receive intensive feedback and inspiration for their own business idea in personal discussions.

Networking can start immediately on site in Schleswig-Holstein. Both The Bay Areas and the Marketing Club Schleswig-Holstein presented the seven finalists with a free annual membership.

About the 7 finalists:

This year's finalists focus on digital products or services in their business models and offer solutions for the challenges of our time, such as the energy and mobility transition, the shortage of skilled workers and sustainability or the health of employees.

Mob (Hohn)

Simplifying sustainable mobility via public transport: Mob combines all public transport apps in one interface. One access for all providers. Simple billing of tickets.

Explo (Kiel)

Explo is the TripAdvisor of the future, with short-form videos for Generation Z, based on hyper-local recommendations for authentic experiences.

Bareways (Lübeck)

Mobility on all routes: Precise information on the drivability of roads and routes in real time - depending on the type of vehicle and the desired driving experience.

StickTo (Elmenhorst)

Using digital career guidance to combat the shortage of skilled workers: information on current professions and the companies that train them.

Naotilus (Lübeck)

AI support for the heat transition: By evaluating the heat actually used on the consumer side, the heat production processes on the manufacturer side can be optimized.

Soulbreak (Kiel)

Digital break room: Digital offer for employees to reduce stress levels and increase mental health.

Sustomer (Lübeck)

Real, sustainable shopping: The app provides information about the entire production route and CO2 footprint of food right up to the supermarket.

Photos: Jan Konitzki