The University of Stuttgart graduates impressed the jury with their startup Swabian Instruments, and are one of three finalists in the Startup category at the German Entrepreneur Awards. As finalists, they win a media training course at the television network ZDF and a consulting session from Porsche Consulting. Also, a mentor from the Board of Trustees at the Entrepreneur Awards will provide support to the startup for at least a year.
Swabian Instruments develop high-precision measuring devices, which are used for example in microscopy and in new quantum technologies. Their clients include large research institutions from around the world, including the Max Planck Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Being nominated as a finalist at the German Entrepreneur Awards is a huge success. This prize underlines the influence that our technology has in the field of high-precision digital measurements”, says Dr. Helmut Fedder, CEO of Swabian Instruments. The selection procedure for the German Entrepreneur Awards is long and drawn-out. “It’s a multi-stage process, in which we had to present our business idea, our values and aims as well as our business figures and other things. The main presentation in front of the jury was at the end of May. Our motivation, entrepreneurial spirit and our ability to persuade people played a very important part here”, says Fedder.
The German Entrepreneur Awards
The German Entrepreneur Award ("Der Deutsche GRünderpreis") is a prize for entrepreneurs in Germany. The aim of the initiative is to encourage a positive environment for start-ups in Germany and give people the courage to be independent. The prize is awarded every year in the categories of Startups, Rising Stars, Lifetime Achievement and Students. The German Entrepreneur Awards are sponsored by companies and organizations such as the magazine stern, the banking group Sparkasse, the television network ZDF and the car manufacturer Porsche, which has been involved in promoting entrepreneurship and start-up culture since 1997. It is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy.
The ZDF will convey the award to the winners from among the three finalists in each category at a gala held on July 2, 2019. You can watch a livestream [de] of the gala from 8 PM German time.
press release: Startup from the University of Stuttgart wins Innovation Award 2018