Saxon Start-up Award 2024: Innovative Leipzig companies secure places on the podium

The Saxon Innovation Conference today brought together over 1,000 players from the innovation and start-up landscape in Dresden's airport terminal under the motto »SCALE 2030«. The highlight of the event was the awarding of the 24th Saxon Start-up Prize, worth a total of 50,000 euros, by Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Dulig. First place went to enaDyne GmbH from Leipzig for its plasma reactors for the production of chemicals and fuels from CO2. Second and third place went to next3D GmbH and Primogene GmbH from the healthcare sector – and thus to other young companies from the Deutscher Platz innovation centre in Leipzig. The learning platform »45minuten« from Dresden won the audience award.

The 2024 State Prize, which was organised by the innovation platform futureSAX GmbH on behalf of the Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs (SMWA), was again very well received with 72 submissions. The total of 108 jurors selected ten nominees and finally the three most promising ideas. Martin Dulig: »The selection of the expert jury and the public shows: Clever, practical concepts for decarbonisation, the healthcare industry and digital education are coming from Saxony. I would like to congratulate the award winners and wish all participants in this year's competition every success. Our innovation platform futureSAX, with its support network of over 12,000 players, will be at their side as a long-term partner. Participation in the competition alone is therefore a benefit for every founder. My thanks go to the jury, which selected the best concepts #InnovationmadeinSaxony on a voluntary basis and with great commitment.«

Steffen Beer, Managing Director of futureSAX GmbH: »For the twelfth time, the Saxon Innovation Conference brought the culture of innovation in the Free State to life in a variety of ways. We were also once again able to celebrate impressive ideas that are characterised by their forward-looking approach with the Saxon Founders' Prize. We look forward to supporting the teams and to strengthening #InnovationmadeinSaxony together.«

The prizewinners of the 2024 Saxon Gründerpreis

First place: enaDyne GmbH (Leipzig, founding year: 2022) | 25.000 euros
Plasma reactors for the production of chemicals and fuels from CO2
www.enadyne.de


enaDyne electrifies the chemical industry with plasma catalysis reactors. These operate at low temperatures and ambient pressure and produce sustainable chemicals and fuels from CO2 – at the same or lower cost than fossil processes. Their modular, container-based design is scalable, flexible to use and enables sustainable industrial decarbonisation.

Second place: next3D GmbH (Leipzig, founded in 2022) | 15.000 euros
Surgical mixed reality navigation system – The GPS for the operating theatre
www.next3d.de


The mixed reality software platform for smartphones, tablets or data glasses enables surgeons to determine the current position of the instrument in the patient. A crosshair visualises the position in the MRI/CT images. This means that the distance to the target area or to risk structures such as blood vessels or nerves is known.

Third place: Primogene GmbH (Leipzig, founded: 2023) | 10.000 euros
Next-generation nutrition for premature babies
www.futuresax.de/primogene


Every year, 15 million children are born prematurely worldwide, which corresponds to one in ten births. Premature births have been the main cause of infant mortality and health consequences for decades. Even when infants are fortunate enough to receive breast milk, it must be fortified to meet the special needs of premature babies. Primogene produces bioactive components of breast milk for optimal nutrition of newborns.

Public price: 45minuten (Dresden, year of foundation: 2021)
Digital platform for sharing fully prepared lessons
www.45-minuten-unterricht.de


All participants in the Saxon State Prize for Entrepreneurship were given the opportunity to present their submitted business idea on the web and take part in a public online vote. Most of the 2,038 votes cast went to »45minuten«. The digital platform created by founder Robert Reuther is used to share fully prepared lessons. In addition to the title of »Winner of Hearts«, he also received an attractive non-cash prize from the Leipzig-based fashion and lifestyle company Spread Group.

The other nominees for the Sächsischer Gründerpreis 2024

* Akademie für Klimajobs (Leipzig, founded: 2024) | www.neuemeister.work
* CMMC GmbH (Chemnitz, founded: 2021) | www.cmmc-engineering.com
* DuCem UG (Weißenborn, founded: 2024)
* DORA Digitale Orthopädie Anwendungen GmbH (Meißen, founded: 2024) | www.activetep.de
* NanoSen GmbH (Chemnitz, founded: 2024) | www.nanosen.de
* regryd GmbH (Dresden, founded: 2022) | www.regryd.de
* VELODEPO GmbH (Dresden, founded: 2021) | www.velodepo.de

Minister of Economic Affairs Dulig continued: »In the Free State of Saxony, almost 60 per cent of all companies are active in innovation. In 2022, the total innovation expenditure of the Saxon economy amounted to around 4.2 billion euros, including more than 1.7 billion euros for purely in-house research and development activities. However, the three major trends - decarbonisation, digitalisation and demographics - are reshuffling the cards both regionally and globally. This will also create new market and growth opportunities for start-ups. The innovation conference showed what is developing in the areas of start-ups, companies, research and transfer, capital and NextGen in the Free State of Saxony and who is on hand to provide support throughout Saxony and across all sectors.

Source: Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport from 19.06.2024