The GreenHExagon DemoDay on June, 13th marked the highlight of the Green HExagon programme 2023, an initiative aimed at fostering sustainable entrepreneurial ideas from four European universities. The programme provided support and guidance to 15 startup projects from partner universities, including FH Wiener Neustadt, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, University of Latvia, and University of Tartu.
The aspiring entrepreneurs presented their projects and progress to a distinguished international jury. Following an intense competition, two projects, “Gutopia” (sustainable plant-based bio-kefir) and “Predictable Beekeeping” (technology-based support for beekeepers to combat bee population decline), impressed the jury most. Both projects were awarded prizes of EUR 3000 and EUR 2000 respectively to further develop their start-up ventures.
Sven Parkel, Jury Member, Estonia, comments: “The Demo Day showed a high level of professionalism from the founders and team members who were able to present their ideas in an interesting and structured way. Green HExagon project plays an important role in being part of the innovation value chain nurturing early-stage teams with support and feedback, when it is needed the most.”
The programme participants acknowledge that they have benefited a lot from joining this exciting international programme. Here are some of their thoughts:
Kristīne Štikāne, Team Leader of the winning team “Gutopia”: “I am deeply grateful for this opportunity as during this pre-incubator I had formed my dream team with Anete and Reinis. Our mission as Gutopia is to co-create a healthy and long-living society by healing their gut and caring for the planet with healthy and delicious probiotic plant-based kefir drinks that taste analogue to traditional kefir. And winning the competition has made our dream more feasible.”
Anete Grosberga, Team Leader of the winning team “Predictable Beekeeping”: “The biggest value we received was guidance and recommendations from fantastic programme mentors. I would definitely recommend the programme to any new startup entrepreneur if they want to work towards their sustainable solution, have expert view on their ideas from international perspective and gain guidance from different mentors or involve a new team member in their business idea.”
Andreas Glöckl, Team “meiJausen” (sustainable and healthy lunch boxes): Being part of the Green HExagon 2023 programme with „meiJausen“ was truly beneficial. The depth of knowledge gained, especially from the Business Model and Marketing workshops, was very valuable. I would suggest Green HExagon to anyone looking to start a sustainable business, as it provides solid guidance and support.”
Botho Mabitsela, team “Lo-Krb” (low-carb bread): “My greatest takeaway from the workshops & mentorship was learning to structure everything. That structuring process is the foundation on which one can build a solid business. My favourite was the in-person bootcamp. It was such a delight to meet other aspiring entrepreneurs, getting their input on my business idea and building a network of likeminded people.”
The internationally acclaimed Green HExagon Startup Programme will enter its next phase in early 2024 – stay tuned! And join if you have a business idea you would like to develop!