For the first time, Ebersberg honored district citizens for their creative ideas.
The community of Aßling creamed twice.
Ebersberg - The two developers Andreas Funkenhauser and Florian Ruhland actually wanted to get started with their latest product in March of last year: a back-of-hand scanner that is supposed to keep their hands free for employees in logistics centers.
It has now brought them first place in the Ebersberg district's 2020 innovation award.
“Everyone in a logistics center had an iPad or laser scanner in their hand and had to keep changing,” the Aßlinger Funkenhauser noted in 2018.
According to Funkenhauser, a 45 gram touchscreen and scanner for the back of the hand should help and make the work up to 40 percent more efficient: “The workers get every order on the device, where they should go and what things they have to pick Hands free, ”he explains.
The in-house program included - so no other software is required: “There is nothing comparable on the market in this area.” For this reason, Funkenhauser and Ruhland founded the Nimmsta company.
Ebersberg District Innovation Prize 2020: Inventors from Aßlingen want to go public
Then came the corona pandemic. “The problem was that we couldn't present ourselves so easily without personal customer contact,” says Funkenhauser. They have had their first buyers since mid-2020, but not nearly as many as desired. At the same time, the two had developed a backpack with a child carrier system and submitted it to the district innovation award. However, there are delivery problems with the production material. So they focused on the scanners. “That was a difficult year for us,” he sums up.
Especially with young start-up companies, presence and word of mouth are needed so that the relevant companies have them on their radar, explains the Aßlinger: “Every contact leads to new contacts.” And her goals in this regard are high: “We are ambitious, the next one To become a unicorn in the district, ”said the Aßlinger.
In business terms, this means that your startup company will have a market valuation of over a billion US dollars before going public.
Ebersberg District Innovation Award 2020: First place for back-of-hand scanner
“Everything that is new or better than before”: This is the district's innovation award
The idea for the innovation award and the associated seal “Innovationsschmiede EBE” arose at the suggestion of the Glonn entrepreneur Rudolf Hitzl.
According to the district office, all district citizens who had implemented an innovative idea could register for the tender in 2020 - regardless of whether they are individuals, start-ups or voluntary organizations.
A three-person jury assessed the applications as to whether they were eligible for the seal.
Her principle: "As innovation we understand everything that is new or better than before." .
All holders of the seal were then allowed to apply for the innovation award.
The first prize is endowed with 3,000 euros plus 60 percent of the sponsorship money, the second and third with 1,000 euros and 30 and 10 percent of the sponsorship money, respectively.
The winners were selected by a five-person jury.
20 ideas were submitted, according to the district office, a "gratifyingly high turnout".
Due to the pandemic, the award ceremony could not take place as planned in May 2020, but was postponed until Monday, October 18 of this year.
The district office plans to award the innovation prize again in the coming years.
This is precisely why the two of them were delighted with first place in the district's 2020 innovation award: “Being an innovation award winner brings us a lot, thanks to the great response,” says the Aßlinger. While the prize money was more of a drop in the ocean for the company, the prize meant they reached more people than usual on social media platforms.
However, they were only partially surprised by their victory: “A few months ago we already knew that we would be in the top three,” recalls Funkenhauser.
They found out about first place one day before the award ceremony, as the district office had already uploaded the videos for the inventions to the website - including the placement.
Still a “cool feeling”, so the two of them.
Until late at night, however, it was not possible to celebrate with the district administrator and the other award winners, because the next day at 6 a.m. the plane went back to Berlin.
Because thanks to the easing, trade fairs are taking place again.
The ideal place to finally bring your scanner to the man - or rather to the hand.
Ebersberg District Innovation Award 2020: 2nd place for more electromobility in the district
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“Your Charge” from Aßling received the 2nd prize of 2080 euros: (from left) Christoph Polenz, Kurt Loupal, Christian Brandes and District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß.
© Peter Kees
Second place in the innovation award also went to Aßling.
Christian Brandes and his colleagues Kurt Loupal, Christoph Polenz and Hans Fent agree: "Electromobility must not fail due to the installation of sockets".
With the You Charge company, you want to support the turnaround in traffic by making it possible to charge several e-cars at the same time in large private garages.
Because electric cars can be charged best where there is long parking: "Parking is the new refueling", says Brandes in the company's presentation video.
The installation of a charging station in large garages is more complicated than in single-family houses.
"You Charge" from Aßling offers charging management for electric cars for large garages
That is why You Charge offers individual charging management for large private garages.
With the load management they have developed, the company wants to ensure that several charging stations can be operated at the same time - without overloading the power network.
Instead, their system ensures that all infected cars are automatically refueled with electricity one after the other.
"In addition, we use a billing system to ensure that the costs incurred are distributed fairly among all participants," says Brandes.
You Charge also wants to ensure that charging stations that are added later can also be easily integrated into the existing network.
Ebersberg District Innovation Prize 2020: Third place goes to a school initiative from Grafing
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The school initiative Grafing Goes Green earned third place with its idea of having plastic-free purchases certified on a stamp card with 1,360 euros.
© Peter Kees
The third prize finally went to Grafing.
Plastic-free shopping: This is the goal of the “Grafing Goes Green” school initiative at the Max-Mannheimer-Gymnasium.
That is why she invented the stamp card for plastic-free shopping - those who shop in an environmentally friendly way can win.
The pupils were inspired when they attended a Fridays For Future demo last year: “We took a lot of energy and zest for action from there and also wanted to do something good,” said the pupil Julian Schmidt in the presentation video.
In their enthusiasm they noticed the “huge flood of plastic” in the school's rubbish bins.
“It was clear to us pretty quickly: We wanted to do something about that,” says Schmidt.
Ebersberg Innovation Award 2020: Grafing Goes Green invents stamp cards for shopping without plastic
No sooner said than done: in over 20 different shops in Grafing, every customer can now have a stamp put on his card if he has only bought products without plastic.
Once ten stamps have been collected, the card can be torn into two parts and the stamped part together with the serial number ends up in a collection box.
The other half, also provided with the serial number, is kept by the customers.
Because once a month “Grafing Goes Green” is giving away several vouchers worth 5 to 30 euros, according to the students in the video.
“Reusable is the way,” it says on their website.
The young people are currently working on their next projects, such as a "lunch box deposit system".
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