Economically feasible, socially beneficial and, in the best case, ecologically responsible: Based on these criteria, the Global Ethic Institute at the University of Tübingen announced an award for ethical start-ups for the second time. On Global Ethic Pitch Day, six finalists competed in Tübingen in front of a jury of experts and the audience to qualify for a total of 10,000€ in prize money. 38 start-ups had applied. This year, the jury awarded one first and two second places.
First place this year went to the start-up Energyminer from Munich.
The young company wants to make an important contribution to base-load energy supply in harmony with nature through micro hydroelectric power plants for rivers. With a single shoal of 100 so-called Energyfish, municipalities could generate up to 1.5 gigawatt hours of electricity as early as 2024. And this, according to the initial results from the current test phase, without any harm to humans or nature. A source of hope for municipal energy supply.
Second place is shared by two innovative business models that also effectively take on social responsibility:
The start-up Lokora, a digital marketing and logistics platform that connects small farms with food retailers to form local value networks and ensures sustainable distribution of goods with e-transporters, among other things.
Eeaser, a platform that competes to make industrial energy efficiency scalable on a global scale. To this end, it offers valuable knowledge and data to enable savings in industrial divisions.
The remaining three startups in the finals also dedicated their companies to solving key social problems. For example, Ama Mind, which offers sufferers information and referrals to mental health services via app. But also kunveno, which helps to promote a culture of appreciation in organizations, and Rekrutados, which wins people from South America for the German care market with placement and language programs for skilled workers – both, among other things, via app.
“The startups in the finals of the Global Ethic Pitch Day deserve high recognition for using values to create value while also enabling hope for a better future. They show how business can not be part of the problem, but also part of the solution to societal challenges. We are all going home today after Global Ethic Pitch Day with a sense of confidence,” said Institute Director Prof. Dr. Dr. Ulrich Hemel.
