The popular forum took place on Thursday 13 December 2018, and was organized at the University of Luxembourg in Esch-Belval. This year, the forum showcased projects in the following three categories: Green Tech, Industry 4.0 and Digital Tech. The half-day event allowed creative minds, students and young startups to pitch their innovative ideas and present a wide range of new concepts from innovative building methods, high-temperature solar sensors, ecological on-demand laundry and dry-cleaning services, amongst other projects.

The place where young startups belong

The forum has become an important platform where early stage startups exchange ideas, discuss and are challenged by experienced market players and members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The main goal of this event is to provide a platform for innovative newcomers to present their projects, receive feedback and test their business ideas against market realities. By matching innovative solutions to market needs, the Mind & Market in Luxembourg initiative acts as a facilitator for the growth of startups.

“Luxembourg has a flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem where many market players are willing to support and collaborate with innovative ventures. By working together with the other nine steering committee members to organize Mind & Market in Luxembourg, we are making a significant contribution towards making Luxembourg a hub for emerging Digital Tech, Green Tech and Industry 4.0.,” explains Luc Brucher, Partner at Deloitte Luxembourg.

Captivating pitches

Each startup had 15 minutes to pitch an idea and convince the audience that their business concept would be successful if mentors and investors would provide the means to help it become reality. Each pitch was divided into 5 minutes of presentation, 5 minutes of questions and answers from the jury members and the audience and 5 minutes of feedback. Although some startups presented advanced projects, others were still looking for advice to improve their business models or marketing approaches. The business concepts and ideas that were pitched were both innovative and promising, and the jury members had a hard time selecting the best projects.

And the winners are…

The first Mind & Market prize went to ZReality GmbH, a web-based platform that develops enterprise-grade virtual, augmented and mixed reality solutions allowing clients to easily create virtual product presentations for their companies, showcase their products and share them with customers or colleagues. The audience prize was given to F4A (Food For All), a mobile app against food waste that contributes to the future of our planet while helping consumers save money.

Mind & Market in Luxembourg is an initiative driven by Deloitte Luxembourg, Luxinnovation, the National Research Fund, the University of Luxembourg, Mind & Market ASBL, RTL, Equilibre ASBL, Fedil, Paul Wurth InCub and Alter Domus. 

For more information about Mind & Market in Luxembourg, please visit www.mindandmarket.com.