Review: Unicorn Pitch – Third Round on September 4, 2024

On September 4, 2024, the third round of the Unicorn Pitch Series took place at Factory Campus, a familiar location and long-time supporter of StartupDorf. The evening began with warm greetings from Hanns Tappen, Founder and Chairman of StartupDorf e.V., and Silke Roggermann, the new Chief Serendipity Officer von Factory Campus. Hanns Tappen expressed his pleasure at hosting another event at the campus and thanked Factory Campus for their continuous support as a sponsoring member since 2016. Silke Roggermann introduced the audience to the impressive office and outdoor spaces of Factory Campus, emphasizing the shared history between StartupDorf and Factory Campus, highlighting the importance of established connections within the ecosystem.

Silke Roggermann emphasized afterward: “StartupDorf and the Factory Campus have grown and evolved over the past years, and it’s not just by happy coincidences (aka serendipity) that our paths, including mine, keep crossing – these connections are exactly what drive progress and innovation in the startup ecosystem.”

Diverse Pitches in an Exciting Competition

This time, the Unicorn Pitch featured four diverse startups in various development stages, presenting their pitches in both English and German. The audience had the opportunity to evaluate the startups, each operating in different industries. Altogether, this lineup of startups reflected the diverse and structured founder scene in the “Düsseldorf Bay.”

Each pitch was limited to five minutes, followed by intense and engaging Q&A sessions from the audience, leading directly into the voting after the fourth pitch.

Results of the Evening: Gizil Wins the Unicorn Trophy

Once again, the voting results revealed a clear winner:

Gizil, led by CEO Esma Gulten, secured first place with 43.18% of the votes, winning the Unicorn Trophy, which qualifies them for the Unicorn Pitch Grand-Final. Campus Cruiser, presented by Miriam Breuer and Celina Bastisch, achieved second place with 25%. Sportiship, founded by Allan Chamorro and presented alongside Sebastian Dietze, took third place with 18.18%, and One Stone Academy, led by Anton Tsirin, placed fourth.

Voices of the Winner

Esma Gulten, CEO von Gizil, expressed her excitement:
“I had the incredible opportunity to pitch at the Unicorn Pitch event organized by StartupDorf e.V. I am very proud to announce that Gizil won 1st place and was awarded the Unicorn Trophy! A huge thank you to Hanns Tappen for inviting me to such a fantastic event.”

Reflection and Outlook

• Gizil impressed both the jury and the audience with its innovative approach to creating complete digital twins for industrial and energy plants, highlighting the opportunities for digital transformation in the industrial sector. The product maturity and use by some multinationals indicate good growth potential.
• Campus Cruiser stood out with its commitment to sustainable mobility by connecting students, promoting carpooling, and rewarding engagement. The early phase sparks interest and now needs to prove that the product promise and the described market can find each other.
• Sportiship showcased its SaaS suite that maximizes sponsorship value for brands, teams, and clubs, demonstrating its potential in the sports business market. An approach that, while not entirely new, is intriguing for the long tail of athletes, sports brands, and smaller sponsors, not least due to the price point.
• One Stone Academy presented an inspiring EdTech concept with FlowHubs, aimed at saving time and increasing productivity in education. FlowHub addresses an ever-growing problem (distraction) and promises to support students and professionals with a structured environment for more productive learning.

Insight into the Düsseldorf Startup Scene

The third round of the Unicorn Pitch Series 2024 once again demonstrated the vibrant StartupDorf ecosystem that radiates from Düsseldorf across the entire region. The engaged audience – many of whom were startup experts – got an insight into various future topics like digital tech, sustainability, and education and enjoyed the chance to network on a beautiful summer evening with a view of the landscaped campus garden and acquaponic plant.

Looking Forward to the Next Round

We look forward to the next Unicorn Pitch in November, where the next startup to enter the Grand-Final will be determined.

Our thanks go to all participants, our audience, and especially to Factory Campus for hosting uns in one of their beautiful loft offices and betawerke – discover the startup way for supporting us.

Details about the Startups and Founders:

Gizil
#Chemical #OilAndGas #TankTerminals #PowerPlants

Gizil builds complete digital twins for industrial and energy plants using Virtual Plant software.

Esma Gulten, Co-Founder & CEO of Gizil, drives innovation and growth in the field of digital twins for the industry sector with a clear vision for internationalization.

Sportiship
#SportsBusiness #Media #Ecommerce #BusinessAnalytics

Sportiship is a SaaS suite that provides solutions to maximize sponsorship value for brands, teams, and clubs.

Allan J. Chamorro, Founder, is an engineer and sports administrator with over 15 years of experience in analytics and sponsorships.
Sebastian Dietze has a background in marketing and sports science with over 15 years of experience in sports marketing and IT.

One Stone Academy
#EdTech #Community #Productivity #FutureOfEducation

With ‘FlowHubs’ from One Stone Academy, users invest one hour and save three!

Anton Tsirin, Founder, is an aspiring psychologist, activist, and father who has personally supported over 2,000 children, teenagers, and young adults in the last 15 years.

CampusCruiser
#Mobility #Carpooling #Students

CampusCruiser connects students, promotes sustainable carpooling, and rewards engagement with attractive benefits.

Celina Bastisch, Co-Founder, is responsible for finance and legal.
Miriam Catalina Thea Breuer, Co-Founder, is in charge of marketing and project management.

Nächstes StartupDorf-Event:

For those who can't wait, the next StartupDorf event will take place on October 2nd. This time, it will be a classic Gründerstammtisch on the topic "How to Pitch to VCs"  again at Factory Campus. Tickets sind erhältlich auf Eventbrite.

Organisatoren und Sponsoren:

StartupDorf organization team on site, with Hanns Tappen, Jessica Ojelabi, Martin Boden, Jens Hauke and Karl Grote. betawerke represented by Hanns Tappen. Factory Campus with Silke Roggermann and Team.