At the upcoming “Unicorn Pitch Grand Final” event hosted by StartupDorf, the jury panel will consist of a distinguished team of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, technologists and lawyers. The Jurys’ diverse backgrounds and expertise will allow them to evaluate the pitches from different perspectives and provide valuable feedback and guidance to the startups.
Dr. Paolo Bavaj, Chief Innovation and Development Officer at Stahl Holdings and former Head of Corporate Venture Capital at Henkel, is excited to be part of the jury panel: “I am always happy to actively support StartupDorf. On the one hand I am inspired by the great startups and on the other hand I can help with my experience”.
Dr. Monika Hauck, open innovation researcher and founder of the startup Repair Rebels, believes that entrepreneurship is a powerful tool to drive social change and fight the climate crisis. Her unique perspective on sustainability will add a valuable dimension to the judging process.
Dr. Patrick Müller, a lawyer and partner at the Rhineland law firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek, brings his expertise in venture capital and experience in advising startups. He will also keep the complexities of the legal context in mind during pitches.
As a developer himself and CEO of Venture Labs, Christian Wenzel is a multiple founder of bootstrapped and VC-backed startups. He is looking forward to participating in the event and hearing some of the latest and most innovative ideas in the technology industry.
To facilitate the Jurys’ work, StartupDorf has developed an evaluation matrix that takes into account several criteria, including the innovation of the business idea, the market addressed, the customer benefit, the feasibility and prospects, as well as the personality of the founder and the quality of the pitch. The matrix will help ensure that each pitch is judged fairly and objectively.
A challenge for the jury will be the different business models of the competing startups, as they operate in different industries, making comparisons difficult. The subsequent Q&A session with the jury is expected to include both technical and general questions about the startups’ business models and maturity levels.
The judging session will be intense and in the end, the best startup will be awarded the title of “StartupDorf Unicorn of the Year”. It will be interesting to see if the jury’s choice will be the same as that of the audience, who will vote for their favorite startup in a secret ballot.
The Unicorn Pitch Grand Final is a great opportunity for startups to showcase their ideas and get valuable feedback from industry experts. The high-caliber panel of judges and the evaluation matrix developed by StartupDorf will ensure that each pitch is evaluated fairly and objectively, and the most deserving startup will be crowned the “StartupDorf Unicorn of the Year”. Christian Wenzel says: “The tech industry is constantly evolving and startups play an important role in that. I’m looking forward to attending this event and hearing some of the latest and most innovative ideas.
