International collaboration creates innovative start-up ideas

From 21 to 28 May 2024, the Indo-German High-Tech Start-up Camp brought together students and doctoral students from India and TU Braunschweig who were interested in founding a company. In pitches, they worked in teams to present start-up ideas focussing on relevant global challenges such as climate change, agriculture and the medical sector. Two teams plan to apply for an EXIST start-up grant in the next step with the support of TU Braunschweig.

The participants and organisers of the Indo-German High-Tech Start-up Camp 2024. Photo credit: Eric Haase/Entrepreneurship Hub

The Indian participant Ramchandran Rajesh Varikanil from IIT Delhi presented a promising start-up concept for an IOT-based (internet of things), portable multi-parameter water quality measuring device that builds on the established principles of water quality management and thus aims to help detect and reduce pollutants, pharmaceutical residues or lead content in drinking water. Thanks to its ease of use, the measuring device can also be used by untrained persons.

Another inspiring business model came from a multinational team consisting of participants Alvin Adarsh Kumar, Bharat Raj Singal (BITS Pilani) and Lennart Kuhr (Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering at TU Braunschweig). They presented a concept for the digitalisation of supply chains for improved traceability and circularity based on AI and blockchain technologies.

This year’s jury included Prof. Dr. Reza Asghari, head of the Entrepreneurship Hub at TU Braunschweig and Ostfalia University, Philipp Grimmel, founder of start-up Papa Fuego, and Runak Sabbar, project coordinator of the High-Tech Incubator/Accelerator (HTIA) Smart Mobility.

The Indo-German High-Tech Start-up Camp was part of the EXIST-funded project International TechKnowlogy Entrepreneurship (INTEKNO) and was organised by the Entrepreneurship Hub of TU Braunschweig and the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering (IWF) of TU Braunschweig.