2025 Pitch COmpetition

We are currently planning the 2025 Pitch Competition with categories and timeline to be published soon - so stay tuned.
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Please note: Only visitors or exhibitors at Heilbronn Slush’D can apply for the Pitch Competition. Therefore, you need to purchase a ticket to participate.

As a Startup Ticket Holder you will receive a call for participation. Our team will get in contact with you to gather necessary information, check your eligibility, and define the correct prize category for your pitch.

Apply for a Ticket now

2024 PITCH COMPETITION REVIEW

ONE Hundred Award - €100,000 Investment

The main category for Heilbronn Slush'D Pitch Competition is a game-changing investment of €100,000 through a convertible loan from one of our network partners.*
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This investment will provide the fuel your startup needs to thrive and make an impact on the world.Join a number of cutting-edge investors and discover new advancements in some of the most intriguing industries, as well as a lively social program created to maximize your networking opportunities.

*Subject to successful due diligence

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Pre-seed stage startups with B2B focus, ecosystem-fit, and initial market interest.

HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE CHOSEN?
A distinguished panel of judges comprised of industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and investors will judge each startup's pitch, business model, market potential, and overall impact to decide the winner.

Stage TWO

19:15 - 20:15

One Hundred Award 2024 Finalists

Jury: Patrick Burkert, Oliver Hanisch, Günter Steffen, Jens Horstmann

Cloudment
The AI-Powered Trusted Advisor For Your Cloud Journey

WÖRK
With WÖRK, young people find their professional passion and companies find truly motivated employees

Heatpump23
The floor heat pump for your apartment

Waggle AI
AI Tools to Help You Lead Better Every Day

AIS Security
Providing actionable insights to protect your IT infrastructure and business

Tabularis.ai (WINNER)
Unlock the Power of Your Data with Tabularis.AI

ESG-X
Transforming ESG Reporting

Luccid
Transforming building materials into conversations

mimic robotics
Scalable AI models for universal robotic manipulation

Your Easy AI
AI made easy for SMEs

ONE SHARED VISION AWARD

The ONE Shared Vision Award is a € 10,000 cash prize. It embraces innovative and disruptive technologies in the field of AI, supported by D11Z. Ventures.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
This prize is open to all startups in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE CHOSEN?
A distinguished panel of judges comprised of industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and investors will judge each startup's pitch, business model, market potential, and overall impact to decide the winner.

Stage TWO

16:15 - 17:20

One Shared Vision Award 2024 Finalists

Inzipio GmbH
Automated surgical planning

Klart AI
Enterprise-grade AI Assistant Connected to Company Knowledge & Tools

NextstepHR
Better hiring, automated campaigns

Perian GmbH (WINNER)
The world's first sky computing program

Prospera
Increase your sales performance and make data-driven decisions

Lowerton
Lowerton has developed technology that optimises innovation management at a level that humans cannot access on their own

Claro
The complete suite of AI-tasks to enable companies to achieve precision, privacy, and seamless integration with tailor-made Language Models

Alago
The new standard for construction documentation

Alloqis
Intelligent resource allocation in manufacturing

Cognitx
The AI Assistant that makes data analytics conversational

Female Founders Award

Presented by Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen (VdU)

Supported by Deutsche Dienstrad GmbH and GREEN Family Office GmbH

The Female Founders Award is a € 5,000 cash prize that celebrates women entrepreneurs and highlights the crucial role of female-driven businesses in fostering diversity in the entrepreneurial landscape and driving economic growth.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
This prize is open to all impact startups with an all-female or mixed founding team that contribute to positive societal change.

HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE CHOSEN
A distinguished panel of female judges comprised of industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and investors will judge each startup's pitch, business model, market potential, and overall impact to decide the winner.

Stage TWO

15:00 - 16:05

Female Founders Award 2024 Finalists

Jury: Amela Turkmanovic, Christina Bräutigam, Christine Rittner, Dr. Rubina Zern-Breuer
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Onuava
The fertility and family-building benefits partner

MyClarella
Innovative products for the period after birth

Resourcly
AI-Based Inventory Optimization for Industrial Manufacturers

AICU (WINNER)
Analyze, plot, and showcase your research with seamless automation

fixit
Easy online help for your household repairs

All But Sugar
The new sugar

detach
Digital wellness coach

hoorai
The internal team matching platform for successful (project) teams

neko
The sustainable neko heating and energy management system

BLACKPIN
Protected mobile team work

Campus Founders Community Award

The Campus Founders Community Award is a € 5,000 cash prize that celebrates the Campus Founders community members and gives a chance for our members to be represented on-stage at Heilbronn Slush’D!

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
The Campus Founders Community Award is open to all current, active members of the Campus Founders Community.

HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE CHOSEN
Unlike the other categories, the winner of the Campus Founders Community Award will be the startup that earns the most votes by the community.
Voting will happen live at Heilbronn Slush’D on October 24^th.

Stage TWO

13:45 - 14:45

Campus Founders Community Award 2024 Finalists

Userwill
Takes care of your online accounts after death

Serverless Salad
Discover and Customize Cloud Technology and AI Solutions

Linity (WINNER)
The social learning platform for STEM

Senior Connect
Job search for experienced candidates over 55 years of age to utilize their potential

Inclusys
Help people with cognitive impairments to be more proactive in their everyday lives

auditect
Reliable fall detection

Researchpreneurs
R&D outsourcing to industry experts

DeepGolf
AI-powered digital golf coach that monitors your training and shows you how to improve

GoatSwitchAI
Modernise code 10x faster

PUNKU.AI
AI Agent platform

CyberOne High-Tech Award

Campus Founders and bwcon are pleased to announce that this year's CyberOne Hightech Award will culminate with pitches and an award ceremony at the Heilbronn Slush’D event.

For over twenty years, the most forward-looking business concepts of technology-oriented startups and companies have been honored by bwcon.

The CyberOne is awarded in the three categories “Digital Tech”, “Med Tech” and “Industrial Tech”. The application is handled through bwcon and the applicatons are already closed. The 3 finalists in each category will pitch on stage, making it a total of 9 promising startups.

Stage TWO

17:30 - 18:30

CyberOne High-Tech Award 2024 Finalists

Category: Digital Tech

P19 GmbH
P19 GmbH offers the AI Cockpit, a central B2B platform that enables companies to efficiently and data-compliantly use generative AI technologies.

VCG.AI (WINNER)
The Value Chain Generator from VCG.AI intelligently connects industrial companies (that generate waste), technology providers (who convert waste into new raw materials), and buyers (who purchase the raw materials) to transform waste into resources and ensure a circular material flow.

Paxray GmbH
Paxray's task mining platform addresses the critical need for accurate process understanding in organizations.

Category: Industrial Tech

Cellios (WINNER)
Cellios introduces an innovative robotic cell that allows cable manufacturers to automate previously monotonous and manual assembly tasks for the first time.

Cynus
The startup has developed a human interface device ("Sphere One") that makes digital navigation smarter, freer, and more intuitive, all while being ergonomically optimized.

Software byTS
The core of the business idea is that Robotified simplifies the integration and expansion of robotic systems. The platform offers hardware-independent control and supports Python, C++, and ROS through a versatile API.

Category: Life Science & Med Tech

CAVIGEN
CAVIGEN develops methods for oxygen measurement in 3D cell cultures, which are necessary for providing physiologically accurate in-vitro models, for example, for drug development.

earlytrace
arlytrace revolutionizes early breast cancer detection by using an innovative, radiation-free blood test and AI-driven data analysis.

nanoshape GmbH (WINNER)
The core of nanoshape GmbH’s business idea is an antibacterial surface technology for medical implants. Through a specially developed process, unique nanostructures are created on the surface of implants, such as dental implants or artificial joints, which make it difficult for bacteria to adhere and even cause some to die upon contact.

HOW TO APPLY

Only visitors or exhibitors at Heilbronn Slush’D can apply for the Pitch Competition. Therefore, you need to purchase a ticket to participate.
‍
As a Startup Ticket Holder you will receive a call for participation. Our team will get in contact with you to gather necessary information, check your eligibility, and define the correct prize category for your pitch.

FAQ

Who can apply?

As for eligibility, any young startup founder from around the world can apply. We welcome applications from ambitious entrepreneurs who have a passion for innovation and are ready to take their startup to the next level. In order to apply, you need to purchase a ticket as precondition to participate in the Pitch Competition.

Do I need to have a ticket to Heilbronn Slush'D to compete?

Yes, you need a ticket for Heilbronn Slush’D to qualify for the Pitch Competition.

How do I apply?

You need to apply for a Startup Ticket through our ticket sales process. When you have been accepted for a ticket and completed the purchase, you are eligible for pitching.

As a Startup Ticket Holder you will receive a call for participation, when the categories and criteria are defined. Fill out the required information about your startup, including your pitch deck and any other relevant details. Make sure to showcase the uniqueness and potential of your idea or solution. Our application process is designed to be straightforward and accessible for startup founders from all backgrounds. Our team will get in contact with you to gather the details and check your eligibility and define the prize category for your pitch.

When is the deadline to apply?

The deadline to apply for the 2025 pitch competition (all categories) will be the September 23, 2025.

When will we know if we are part of the pitches?

The pitching startups are informed and announced on October 7, 2025.

What is the main category?

The main category for Heilbronn Slush’D Pitch Competition is a game-changing investment of €100,000 through a convertible loan from one of our network partners*. It’s an opportunity to secure the funding your startup needs to accelerate its growth and make a significant impact in the market. The investment is subject to successful due diligence.

What cash prizes are awarded at Heilbronn Slush'D 2024?

One Shared Vision Award: 1 x €10,000 cash prize in one category for AI startups supported by our Network Partner D11Z. Ventures Campus Founders Community Award: €5,000

Pitch categories and prizes for Heilbronn Slush'D 2025 will be announced soon.

What is the Campus Founders Community Award?

Startups from all stages who are current active members of the Campus Founders Community are eligible for this award. The winner of the Campus Founders Community Award will be the startup that earns the most votes by the community at Heilbronn Slush’D.

How will the winner be chosen for the Campus Founders Community Award?

The winner of the Campus Founders Community Award will be chosen by the community via popular vote at the event.

What pitch deck do I need to prepare?

Keep in mind you have 4 minutes for your pitch, so keep it short, on point, and not boring. You’ll receive a virtual pitch training on the 9.10. from us and you have time until the I4.10. at 12:00 AM to submit your pitch deck as a .pdf. Please make sure to use a standard format (16:9) and don’t exceed a file size of 10 megabytes.

How does the pitch work on the event day?

You have 4 minutes for your pitch and 1 more minute to answer one question from the host, audience, or jury, so it’s 5 minutes of stage time in total. For each pitch category, there will be two 30-minute slots of pitches with 5 startups per pitch slot.

Who chooses the winners?

The winners will be chosen by a distinguished panel of judges comprising industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and investors (except the Campus Founders Community Award – see FAQ). They will assess each startup’s pitch, business model, market potential, and overall impact. Rest assured, the selection process will be fair and impartial, ensuring that the most deserving startups emerge as the winners.