Students at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) are creating waves in the world of cutting-edge inventions because of their entrepreneurial spirit. The TU/e Contest finals were a platform for them to show off their skills; this is an annual competition that recognizes and encourages student-led businesses with commercial potential.
These ambitious students have spent the past few months developing prototypes, demonstrating their concepts, and writing convincing business cases. Students in the Brainport area have made their first steps into business ownership thanks to a series of workshops and mentoring sessions offered by local businesses. In the final round of the TU/e Contest, they showed off their hard work to a panel of industry heavyweights.
The yearly competition encourages students to think like entrepreneurs by using the motto “From dream to demo to impact.” During the closing ceremony, Isabelle Reymen, the scientific director of TU/e Innovation Space, emphasized the value of entrepreneurial abilities. The TU/e Innovation Space serves as the nerve center for all of these student groups, and its staff is at the forefront of creating and implementing the university’s challenge-based learning program. Students from different disciplines are brought together in this way of learning to work on meaningful projects.
A lot of the groups are thinking about long-term effects. A group is aiming to repurpose electric vehicle batteries, particularly those from trucks, as on-site solar energy storage. Another team has developed a useful tool for environmentally responsible gardening, one that can help you choose the best plants to improve biodiversity and have them shipped right to your door. Think of it as a HelloFresh for your garden.
A new twist was added to the competition this year. The groups were labeled “people,” “planet,” or “prosperity.” A different panel deliberated over the five competing teams in each category before deciding on a winner and runner-up.
The new rector magnificus, Silvia Lenaerts, emphasized the importance of a diverse staff while awarding the prizes. An inclusive group can construct a sustainable business case for the now and the future. Former contest winner Spacecific co-founder Reinier Seuren warned contestants to avoid tunnel vision by seeking out alternative perspectives.
Team HART triumphed in the persons category. They’re working on an innovative sleeve to aid the visually disabled and the blind in understanding nonverbal cues during conversations. The Suweve, with its novel removable handles for wheelchairs, came in second.
E-SET’s sustainable method of making battery storage from recovered truck batteries won first place in the planet category. Voltalgae, a business working on an algae-based battery, won the runner-up prize.
The prosperity award went to InMotion. A system for rapidly charging electric automobiles is currently in development. The runners-up in this category were Aero Team Eindhoven, who are creating a drone that can switch batteries in mid-flight.
Several other awards were also presented:
- The Suweve won the Audience Award.
- T.E.S.T. won ASML’s Makers Award.
- InMotion received Shell’s Energy Transition Award.
- For its innovations in sustainable logistics, E-SET was awarded the Van der Lande Prize.
- Eden was given the Mikrocentrum Boost Your Tech Career Award
These entrepreneurial students at TU/e are not only showcasing their innovative prowess but also contributing significantly to various societal issues. Their journey reflects the power of dreams, determination, and the will to make an impact. This contest serves as a testament to these young entrepreneurs’ capabilities and promises a brighter future shaped by their innovations.
