The Spark 2023
In 2023, for the eighth time, Handelsblatt and McKinsey awarded The Spark – The German Digital Prize to exceptional innovators whose ideas have the potential to fundamentally and sustainably change markets. The main theme was “Circular Economy”.
On November 23, 2023, 10 digital pioneering companies competed as finalists in Berlin and presented themselves to over 200 invited guests from politics, business, and science.
2023
The winners
1st place
BIOWEG pioneers sustainable ingredients, replacing petroleum-based chemicals and microplastics. Through circular economy, Microbes, & digital chemistry, BIOWEG revolutionizes bio-ingredients for various industries. Partnered with major companies like Ginkgo Bioworks, cofounded by immigrant entrepreneurs and with a mission to eradicate global microplastic usage.
2nd place
cylib revolutionises battery recycling through sustainable raw material recovery of all technology elements from end-of-life batteries and production rejects. cylib promotes the environmentally friendly use of battery raw materials and relies on modern technologies in the cylib process for a clean future of the lithium-ion battery industry.
3rd place
SPRK.global builds an AI-integrated trading platform and ecosystem of all supply chain participants and uses it to systematically redistribute surplus food according to demand. In this way, SPRK. Global makes the supply chain digital and efficient, reduces food waste and the corresponding climate damage in the long term.
The Finalists
Finalist 2023
Blue Planet Ecosystems, a deep tech startup founded in 2019, provides a unique plug and play solution, LARA, for sustainable seafood production. The company’s mission is to decouple animal protein production from the ocean and offer scalable and geographically independent fish farming through a combination of hardware, software, and biology services.
Finalist 2023
cirplus is a global procurement platform for circular plastics. The platform connects waste producers, recyclers and processors to make the use of recyclates simple, transparent and cost-efficient. In addition, cirplus initiated DIN SPEC 91446, the world’s first standard for high-quality plastics recycling.
Finalist 2023
Foodforecast has developed an artificial intelligence that helps companies in the food industry to automate and optimise processes. Based on relevant data, the AI provides accurate sales forecasts so that exactly what is sold is produced. This results in less food waste, better availability of goods and saves staff time when planning orders and production.
Finalist 2023
The Rebike Mobility GmbH is the leading re-commerce company for e-bikes. The company operates Europe's largest and most modern refurbishment center for e-bikes and the platform rebike.com. In addition, Rebike rents out e-bikes to end customers and businesses through ebike-abo.de. Rebike was founded in 2018 by Thomas Bernik and Sven Erger in Munich and currently employs approximately 100 staff members.
Finalist 2023
Recyda develops software solutions to drive packaging sustainability. The all-in-one SaaS solution supports companies to digitally manage their packaging portfolios with regards to sustainability criteria. Companies are confronted with a high complexity of country-specific regulations. Recyda helps navigate this complexity through digitalization.
Finalist 2023
Resourcify optimises the waste management of companies to become more profitable, more efficient and more sustainable. Companies benefit from a unique combination of a data-driven platform and personal advice from experts. This saves up to 40% of disposal costs and paves the way to the circular economy.
Finalist 2023
Voltfang offers battery storage for requalified e-car batteries. The solutions promote the circular economy and enable sustainable energy storage for businesses. The goal is to accelerate the transition to renewable energy for a sustainable energy supply.
Contact
If you have any questions about The Spark Award 2024, please feel free to contact us.
Leonie
Gorlt
Manager Concept & Development Awards
