The Spark 2024
In 2024, Handelsblatt and McKinsey awarded The Spark – The German Digital Prize for the ninth time to exceptional innovators whose ideas have the potential to fundamentally and sustainably transform markets. The central theme was “AI for Business.”
On November 14, 2024, 10 digital pioneering companies competed as finalists in Berlin, presenting themselves to over 200 invited guests from politics, business, and academia.
2024
AI for Business
Generative AI has permeated our lives and promises to become the transformative technology of our time. However, the benefits of AI in all its variations can only materialize if companies are ready for profound change. With the German Digital Prize 2024, Handelsblatt and McKinsey & Company honored AI startups from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland that have developed innovative solutions and business models driving this transformation forward.
Innovative AI solutions were sought after, ones that unlock new growth opportunities or enhance cross-functional productivity within companies or along process chains.
The winners
1st Place
SPREAD AI is revolutionizing the development, production and operation of complex mechatronic systems for industry with its engineering intelligence software. The AI-based engineering intelligence solution helps engineers find, understand and apply product information faster by unifying product data from all departments and systems. Customers benefit from up to 50 percent shorter development times, 20 percent cost savings and higher product quality.
2nd Place
Cologne-based PropTech aedifion claims to operate Germany’s leading software solution for the decarbonization of existing buildings. The AI-based cloud platform can save up to 40 percent in energy, CO2 emissions and operating costs by digitally upgrading technical building equipment. The AI collects operating data in real time, for example from heating, cooling and ventilation systems, makes suggestions for optimization and provides data for taxonomy, CSR and ESG reports.
3rd Place
Aignostics’ platform uses AI to combat the high failure rate of drug candidates and low response rates in cancer immunotherapies. Through its leading machine learning model, which utilizes multimodal AI and proprietary datasets, Aignostics significantly improves target identification, biomarker identification and indication selection for biopharma partners. The company works with companies such as Bayer and institutions such as Charité and LMU.
The Finalists
Finalist 2024
Collecting sustainability data for documentation and reporting purposes is extremely time-consuming for companies. Around 90 percent of ESG data is hidden in unstructured data sources. Briink’s SaaS solution uses AI to extract the necessary results and insights from documents and websites in minutes to complete ESG questionnaires and perform gap analyses. The Berlin-based company offers its customers scalable service packages and two different service levels.
Finalist 2024
Inexpensive products with high procurement volumes, so-called C-parts, as well as one-off orders account for up to 20 percent of a company’s purchasing volume. As the associated processes are usually fragmented and unregulated, there has been no optimization to date. Crowdfox’s SaaS solution uses generative AI to exploit this potential. The consequences: 12% lower indirect purchasing costs and up to 90% higher customer satisfaction. Crowdfox expects its solution to have 100,000 users by 2025. Brands such as BASF, E.ON, DHL and Rational are already using it today.
Finalist 2024
Evy Solutions offers solutions for the automated processing and analysis of documents. Evy Xpact, which uses its own AI, accompanies the document from its first appearance, through classification, separation, reading and, if necessary, checking, to final storage in the system. The solution works based on text instead of position. This allows documents with different layouts to be processed. Companies benefit from time and cost savings (around 80 percent), fewer errors and leaner processes.
Finalist 2024
IQONIC.AI offers white-label AI software for beauty brands and retailers, pharmacies, drugstores and similar providers. In-store or online, various skin and hair characteristics are analyzed based on a photo and suitable products are recommended. Tailored recommendations significantly increase the probability of purchase: the conversion rate increases by three and a half times and order values by around 20 percent. The solution is adapted to the target groups and can be integrated into any platform via an HTML link.
Finalist 2024
JUNE puts an end to the age of traditional legal manufacturing. While the complexity and number of legal processes are growing, budgets and staffing levels are shrinking. JUNE is a highly secure case management platform that automates routine processes and uses AI to optimize legal value creation. For example, the solution analyzes incoming correspondence, extracts data from vast amounts of information, finds knowledge, translates texts, streamlines workflows, delivers reports and directly assists with legal work.
Finalist 2024
Purchasing goods and services entails many administrative tasks for companies: customs, taxes, accounting, ESG classification. Nooxit’s AI automates these repetitive tasks for each individual procurement, reducing the workload on employees. Over time, the generative AI becomes smarter and smarter, increases compliance by up to 99 percent and reduces process costs by up to 90 percent. It also links external CO2 databases and supports brands in becoming more sustainable.
Finalist 2024
Workist offers a SaaS solution that uses AI to automate the processing of documents for B2B business. It captures orders, order confirmations, invoices, delivery bills and more and transfers them to the ERP system. A unique combination of AI models, validation logic and human feedback enables the highest automation rates. More than 100 manufacturing companies and wholesalers rely on Workist, including industry leaders such as Trumpf, Pilz and Zentis.
Contact
If you have any questions about The Spark Award 2025, please feel free to contact us.
Leonie
Gorlt
Manager Concept & Development Awards
