Several Munich startups — more precisely Spin-offs from the Technical University of Munich — are included in this year's "Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe." The US magazine presents 300 particularly innovative personalities under the age of 30 in its ranking.
The entrepreneurs have developed, among other things, a wheelchair control system based on head movement and a vertical takeoff light aircraft. Here is a list of the young companies that exist in the exquisite selection have achieved:
Glasschair: Control wheelchairs with a nod
Most of the students tasked with developing new "mobility services" in the business informatics seminar were interested in cars. However, Claudiu Leverenz and two fellow students turned their attention to a different vehicle: the wheelchair. They asked themselves how mobility could be made easier for people with severe paralysis. They developed an application for smart glasses that allows an electric wheelchair to be controlled using head movements and voice signals alone. The control commands are transmitted via Bluetooth to an adapter that plugs into the external control port of common wheelchair models.
Today, Leverenz (27) is preparing the founding of Glass chair and is on the Forbes list in the category “Science and Healthcare”His team has already built a large network of users, medical supply stores, clinics, and wheelchair manufacturers. The app for the intelligent wheelchair is scheduled to launch in early 2018 following certification as a medical device and clinical testing.
KONUX: Maintaining industrial plants with artificial intelligence
Where does a machine not function optimally? When does a switch need maintenance? KONUX offers companies a system that allows them to constantly monitor their industrial facilities or railway infrastructure. Sensors record the condition, and artificial intelligence predicts future maintenance needs and schedules maintenance work. The analyses can be accessed via a cloud, regardless of time and location. This allows companies to avoid downtime and increase the uptime of their equipment.
KONUX CEO Andreas Kunze (25), production manager Dennis Humhal (27) and Vlad Lata (26), responsible for technology development in the company, studied electrical engineering and information technology, computer science, mechanical engineering and economics at the TUM faculties and founded the start-up in 2014. Today, the KONUX has already acquired major companies as customers, completed several financing rounds, opened a branch in Silicon Valley – and made it into the Forbes Top 30 at “Industry” done.
Rinke is an “All-Star Alumnus”
Lilium Aviation: An aircraft for everyday use
Reach your destination in an air taxi at 300 kilometers per hour without traffic jams – and with climate-friendly energy. The TUM spin-off has developed this vision Lilium Aviation has just unveiled a prototype: an ultralight aircraft that takes off and lands vertically. A total of 36 propellers on the wings power the jet. They are powered by six batteries that are designed to have a range of 300 kilometers. The two-seater is not only quiet but also twice as efficient as current electric cars.
Matthias Meiner (29), one of the four founders, is nominated in the “30 Under 30” category “Industry” He earned his master's degree in mechatronics at TUM, and subsequently conducted research at the German Aerospace Center, among others. At Lilium, he is now responsible for flight control and avionics. The startup recently Acquire 10 million euros in equity capital.
Celonis: Making business processes visible
At only 26 years old, Alexander Rinke is already one of the "All-Star Alumni" of the Technical University of Munich, having been included in the "Forbes 30 Under 30" last year. In 2011, Rinke, who studied mathematics, founded with two other TUM graduates CelonisThe team developed process mining software that enables companies to evaluate and visualize their ongoing business processes and improve them based on the results. Today, Celonis is the global market leader in process mining.
