Innovative business ideas
As part of the "Start!Up School Life Science" business plan competition, Human.technology Styria (HTS) awarded prizes on June 30th to the most innovative business ideas from Styrian students in the fields of "Health & Sustainability". Around 130 young people participated in the Start!Up School Life Science project and submitted their business plans, which they had developed over several months. Lecturers from FH Joanneum and the University of Graz , as well as experts from Next Incubator and Human.technology Styria, actively supported the students in developing their business plans and presenting their ideas.
The awards ceremony took place at the premises of Steiermärkische Sparkasse , which has been the competition's prime sponsor for 17 years. The ambitious young people gave their all during the presentations, aiming to convince the expert jury of their well-developed business plans. The jury then selected the three winners and also awarded the special prize for the "Most Innovative Product or Service."
Business plans impressed the expert jury
The jury members Dagmar Eigner-Stengg ( Founders' Center of the Styrian Savings Bank ), Doris Paier ( Styrian Business Promotion Agency ), Karin Eckhart ( Deloitte Styria ), Martin Tschandl ( FH Joanneum Industrial Management ), Leopold Strobl ( Styrian Chamber of Commerce ), Remo Taferner (University of Graz), Mathias Schaffer (Next Incubator), and Michael Pichler (Human.technology Styria) were impressed by the diversity of ideas. The evaluation process considered, among other things, the creativity and feasibility of the business idea, as well as the consideration of business management aspects.
“The Styrian HTL students are characterized by their entrepreneurial spirit, ambition and initiative. With the competition, we want to raise awareness that there are many interesting business areas in the life sciences industry and that we are always happy to see bright minds. The HTS supports young start-ups on their way to success with its services as part of the Startupmark,” says project manager Michael Pichler.
Band-aids on the chest and handkerchief buddy
The BIBO Breath In Breath Out project team (HTL Kaindorf) took first place this year. The students impressed the expert jury with their product presentation, which offers people with mental illnesses such as panic attacks, sleep paralysis, and post-traumatic stress disorder a way to detect attacks early and alleviate their symptoms. The product consists of a sensor that is attached to the chest with an adhesive patch and continuously measures breathing patterns. Measurement data is sent to an app in real time and analyzed in the background by a specially developed algorithm. They can look forward to €2.500 in prize money for this innovative business idea.
The project won second place Nasal Health Care. The creative youngsters developed a tissue buddy. The Tissue Buddy is a vending machine that provides handkerchiefs free of charge by scanning a QR code and then handing them out.
Companies can use the Tissue-Buddy for regional marketing and publish advertising on the handkerchiefs or the packaging. They were awarded EUR 1.500 for this.
Smart bed mat and side effects app
The team from "How's Baby" (BULME Graz-Gösting) was awarded third place and €1.000. Their product is a bed mat that is placed in a child's bed and records a child's health data. This data is then sent to the accompanying app to keep parents informed about the child's health.
This year's special award in the category "Most Innovative Product/Service" went to the dedicated team "MedTrack (HTL Kaindorf) ." They operate a mobile and web app that provides early warnings of potential side effects from medication, as well as general support for patients during their medication regimen through medication reminders and the option to contact specially trained staff via video chat with anxieties or questions. The students received €1.000 for this business idea.
