'Swarm Analytics' is Euregio’s best business idea 27.November.2017

A team from Tyrol impressed in the Euregio finals of the 120 second chance with its strategic analysis of big data. International experts emphasise the significance of networking in the success of start-ups.

Start-ups are a key growth driver across all sections, accelerating technological innovation and enabling employment growth. Drawing on this potential and intensifying the establishment of start-ups requires targeted collaboration between companies, education and research institutes, society, politics and investors, according to both Tal Catran, an accelerator expert from Israel and tech industry expert Cathy White from London. Both were invited to speak at the Startup Festival which took place yesterday in Innsbruck. “The coordination of the various players and their services is required to exploit any synergies and avoid any duplication. The states of Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino took account of this in their Euregio start-up initiative through which the three states will invest a million euros in business start-ups in the Euregio region by 2019. The Euregio-wide 120 Second Chance event is an important measure for pooling regional competence for the benefit of up-and-coming companies,” says State Minister for the Economy, Patrizia Zoller-Frischauf.

Cross-state entrepreneurial spirit
Over 70 start-ups and companies in Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino have taken part in the 120 Second Chance since the start of October. They presented their business ideas to local juries who selected the best three ideas from each state selection together with the audience. The nine best business ideas have then continued to develop their ideas and yesterday they presented them before a jury and audience again at the Euregio finals of the 120 Second Chance which was held as part of the Startup Festival. ‘Swarm Analytics’ was selected as the best business idea for Euregio in 2017.

The Euregio winners at the 120 Second Chance

First place went to the Tyrolean start-up team, Swarm Analytics. Swarm Analytics makes it easier for SMEs to access the key strategic analyses e.g. on traffic volume. Data is recorded by sensors and then evaluated and presented in a simple format and made available for efficient use – without the existing infrastructure having to be changed.

Second place went to a team of students from the Lienz Private Higher Technical School for their
Innovative Loudspeaker. Sounds needs space to unfold. Loudspeakers are therefore either large and offer good sound or, like the Bluetooth loudspeaker, are small and manageable but do not offer the optimal sound quality due to their small size. Given this situation, the team developed a means of adjusting the size of the loudspeaker body so that the loudspeaker can offer both quality sound and manageability.

Third place went to Maicol Verzotto from South Tyrol for his ‘Functional Gums’. His company develops chewing gum with a well-founded and proven effect: the addition of caffeine to the chewing gum increases the performance of the consumer. Functional Gums are already available on the market in Italy, Spain and South America, among others.

Just as experts from the worlds of finance and science were on hand to support the participating new companies during the 120 Second Chance over the last few weeks, Tal Catran and Cathy White also passed on their experience during the Euregio finals of the 120 Second Chance which was held as part of the Startup Festival. Dr. Marcus Hofer, Managing Director of the Standortagentur Tirol said, “Drawing on different services and formats, the Standortagentur Tirol and its partners supports up-and-coming start-ups – and with great success if we think about companies like Gronda and Mattro Mobility Revolutions GmbH which we have supported from the outset. Collaborating with entrepreneurs from South Tyrol and Trentino offers out start-ups additional networking and growth opportunities. By collaborating with international experts, we can offer important insight into the cross-regional scene, this year inviting Tal Catran and Cathy White to Tyrol. Through the Startup Festival, we aim to offer the entrepreneurial scene greater visibility and to motivate young people, who have not yet had any contact with the scene, to consider self-employment”.

Original version: https://www.standort-tirol.at/page.cfm?vpath=presse--medien&genericpageid=22574