The fact that the two competitions of AC² – start-up competition and growth initiative – also mutually can be useful, showed up at the company visit of the Aachener Werkzeugbauakademie WBA.

Business consultant Jérôme Philippe Schnitzler established contact between the two founding companies CONtopia, VitalSci and the WBA, which, unlike the two founding companies participate in the competition the AC² Growth Initiative.

Head of the demonstration toolmaking Mike Brinkmann (second from left) and employee Thomas Fest (first from left) showed with their guidance through the tool shop hall ways for the two founding companies, to exploit synergies.

Marco Bellof and Florian Schulz from VitalSci develop a product that helps the customer to reduce actively stress and can be applied in the therapeutic range. The product is a head rest with integrated sensors for monitoring of vital functions, which allows an autonomous, visual biofeedback therapy. Biofeedback is a relatively new process, which is used for prevention and therapy support of pain syndromes (migraine and tension headache), depression, burnout and cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure. Fundamentally, the product stands out for its contactless measurement method and the discreet biofeedback visualization. This allows the user a comfortable and intuitive handling.

The three civil engineers Dirk Thal, Leon Bocksteger and Erick Regehr from CONtopia used a self-developed, specially tuned high-tech concrete for the production of high-quality designer furniture and furnishings, which are sold on the furniture market. The main features of this high-strength special concrete are its self-compacting in the production, low shrinkage during curing and zero porosity. The CONtopia wishes to bring technologies from the construction in their products, work filigree and combining the concrete with other materials. Thus, the concrete should comfortably operate and can be integrated into any device.

The competition of the founders as well as the growth initiative ends on March 7^th, by the submission of their plans. All companies expect the award ceremony at the city hall of Aachen on June 2^nd 2016.

The exchange between the founder and growth companies has already created a great added value for the future and the WBA would be pleased to support the founding companies in an advisory capacity.

Further Information
http://www.gruenderregion.de/wettbewerbe/ac2-die-wachstumsinitiative/ablauf.htm