The TROWIS GmbH is among the winners of the TUClab competition 2019. In the photo, from left to right: Thomas Naumann, Prof. Dr. Uwe Götze, Dr. Thorsten Heinze and Peter Streubel from TROWIS, as well as Joseph Heß.
Startups in the divisions of high-performance ropes, materials, and material forming convinced the jury with their business concepts – two TU Chemnitz spin-offs are among the winners
The startup teams of NOVAJET, TROWIS and mecorad came out on top with their business concepts and won over the jury at the TUClab competition 2019 held on 20 September 2019. Altogether seven finalists presented their approach on the “Pitch Deck” in the Start-up Gründerzentrum of the Technologie Centrum Chemnitz (TCC) on the campus on Reichenhainer Straße of the Technische Universität Chemnitz. Anyone who reached this level, in any event, is a winner, emphasized Prof. Dr. Uwe Götze, Prorector for Transfer and Further Education of the TU Chemnitz. In this respect, it was not easy for the jury to select three winners from among all the outstanding concepts, explained Joseph Heß, TUClab project leader. The decisive factor was that the business concepts of the three winners had already progressed to the extent that they had achieved the greatest development maturity, Götze added.
Manufacture customized products from high-performance materials
The startup NOVAJET focuses on manufacturing individual products from high-performance materials, such as technical ceramics, tungsten carbide, or fibre composite materials. For this purpose, the team has refined a technology based on water jet cutting. The goal is to make the equipment resulting from this approach ready for the market. NOVAJET is a spin-off of the TU Chemnitz.
High-performance ropes for traction and load-bearing mechanisms
The TROWIS GmbH founded in 2019 is a rope manufacturer specializing in high-performance fibre ropes to be used for materials handling and conveying. The team is currently striving to equip ropes for motorized driving pulleys and increases the ropes’ service life. TROWIS was founded as a spin-off of both the TU Chemnitz and the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida.
Material forming at optimal cost
The company mecorad implements hot forming of steel and other metals to produce high-quality products at a reasonable price. The mecorad company is involved in cooperation projects with the TU Chemnitz.
Background: The TUClab competition
The 2nd TUClab competition was held at the TU Chemnitz in June 2019 and offered opportunities for the winners to gain initial funding. It was initiated by the Saxon Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a bank of the Saxon Free State, to issue promotional grants, and the TU Chemnitz: the partners established a so-called “TUClab“ to support startup founders together in an unbureaucratic way. In this competition, up to three startups can obtain initial funding provided by equity capital of the Saxon Equity Holding. In total, a maximum of 900,000 Euro are available for the three companies. Additionally, the startups gain access to the infrastructure of the TU Chemnitz or selected transfer partners and are integrated into the university’s transfer and mentor networks.