The winner of the Philip Innovation Award (PHIA) is Respyre. The start-up from Delft receives 50.000 euros for developing a special type of concrete on which moss growth is possible, in order to bring cities to life. The PHIA is the largest award for student entrepreneurship in the Netherlands, intended for students who want to further develop their start-up or idea.
Start-ups that win the award are guided to turn their innovative idea into a successful business. They are also supported with an extensive network and the necessary funding. The award has been presented by students of the Erasmus University Rotterdam for seventeen years. The Philips Innovation Award has two leagues. The Innovator League is for mature start-ups, competing for the grand prize of 50,000 euros, and the Rough Diamond League, for start-ups founded after October 1, 2021. Eight finalists in total eventually reached the grand finals.
Respyre is the winner of the Innovator League. It is a spin-off of Delft University of Technology and develops a bio-receptive concrete, in combination with a concrete plaster, that enables moss growth on a surface. With this, the start-up aims to efficiently and sustainably integrate vegetation into barren environments and thus bring cities to life. Through training, networking and the cash prize, the Philips Innovation Award supports Respyre in further developing its technology.
Rough Diamond prize
Glimp receives the Rough Diamond prize of 10.000 euros for the development of a burnout therapy. The start-up offers breathing exercises by means of a special device, the ‘Pebble’, which transmits haptic and auditory feedback. An app is then used to provide insight into the clients’ progression. The therapy can be performed in clients’ homes and should ultimately ensure that the overall therapy costs for clients are reduced.
HART from Eindhoven misses out
Student team HART from TU/e -Innovation Origins spoke with the team just before the award was announced- reached the grand finals, but ultimately did not win any prizes. The student team, which now consists of twenty students, wants to stretch the boundaries of the senses with a sleeve that speaks all languages. Whoever puts on the garment can feel words through vibrations. The sleeve is a first step towards the ultimate goal of the student team: to develop new senses through human augmentation.
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