The Climate Hack recap is here!
After our legendary Climate Hack 2023, it moved into a new round. Creative minds and startup enthusiasts have once again shown that the future is what we make of it!
Join us on an exciting tour of the Climate Hack 2024 highlights and discover the brilliant concepts that emerged.
Why do we need startups?
Every company started out small, whether in a garage or a modern office. Time and again, it’s important for ambitious people to challenge the status quo and want to eliminate emerging problems. They drive progress and question existing structures.
This also gives established companies an incentive to continuously evolve so they don’t lose their market positions. Especially now, sustainability keeps coming up.
How can we improve the world over the long term? Fortunately, there are plenty of people in Münster who want to take on this challenge.
Climate Hack 2024
More than 30 participants signed up for the second edition of the Climate Hack organized by Venture Club Münster. Over four days, teams had to identify problems, develop solutions, and create business models. In addition, all of these results were to be presented on the final day to a panel of experts and over 200 guests.
Time was tight, but that didn’t deter our participants. To their advantage, they had 17 experienced mentors supporting them.
On top of that, Reach and DigiHub provided their spaces. Consequently, participants had the chance over the four days to get to know the Münster startup ecosystem very well.
Day 1: Why Climate? And Getting to Know Each Other!
On Wednesday evening, the Climate Hack journey kicked off at Reach with a talk from Jan Quaing, research associate at the German Federal Environmental Foundation. He explained why it’s essential to engage deeply with sustainability not only in the environmental context but also in other areas.
Afterwards, participants got the chance to meet each other during an Office Olympics organized by Strong Partners and get active. The evening wrapped up with pizza and drinks as excitement for the next day grew.
Day 2: Ideas, Teams, and USPs?
On Thursday morning, participants really got going. A first workshop on ideation and design thinking, led by Nils Blache, IT consultant at GuideCom AG, showed participants how to analyze problems and validate solutions.
In the same process, initial groups with similar interests emerged. As a result, by the start of the next workshop, five founder teams had already formed, determined to tackle the problems.
The second workshop, led by Timo Heidemann and Alfons Kampmann, both startup coaches at Reach, explained how to secure a sustainable USP (unique selling proposition). Afterwards, the teams worked on refining their ideas into the late evening.
Day 3: Finance, Marketing, and Products!
The morning of the third day was focused on finance topics. Sebastian Hollmann, start‑up advisor at Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, emphasized the importance of dealing with issues such as financing and business plans.
At noon, the “Marketing: Best Practices” workshop followed, led by Joyce Herberg, marketing manager, and Anna‑Luisa Korte, Director of Brand & Content, both from the Founders Foundation Bielefeld. In the evening, the teams further developed their ideas, and the products gradually took shape.
Day 4: Pitching and Persuading!
Now the teams had finished their concepts and faced the crucial challenge: How can you convince experts that your idea is truly compelling and valuable? It was at this critical point that Jean Michel Diaz, co‑founder of Echometer, led the "Pitch Perfect" workshop.
In the grand finale, all participants stepped up their game and gave their all during the presentations! They were determined to win over the audience and make an impact with their innovative ideas.
Final Pitch – Who Will Win?
Finally, the moment has arrived. The hard work is about to bear its first fruit. At LBS Münster, the pitches were to be delivered in front of a four‑person jury and more than 200 guests. Manja Dieckmann, Carsten Lessmann, Daplaah‑Teng Aryene, and Jonas Heeke were eager to hear the pitches and select a winner. Here are the teams’ presented ideas:
VoyageView provides an audit service for companies to examine their supply chains. The goal is to look for greenwashing, vet suppliers, and guarantee sustainable supply chains.
With BreakBuddy introduces an innovative online tool that playfully boosts team communication in the home office. This aims to eliminate the productivity killer of loneliness.
ResQFerm is dedicated to fermentation to give food a second life. Under the motto 'saved here, sold here,' they aim to combine profitability and sustainability for food retailers.
RentSolar is an affordable rental model for balcony solar systems, making the energy transition possible for renters.
Head of Happiness offers software that intervenes in daily work life, providing actionable recommendations to prevent burnout symptoms. Productivity and mental health are sustainably secured together.
Now it’s time to catch a breath. The jury is deliberating while guests can vote for their favorite over food and drinks. The tension is rising! The winners of Climate Hack 2024 are:
- First Place + Audience Favorite: ResQFerm
- Second Place: RentSolar
- Third Place: Head of Happiness
The ResQFerm team secures the opportunity to further develop their idea at the Hive, an office space for entrepreneurs in the heart of Münster. A huge thank you goes out to all participants, the mentors, the jury, our sponsors and supporters, as well as the VCM team! Like last year, Climate Hack was a complete success and enriched everyone who attended. We’re excited to see which hackathons will follow in the coming semesters and whether they will surpass this event.
