Demo Day Batch#4
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Livestream
March 23th, 2023
Impressions
March 23th, 2023
DemoDay Batch#4
Circular Valley awakens "the sleeping giant"
Grand finale for the current batch of the Circular Economy initiative: 14 startups presented their ideas to prevent billions of tons of emissions. Support came from both industry and politics.
There's one emission that even Circular Valley®, the circular economy initiative, appreciates. It is the noise level after the pitches of the international startups at the DemoDay. This applause was particularly loud at the grand finale of the current accelerator round, where young companies from around the world presented their ideas to avoid billions of tons of waste, CO2 and water pollution. The interest from the established industry, politics and science was high. The decision-makers held intensive discussions with the startups, which, among other things, presented water desalination facilities using solar energy, a platform for trading industrial waste and reusable boxes for e-commerce.
Mona Neubaur, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and patron of Circular Valley®, emphasized at the DemoDay what the startups achieve:
Mona Neubaur, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and patron of Circular Valley®, emphasized at the DemoDay what the startups achieve:
Turning our economic life upside down, moving from the line to the circle - this is the task Circular Valley® is taking on.
Mona Neubaur,
stellvertretende Ministerpräsidentin des Landes NRW und Schirmfrau des Circular Valley®
Mona Neubaur,
stellvertretende Ministerpräsidentin des Landes NRW und Schirmfrau des Circular Valley®
"The potential that is coming together here is something we see in many impressive examples today." Neubaur explained the path to climate neutrality, raw material lightness and sustainability. "We need functioning business models that make recycling possible: Using instead of owning, intelligent matching platforms on which products lead a second, third or fourth life, and many more," the State Minister of Economics added.
Matching is one of the central goals of Circular Valley®. The initiative aims to transform Germany's wider Rhine-Ruhr region into a global hotspot for the circular economy: a Silicon Valley for the circular economy. The initiative brings startups from all over the world to North Rhine-Westphalia and supports them in further developing their business model - with top-class coaches and mentors and by connecting them with potential partners from business and research institutions. The 14 startups that were in Circular Valley® over the past months, brought ideas for green building, renewable energy, industrial waste platforms, water treatment and waste management for the potential matches.
Viktor Haase, State Secretary at the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Environment, placed Circular Valley®'s efforts into a political context at the DemoDay. According to him, the circular economy is a "sleeping giant" in North Rhine-Westphalia that is now being awakened. The state government will present a strategy for the circular economy in the coming months, as will the federal government.
Matching is one of the central goals of Circular Valley®. The initiative aims to transform Germany's wider Rhine-Ruhr region into a global hotspot for the circular economy: a Silicon Valley for the circular economy. The initiative brings startups from all over the world to North Rhine-Westphalia and supports them in further developing their business model - with top-class coaches and mentors and by connecting them with potential partners from business and research institutions. The 14 startups that were in Circular Valley® over the past months, brought ideas for green building, renewable energy, industrial waste platforms, water treatment and waste management for the potential matches.
Viktor Haase, State Secretary at the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Environment, placed Circular Valley®'s efforts into a political context at the DemoDay. According to him, the circular economy is a "sleeping giant" in North Rhine-Westphalia that is now being awakened. The state government will present a strategy for the circular economy in the coming months, as will the federal government.
If we have to import raw materials, then we should only do this once and run them in circles from then on.
Viktor Haase,
State Secretary at the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Environment
Viktor Haase,
State Secretary at the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Environment
Addressing the Circular Valley® startups he added, "Your economic success is securing our future foundations."