Lusatia celebrates its start-up talents - the winners of STAR*PARADE 2025 have been announced

The grand finale of STAR*PARADE 2025 took place on 5 November 2025. Around 500 guests from business, science, politics and the regional start-up scene gathered in the Audimax of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg on the final evening to celebrate the participants and their ideas.

After the opening, Prof. Dr Gesine Grande, President of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, welcomed the participants and guests: "STAR*PARADE shows how much innovative strength and entrepreneurial courage there is in Lusatia. I am particularly pleased about the many participants from the BTU environment. Their ideas reflect what characterises our university: Creativity, great expertise, a thirst for adventure and a great willingness to take responsibility."

Dr Markus Niggemann, Alderman and Head of Financial Management, Economic Development & Social Affairs of the City of Cottbus, then gave a welcoming address: "The whole of Lusatia, with the boomtown of Cottbus/Chóśebuz as a vibrant centre, is a region on the move - and the founders we are honouring today are part of this change. They make ideas fly and create prospects for the Lusatia of tomorrow. Competitions such as STAR*PARADE show that economic transformation is not only possible, but also tangible. The projects and ideas we are seeing today are encouraging for the entire region."

A total of 100 applications were received for this year's STAR*PARADE - a new record for the Lusatian ideas competition! In nine events, 69 pitches took place at various locations throughout Lusatia.

These are the LAUSITZ*STARS 2025 in the following categories

• Pupils: Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium Görlitz
  The pupils have developed an algae panel that improves indoor air quality. The product binds carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. The panels consist of microalgae and are surrounded by a wooden frame. This is made from wood from Görlitz by people with disabilities. This turns an innovative frame into a design element.

• Craftsmanship: Gregor Kern and Kay Ackermann with myWalley
  An autonomous 24/7 supply via fresh food vending machines. The WalleyMaker delivers hot, wholesome snacks in 60 seconds at electric charging stations and in autonomous hotels.

• Services & retail: Elisa Szesny and Jonerta Prenga with Recarbox
  The Recarbox is a lockable garage that is only slightly larger than the car itself. This makes it space-saving, flexible, economical and does not require planning permission. It offers the convenience and security of a walk-in garage in places where walk-in garages cannot be built due to lack of space, budget or planning permission.

• Health & Social: Johannes Wagner with Sleepy Dream's
  Special sleeping bag inspired by the calming effect of a weighted blanket. After extensive research and numerous discussions with parents, the result was a gently weighted sleeping bag whose weight is always well below the baby's body weight.

• Cultural & Creative Industries (two first places):
  Dr Alexander Leymann with Alex on Stage
  Alex on Stage offers top-class juggling acts combined with exciting storytelling and a large portion of humour.

  Carolin Leder with Teamflow
  Experience-based coaching format that helps teams and organisations to communicate better with each other. Carolin Leder works with theatre pedagogical methods that help groups to recognise their communication patterns and open up new scope for action together.

• Technology & Digital (three first places):
  Akant Sengül and Fritz Bergmann and with NMI Technologies
  The research team is working on an innovative and novel sensor technology to help shape the future of plastics recycling. NMI Technologies is developing highly integrated, plasmonic, CMOS-compatible discrete NIR spectrometer sensors that can reliably recognise and differentiate between plastics.
  
  Stefanie Fiedermann-Schwenke with ALT/C
  Green chemical industry from Lusatia. A modular container plant for the production of green methanol from local residues - decentralised, efficient, economical
  
  Benno Lehmann with aicapella
  A platform that offers AI-based dubbing voices for films and commercials - based on and in fair cooperation with real dubbing actors.

• Technology & Digital (English): Wasif Syed with BARQ
  An intelligent energy management system for e-vehicle fleets that smartly networks all energy assets - from PV to storage to CHP - and thus saves costs.

• Social entrepreneurship: Jadranka Halilovic & Josefine Martha Pritschkoleit with Wurzelwerk Lausitz e.V.
  Wurzelwerk is an association of young, idealistic, competent people who sought and found each other in summer 2019 to work together to supplement the educational landscape of the Lusatia region. The big goal: contemporary education and humanistic, commitment-orientated development by founding an independent school in Drebkau.

• Misch*Pitch: Dr Anupam Yadav and Dr Jakob Pohlisch with Grünpfeil
  Tailor-made organic products - from fertiliser to crop protection - meet precision agriculture with the help of autonomous drones. The goal? To make Lusatia a model region for sustainable agriculture.

The SHOOTING*STAR audience award went to Johannes Wagner with SLEEPY DREAM'S.

In addition, the LUCKY*STAR was drawn from all participants. This was won by Tom Hommel & Fritz Böhnisch with their idea MedHost, a platform that bridges the gap between medical students at the start of their training and hospitals that urgently need junior doctors.

All LAUSITZ*STARS 2025 can look forward to attractive cash and non-cash prizes totalling around 20,000 euros, sponsored by numerous Lusatian companies and institutions.

After the official programme, the celebrations continued at the STAR*PARADE party: With music, a flying buffet and many inspiring conversations, founders, supporters and interested parties got talking - an evening characterised by ideas, energy and community.

A strong start-up ecosystem in Lusatia

STAR*PARADE is a further development of the Lusatian start-up competition (LEX) and has been organised since 2024 as a joint project by a large number of players in the Startup Lausitz start-up ecosystem.

This year, these include ASG Spremberg GmbH, EDIH pro_digital, Energie-Innovationszentrum Cottbus (EIZ), Energy Coworking, BTU Founders' Service, the Cottbus and Dresden Chambers of Crafts, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, the Cottbus and Dresden Chambers of Industry and Commerce, kobra.net, Lausitz Science Park, Startblock B2, Startup Lausitz, Wirtschaftsförderung Landkreis Oberspreewald-Lausitz and Wirtschaftsinitiative Lausitz e.V.

A project of the heart

Their joint conclusion: "STAR*PARADE 2025 has once again shown the strength of the Lusatian start-up scene. It has become an integral part of the regional start-up ecosystem - as a stage for new ideas, as a networking platform and as a symbol for the awakening of an entire region.

For us as organisers, it remains a project close to our hearts: a format that encourages, connects people and visibly shapes the transformation of Lusatia. The great response, the commitment of the participants and the support of our partners show that the STAR*PARADE is much more than a competition - it is a joint commitment to the future viability of Lusatia.

Every year, not only the number of ideas submitted grows, but also the confidence in the regional start-up culture. We want to capitalise on this momentum - to continue to inspire, network and strengthen. Because the best stories of change start with a good idea."

Further information on STAR*PARADE 2025 can be found at www.starparade.info.