Start-up Camideos Secures First Place at FIEGE Innovation Challenge

The start-up Camideos prevailed in the finals of the FIEGE Innovation Challenge 2021. The founding team of Andreas Rudi, Philipp Rose, Felix Mildner, and Steffen Link from the Fraunhofer Institute impressed the jury last Thursday with the idea of a software and platform for emission tracking that supports companies in their use of trucks, from the purchasing decision to optimizing energy consumption.

(Greven) In the fourth edition of the FIEGE Innovation Challenge, the start-up Camideos secured first place. The winner receives a prize of 5,000 euros. In addition, FIEGE’s company builder XPRESS Ventures will accompany the Camideos team on their further journey.

“We are incredibly happy that we could impress the jury with our young start-up and our vision, especially since the other founders also presented very exciting ideas and business models,” says Philipp Rose, managing director of Camideos. Andreas Rudi, also managing director at Camideos, explains: “For us as an external applicant, the Innovation Challenge was somewhat of an away game. Thank you to FIEGE for taking this event so seriously and for giving young companies outside the organization the chance to participate in the Innovation Challenge. For us, this first place means both motivation and commitment to further advance our company and tackle the next challenges.”

Great Compliment to All Applicant Teams

At the end of the final day, Camideos prevailed against four other finalists, three from the FIEGE Group and one from the Münster University of Applied Sciences. “We really saw excellent pitches,” says Felix Fiege. “There was a lot of expertise, a lot of entrepreneurship, and a lot of passion. Great compliments to all teams.” Accordingly, there was a controversial discussion in the jury, consisting of Felix and Jens Fiege (chairmen at FIEGE), Martin Rademaker (board member at FIEGE), Tanja Rosendahl (F-LOG Ventures), Mario Zimmermann (LZW Capital), and Daniel Werner (Zenfulfillment), about the winner of the Innovation Challenge 2021. The audience also participated in the voting and counted as another jury vote. “In the end, Camideos had the best overall package from our perspective,” explains Felix Fiege, “but we will also keep a close eye on the ideas of the other finalists and continue to support the founders.”

The five finalists had emerged from a total of 30 founding teams in advance. In addition to Camideos, Parcel Crowd (delivery model via private couriers on the last mile), Zoll Advisor (automation tool for tariffing in import and export), Telematics Cloud (cloud solution for providing and utilizing telematics data), and World of Wines (plug-in fulfillment and online shop for winemakers and dealers) presented their business ideas. Telematics Cloud secured second place, while Parcel Crowd completed the podium in third place.

Innovation is a Decisive Factor for Sustainable Success

Jens Fiege, like his cousin Felix, is full of praise for the founding teams. “What really excites me is, besides the creativity and expertise, the passion with which the candidates bring their ideas to life. One must not forget that all business models are developed outside of actual working hours.” FIEGE is an innovation leader in logistics, says Jens Fiege, and this entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what is needed in the company. Innovation is a crucial factor for sustainable success. “In our nearly 150-year company history, it has always been the case that business areas have changed or even been completely replaced by new business areas. Innovation is something that shapes and drives us. Creating something entirely new has been, is, and will remain the royal discipline.”

Background of the Innovation Challenge

Since 2017, FIEGE has been promoting innovative business ideas from its own employees as well as from students through the Innovation Challenge to actively shape the logistics of tomorrow. Anyone can apply. The best ideas make it to the finals and must stand before a selected jury. The most promising business model not only wins a prize of 5,000 euros but is also actively supported by FIEGE’s company builder XPRESS Ventures on its further journey.

Photo: © Fiege / Image Caption: Andreas Rudi (l.) and Philipp Rose, both managing directors at Camideos, were delighted with their victory at the FIEGE Innovation Challenge and the prize money of 5,000 euros