Startups are an important component of Düsseldorf's industrial network: they bring a breath of fresh air to traditional structures and can also act as ‘digital helpers’ along the value chain of established industrial companies. To connect both sides, Düsseldorf relies on platforms such as the Digital Innovation Hub Düsseldorf/Rhineland and TechHub.K67. In addition, the Economic Development Agency organises matching events, networking events and Startup Week Düsseldorf to specifically promote cooperation and innovation transfer and further strengthen the local ecosystem. The DefenseTech-Inkubator.NRW was also recently launched specifically for the defence industry and is also based in the state capital. The following three startups from very different fields are also part of this exciting ecosystem: Rex Tierarztpraxis, RIIICO and Bion Analytics. Happy reading!

NEXT GENERATION OF VETERINARY PRACTICE

Rex founders: Jonathan Loesing (right) and Julian Lechner (left).

For Jonathan Loesing, pets have always been part of the family: he grew up with rabbits, dogs, etc. and his grandfather had a huge farm in North Rhine-Westphalia. ‘Later, when I was working as a management consultant in human medicine, I realised how far veterinary medicine still lags behind human medicine in some areas – and even human medicine is not always state-ofthe- art,’ says Jonathan. This gave rise to the vision of bringing a breath of fresh air to veterinary medicine with a significantly more modern, digital and accessible offering than has been the norm to date: together with Julian Lechner, he founded Rex in 2021. ‘As the next generation of veterinary practices, we offer a number of advantages over conventional practices. This starts with the digital infrastructure and easy online appointment booking, appointment management, telemedicine for video appointments from home, digital patient admission, digital patient files, digital invoices and digital vaccination reminders,’ he explains. The local Rex practices also score points with their modern interior design and feel-good atmosphere. Separate waiting rooms for dogs and cats reduce stress, snacks for the animals create a positive atmosphere, and a wide range of medical treatments, including an in-house laboratory, enable quick results. ‘Thanks to online pre-consultation and appointment scheduling, we can reduce waiting times and also offer long opening hours, even on weekends,’ adds Julian. The business model is clearly well received and Rex is on a growth course: there are now practices in seven German cities – most recently in Düsseldorf-Friedrichstadt. ‘Pets are booming in Düsseldorf, but at the same time there aren't really many modern veterinary practices in the city centre that offer a wide range of treatments and long opening hours. So we're really looking forward to getting started here!’ says Julian. •

REX TIERARZTPRAXIS DÜSSELDORF
FRIEDRICHSTRASSE 20
40217 DÜSSELDORF

RIIICO founding team (from left to right): Felix Fink, Patrick Mertens and Jan Büchsenschütz.

DIGITAL TWINS FOR FACTORIES

While product cycles are generally becoming shorter and shorter, the planning of existing factories is becoming increasingly challenging. ‘Many companies lack reliable data that is readily available and reflects reality. This puts existing factories at a competitive disadvantage,’ explains Felix Fink. Together with Patrick Mertens and Jan Büchsenschütz, he therefore founded RIIICO in early 2021. The startup uses artificial intelligence to generate large-scale 3D factory models for the manufacturing industry at the touch of a button. ‘These models support teams in layout planning, simulations such as material flow, and optimisations for robotics. This enables companies worldwide to plan their factories more efficiently, even remotely, and to explains Jan. The startup phase was challenging, but throughexplains Jan. The startup phase was challenging, but through test changes virtually before implementing them in reality,’ initial projects and many hours spent in factories, the RIIICO team was able to significantly develop its business model. ‘In 2022, we were accepted into the renowned Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator at the University of California, Berkeley, from over 1,600 applications, where we worked intensively on our product and market for six months,’ says Patrick. This was followed by initial investments from experienced angel investors, Earlybird Venture Capital and the venture arm of Volvo Cars. RIIICO now works with a large part of the American and German automotive industry on the factories of the future. ‘Our goal is to build the foundation for the next generation of industry and contribute to the competitiveness of our domestic industry,’ says Felix. •

RIIICO GMBH
ERKRATHER STR. 162
40233 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.RIIICO.COM

Rouven Thum, Phuoc Nguyen und Christian Kim gründeten Bion Analytics (v.l.n.r.).

DATA-BASED DECISIONS FOR EVERY BUSINESS

‘We have seen time and again how much time and energy is wasted in companies on manual reporting,’ says Christian Kim, who previously worked as an auditor and consultant for small and medium-sized businesses at Forvis Mazars. At the same time, Phuoc Nguyen and Rouven Thum gained similar experience in the corporate world at PwC, where they developed individual reporting and controlling solutions. ‘Although data volumes and complexity are constantly increasing, financial processes in corporations and medium-sized companies are still largely manual when it comes to reporting – mostly using Excel and PowerPoint,’ explains Phuoc. SMEs in particular often lack practical solutions, while corporations invest large sums in their own data teams. ‘We wanted to close this gap,’ he adds. These observations were among the triggers for the founding of Bion Analytics in 2020. The goal: to make the reporting process modern, efficient and, above all, accessible to SMEs. Bion Analytics' solution enables finance teams to create analyses and reports in real time with the help of AI. This saves time, reduces costs and enables more transparent decision-making: market trends, risks and sales opportunities become visible at an early stage. ‘Many decisions are still made on gut instinct because there is a lack of reliable information,’ says Rouven. ‘Our goal is to make data-driven decisions the standard.’ Feedback from the field shows that there is a great need for this. For example, the startup team set up fully automated reporting for finance, sales and HR at a medium-sized medtech group in the dental sector within three months. Today, more than 30 users use it every day. ‘In addition to the medtech industry, where we want to continue growing in the coming years, we also see great potential in other data-driven medium-sized companies, such as those in the manufacturing or retail sectors,’ says Christian. •

BION ANALYTICS UG
C/O TECHHUB K67
KASERNENSTRASSE 67
40213 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.BION-ANALYTICS.COM

Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Rex, Siemens AG, Bion Analytics

FRESH IDEAS FROM DÜSSELDORF

THE GREEN SCENE

FRESH IDEAS FROM DÜSSELDORF