Fresh Ideas from Düsseldorf #03
Despite the pandemic, Düsseldorf‘s start-up ecosystem is flourishing. That is reflected by some impressive figures for 2021. 500 startups with more than 5,400 employees were recorded - that‘s an increase of 23 percent compared to the previous year! 103 start-ups were founded here - that‘s an increase of 12 per cent compared to 2020! So we can look forward to seeing how the success story continues this year. Also contributing to this are these three start-ups from Düsseldorf, who are likewise undeterred by the current particularly difficult conditions: Camper Active, Livello and UPLINK Network.
Camper Active reinvents the
camping toilet
The search for a disposal station, the inconvenient cleaning, the dependence on water and then also that smell... Anyone who has ever used a chemical toilet knows the disadvantages. That was also the case for passionate camper Markus Becker. In his search for a better alternative, he discovered the composting toilet. The principle is very simple: a separating insert directs liquid and solid waste into separate containers. The solids are covered with litter to dry them out and bind odours, and later disposed of in the residual waste. The liquid container can easily be emptied in any toilet.
Sustainable toilet with style - start-up Camper Active is making a strong case for composting toilets as an alternative to chemical toilets.
To make the concept better known, Markus Becker founded the portal meinetrenntoilette.de in 2018 and decided in 2020 to develop his own product together with his partner Benedikt Franke. Camper Active GmbH was born - and with it the composting toilet brand Trelino®. “With Trelino, we offer a sustainable, environmentally friendly and resource-saving alternative to conventional chemical toilets,” says founder Markus Becker. And aesthetics also play an important role, adds Benedikt Franke: “For example, if you lovingly furnish your van and coordinate everything, you should not have to compromise on the look of the toilet. The design was therefore a central point in the development process.” More than 10,000 toilets sold in Germany and Europe now testify to the success of the Düsseldorf-based start-up. The next target: the American market. As a participant in the Scale Up NRW scaling programme funded by the ministry, the chances of achieving this are excellent.
Camper Active GmbH, Erkrather Straße 228A, 40233 Düsseldorf
www.trelino.com
With 750 active FM frequencies in Germany, the young Düsseldorf-based company UPLINK is now the market leader in the radio sector.
UPLINK shakes up the VHF market
They have set out to shake up a historically inflexible market: the FM broadcasting business. For almost 90 years, this task lay entirely with the Bundespost, or its successor companies. Only a change in the law in 2012 cleared the path for real competition. But at first no one really dared to rattle the monopolist’s throne - until the Düsseldorf-based start-up UPLINK Network came onto the scene in 2013. In 2015, the young company was able to transfer the first FM frequency to the free market, and demand grew rapidly from 2016 onwards. In 2018, UPLINK overtook the former monopolist. CEO Michael Radomski remembers the exciting but also tough early days: “We arrived as David and took on Goliath. Some of the lawsuits against us were so thick that the respective court had to serve them in several parcels. For a long time, no one knew what the outcome would be.”
But Radomski and his team refused to be defeated and convinced with service, quality and price. With 750 active FM frequencies, UPLINK is now the market leader in the broadcasting sector. Three times in a row, this rapid growth has already been rewarded with top rankings in the Financial Times. A trend that is set to continue: “We have become big with transmitter network operations for radio in Germany,” says Michael Radomski. “But we are also transferring our competences to other business areas such as radio for public authorities, 5G mobile radio or the networking of industrial applications. This way we want to continue our steady growth in the future.”
UPLINK Network GmbH, Heerdter Sandberg 32, 40549 Düsseldorf
www.uplink-network.de
Livello revolutionises retail
Healthy food - anywhere, anytime. With its “smart kiosk” technology, start-up Livello aims to revolutionise autonomous retail.
“Revolutionising nutrition in the workplace and making healthy food available easily, anywhere and anytime.” With this vision, Alexander Eissing founded his foodtech start-up Livello in 2016. The product: a smart fridge that can be opened cashlessly like a small kiosk, automatically recognises food and drinks taken out and bills them straight away. For companies, hotels, hospitals or on the road. What started as a solution for a healthy lunch break is now a wide range of automated options. More and more retailers are also discovering the concept for themselves, says Alexander Eissing: “We help our customers establish new sales channels, generate more reach and product availability. For retailers, we have developed a small container store especially for this purpose. Outside opening hours or in the countryside, end consumers can stock up on essentials around the clock - without any on-site staff, which is currently in short supply almost everywhere.”
The idea of the “Smart Kiosk” has already won several prizes, including the Deutscher Gründerpreis, the EY Start-up Award and the “Most innovative Catering Solution Germany” award. Alexander Eissing and his team have ambitious plans for the future: Among other things, the technology is to be introduced in nine more countries and the software behind it is to be constantly optimised: Artificial intelligence, deep analytics and predictive forecasting are some of the keywords. “We want to become the leading platform for autonomous retail and unattended retail,” says the founder.
Livello GmbH, Elisabethstr. 73, 40217 Düsseldorf
www.livello.com
Words Maria Leipold
Pictures Camper Active GmbH, UPLINK Network GmbH, Livello GmbH