In November EIT Digital awarded the ‘formnext Startup Challenge’ winners together with the organizers Mesago of the new international trade fair for additive manufacturing formnext2015 powered by tct. The competition was aimed at young, innovative companies in additive manufacturing. The exhibition formnext 2015 on additive technologies and tool-making took place in Frankfurt from November 17 to 20.
The five wining startups of the formnext Startup Challenge have impressed the jury not only with their power of innovation but also the sustainability of their commercial ideas. The scope of the innovative products from the five winners ranged from software solutions for distributed manufacturing, or simple individualization by dyeing sintered components, to a camera support developed by means of 3D printing and an extremely compact laser-sintering printer. All products and services are "ready to market" and were presented by the young enterprises in the start-up area of the formnext 2015. The outstanding developments highlight the paths and directions in which additive technology will develop in the future.
The Startup Challenge prizes included a booth in the startup area of the formnext 2015, including construction and paid travel and hotel expenses. The winners also have the opportunity to be integrated into the EIT Digital Accelerator programme, and thus benefit from consulting with business development and communication experts as well as contacts to potential investors and clients throughout Europe.
It was the very first edition of formnext and it succeeded in drawing 8,982 visitors from all around the world, establishing the event as a platform for cutting-edge product development. The high quality of international representatives from the additive industry shows that it is the right platform to participate in and to bring in the EIT Digital Business Community of the Action Line Cyber-Physical Systems.
