LOPEC Start-up Competition & Award

As part of the Start-up Competition at LOPEC 2025, selected founders will present their business ideas in ten-minute pitches at the LOPEC Forum.

The aim of the Start-up Competition each year is to find partners and investors to support the realization of the founders' plans and ideas. A Board of Experts of investors and companies reviews the submitted applications in the run-up to LOPEC 2025 and puts together a selection which then present their business idea on site at the LOPEC Forum on February 26, 2025.

The best presentations in each of the categories Best Business Case and Most Impactful Technology or Most Impactful Product will be awarded the LOPEC Start-up Award as part of the LOPEC Get-together on the evening of February 26, 2025.

As a special honor, the two winners will each be provided with a start-up full service stand package worth around EUR 2,200 free of charge at LOPEC 2026.

Both the Get-together and the Award Show are open to all exhibitors, conference participants and trade fair visitors.

Finalists

Dr. James Claypole
CEO and Founder AilArian Ltd, UK
ailarian.co.uk

"Our silver conductive inks are based around a patented technology that enables us to recover the silver materials from both end of life products and manufacturing waste in an environmentally friendly way. The aim is to create a solution to the growing problem of electronics waste with a cost effective and sustainable solution. Our innovative technology allows us to separate the silver conductive material from end of life products and manufacturing waste without destroying other parts of the assemble, such as the substrate and electrical components, allowing them to be reused. Our recovery process does not change the silver materials, allowing it to be reused in the formulation of new inks without further processing, creating a closed loop circular system and paving the way for sustainable electronics."

Christian Weisse
CEO MCVE TECHNOLOGIE, France
mcve-tech.com

"We manufacture electronic functions which are then embedded in composite materials. Our technology fits the glass, polyester and flax fabrics. Our functionalized fabrics can be thermoformed or injected to obtain a full 3D beacon. Also, electronic people are fun about our technology as they can solder directly on our copper deposit which can fit the soldering/mounting PCB process used today in the industry. Our technology is a low carbon footprint as we are using a full additive process with low waste. Our technology is validated on flax fabrics with bio sourced resin which means a full recyclable loop."

Dr. Qiaoshuang Zhang
CEO, co-founder Prio Optics GmbH, Germany
prio-optics.com

"Prio Optics uses a brand-new way to make optical filters. We have created first-of-a-kind inkjet-printed filters, and unlocks new features as USP. Prio Optics stands in the midstream of the supply chain, and offers optical filters as components for downstream end users, such as consumer electronics, displays, and hyperspectral cameras. Prio Optics' technology is highly sustainable, as validated by a sustainability report. The printing utilizes drop-on-demand technology, reducing material waste to near-zero. Moreover, the entire production process occurs under ambient conditions, significantly lowering energy consumption. The technology is sustainable both economically and ecologically."

Dr. Lorenzo Agostini
CEO Adaptronics, Italy
adaptronics.it

"Adaptronics’ core technology is the Electro Active Adhesive Layer (EAAL), a conformable thin-film device that becomes adhesive on command on any material thanks to an electrostatic principle of operation, integrating AI-driven feedback sensing to detect proximity and contact with the target object. This cutting-edge technology is applied across multiple industrial automation sectors, such as packaging handling, e-commerce, warehouse management, agriculture and many other. Moreover, electroadhesion is suitable for operation in space conditions, enabling space robotic applications such as in-orbit servicing, active debris removal, and exploration. Beyond its versatility, the EAAL offers significant sustainability benefits, reducing energy consumption by up to 1000 times compared to traditional pneumatic systems, supporting sustainable automation practices, and enabling recycling and satellite repair and refuelling in space."

Dr. Ömer Omar
CTO and Co-Founder Apoello, UK
diadem-project.eu, nanomatch.de

"Traditional R&D in the organic electronics (OE) industry consists of experimental trial-and-error with slow adoption of modelling, leading to protracted and costly projects with limited innovation. Even in cases that do leverage digital tools, projects require assembly of experts across different specialties in science and engineering to identify, develop and combine suitable modelling methods into case-to-case patchwork solutions, manually allocate computational resources and manually filter candidates for chemical stability and availability, thus constrained by the same trial-and-error methods based on chemical intuition that characterise experimental R&D in OE. This reduces the advantages of simulation over experimentation, creating a high initial barrier for investment in simulation approaches for both industrial and academic researchers. However, our inverse design approach, DiaDEM, offers a groundbreaking perspective and unprecedented potential for the digital discovery of OE materials. We plan to capitalise on this opportunity to enhance the market adoption of digital design tools for OE materials and devices. By transforming DiaDEM into a scalable product, Apoello aims to expand its market presence, establish itself as a leader in digital discovery within organic electronics, and ultimately make a significant impact by enabling novel high-tech electronic applications.
DiaDEM addresses 5 of the UN SDGs (3, 7, 8, 9 and 13), as identified in the EIC Innovation Radar, due to the direct reduction in capital expenditure and environmentally-damaging waste from traditional R&D. Indirect benefits such as the development of sustainable, netzero technologies comes from the customers who leverage the advantage offered by using the platform."

Board of Experts LOPEC Start-up Competition & Award

A high-ranking Board of Experts will evaluate the submitted applications and select the start-ups that will then be allowed to present their business idea live at the LOPEC Forum during LOPEC 2025.

From this group, a jury will then select the two winners in the categories Best Business Case and Most Impactful Technology or Most Impactful Product.

The Board of Experts of the Start-up Competition & Award 2025 will be composed of the following members:

Chair:

• Dr. John Fahlteich - Managing Director, KETMarket GmbH (DE)

Further members of the Board of Experts:

• Dr. Kerry Adams, Business Chair LOPEC, Director and Founder, Ventoux Consulting Ltd. (UK)
• Dr. Michael Hack, Vice President of Business Development at both Universal Display Corp. and UDC Ventures (US)
• Dr. John Fahlteich, Managing Director, KETMarket GmbH (DE)
• Sebastian Mähler, Founder and Managing Director, white ip Business Solutions GmbH (DE)
• Dr. Anne Umbach, Investment Manager—Industrial Tech, High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH (DE)