Biotechnology projects shaping our future – three life science start-ups convinced the jury at the 11th BioRiver Boost!
The winners are ingineeon – advanced immunpotherapeutics (1st place), TCBalance Biopharmaceuticals GmbH (2nd place) and Sweethoven Biotech (3rd place).
The winners of the 11th BioRiver Boost! 2024 have been announced. First place went to Munich-based ingineeon – advanced immunoptherapies. The company develops cytokine-based immunotherapies for cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Second and third place went to TCBalance Biopharmaceuticals GmbH from Berlin, Germany and Sweethoven Biotech from Bonn, Germany. A special prize in the form of a wild card to participate as a finalist in the BioRiver Boost! 2025 competition went to the TumiKo start-up project from Essen, Germany.
With its annual start-up competition BioRiver Boost!, BioRiver e. V., the association representing the biotechnology and life science sectors in the German Rhineland area, offers young promising life science start-ups companies and projects valuable support and the opportunity to broaden their network and become visible in the industry. Access to renowned experts from global life science companies and investors can be decisive for the future success of a start-up. The prospect of an association membership is an additional incentive for the winning teams as they benefit from BioRiver e.V.’s resources and broad network.
About the start-up competition BioRiver Boost!
Every year since 2014, young companies that develop market-changing and/or innovative technologies or services for the biotechnology or life science sector have been able to apply for the BioRiver Boost! Startup competition. Organised by BioRiver e. V. and made possible by the commitment of the association’s members, partners and life science companies, BioRiver Boost! is now the best-known competition in Germany that accepts applications without regional restrictions and thus attracts start-ups from all over Europe.
In a two-stage process, a jury first selects eight finalists from all the applications, who then give short presentations and answer questions from the jury on the day of the awards ceremony. The finalists are selected based on specific criteria, such as customer benefit and degree of innovation of the technology as well as the experience of the team and the quality of the business plan. After the so-called pitch sessions in front of the jury and the audience, the jury decides on the best three start-ups or start-up projects in a secret ballot. After the competition, all finalists are invited to become part of the extensive BioRiver network and benefit from the expertise of the association and its members. The programme of the final event also includes reverse pitches by investors and corporations, as well as a designated networking session. Another highlight is the participation of previous winners and finalists and the motivational talk by last year’s winner.
The BioRiver Boost! is supported by numerous sponsors: The event was hosted by Johnson&Johnson, platinum sponsors included KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH and the City of Düsseldorf. Gold sponsor was NRW.Bank.
Find more information here.