Innovative team LeafSync wins preliminary decision at the Idea Cup Lake Constance!

Innovative team LeafSync wins preliminary decision at the Idea Cup Lake Constance!

On April 9, 2025, this year's Idea Cup Lake Constance took place at the University of Konstanz, a preliminary decision by the founding competition "Start-up BW Elevator Pitch". This competition is organized by the Ministry of Economics, Labor and Tourism Baden-Württemberg and has developed into an important platform for innovative business ideas. As part of the competition, nine teams presented their concepts in front of a specialist jury. The LeafSync team, headed by Till, was able to assert itself and moved into the state finals in 2025. LeafSync develops specialized sensor hardware that captures physiological parameters in plants and thus enables early detection of plant stress to adapt environmental parameters in controlled cultivation systems more precisely.

dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, the responsible minister, congratulated the winning team and underlined the importance of such innovative ideas for the economy. The "Start-up BW Elevator Pitch" has been carried out since October 2013 as part of the state campaign "Start-up BW". In the current competition round 2024/2025, Start-up BW is responsible for the implementation of the preliminary decisions. As a rule, the participants have three minutes to present their business idea, whereby at least seven start-ups have to pitch in the preliminary decision.

funding for start-ups in Baden-Württemberg

Founding funding in Baden-Württemberg takes place via a total of twelve regional start-up ecosystems. This initiative aims to expand the founding culture across the entire country and not only concentrate in urban hotspots. The contact persons are available on site and help founders to master the first steps into self -employment. The support includes contact with experts within "The Start-Up Land".

Initiatives to strengthen Germany's innovation location

The WIN initiative plan companies to invest around 12 billion euros in the German venture capital ecosystem. This is also evident in the increase in the annual venture capital deal volume in Germany, which rose from 1.5 billion euros in 2013 to 7.1 billion euros in 2023. The signatories of the declaration of intent include well -known institutions such as Allianz, Axa Germany and Deutsche Bank, which are also committed to strengthening innovative strength in Germany.

Overall, both the regional initiatives in Baden-Württemberg and the nationwide programs represent an important step towards a dynamic and innovation-friendly economy.