
Review: The Spark 2021
With the topic “Net Zero Tech” this year, we honored start-ups that are already taking an important and decisive step towards climate neutrality.
In addition, with the Female Founder Award, we honor founders who, as digital pioneers, encourage more women to take the step into founding a company.
The award ceremony
On November 11, 2021, ten pioneering digital companies competed as finalists in the Tipi, Berlin and presented themselves to over 200 invited guests from politics, business and science.



















© Marc-Steffen Unger
FINALISTS & WINNERS
ORORATECH
OroraTech is developing the first global space-borne forest fire intelligence service, including risk assessment, early detection, real-time monitoring and damage analysis. By using New Space technologies, the company wants to help shape a sustainable future.
1. PLATZ
DABBEL
DABBEL was founded in 2018 with a mission to develop the most scalable, cost-effective and sustainable software to drastically reduce CO2 emissions in commercial buildings worldwide as quickly as possible. With the DABBEL KI software, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 40% in less than 4 weeks – completely without additional hardware.
2. PLATZ
CIRCUNOMICS
Circunomics is the first cloud-based IoT marketplace for battery reuse and recycling with a vision of a circular economy. With artificial intelligence, the platform simplifies and optimizes the return and remarketing of e-vehicle batteries for a sustainable use of resources.
3. PLATZ
CONCULAR
Concular has developed software that can be used to digitize materials in buildings so that they can be moved to new buildings in the event of demolition instead of being deposited. This saves CO2, waste and resources.
ELVAH
Inspiring the masses for electromobility – elvah meets this requirement. With its uncomplicated app including recommendations for the best charging experience and a charging flat rate for electric cars, the company offers its customers provider-independent and digital access to all public charging stations in Germany and 30 other countries.
ENVELIO
Our company is built on the three pillars of Trust, Eco and Technology. Our vision of promoting the energy transition through innovative solutions is not a product of strategic considerations, but our daily motivation and a model for our coexistence.
MIXTERESTING
At MIXTERESTING, we are mathematicians out of conviction and passionate problem solvers and love to translate our research results and developments into concrete products that can be used to solve customer challenges. With MIXTERESTING, we have the unique opportunity to influence the way concrete is conceived and developed in a positive direction.
PEXAPARK
The Swiss start-up is active in the trading of renewable energies. It offers a set of tools that enable structuring and transparency when pricing so-called Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). It provides market analysis, continuously monitors energy sales and risks of PPA deals and renewable energy assets. Energy sellers thus gain more fairness on the energy market. PEXAPARK has more than 50 employees and is already active in 18 markets.
PLANETLY
How big is our carbon footprint? Companies can get the answer to this question in detail with the software solution from the company founded in 2019. The data collection for footprint measurement is fully automated and the results are visualized in real time. This forms the basis for CO2 management and the definition, implementation and tracking of the climate strategy.
TESVOLT
TESVOLT is the technology leader for energy storage solutions for trade and industry. Over 2,200 storage projects have already been delivered worldwide. TESVOLT storage can be combined with all regenerative energy sources and is mass-produced in Europe’s first gigafactory for battery storage at the Wittenberg site.
FEMALE FOUNDER
GEWINNERIN

KATHARINA JÜNGER
TeleClinic enables patients to have an online visit with a qualified doctor who can issue them with prescriptions and sick notes via an app. Katharina Jiinger founded TeleClinic at a time when online visits to the doctor were still forbidden in Germany and digital prescriptions and digital sick notes were still a thing of the future. Today, 7 years after its foundation, the market is completely liberalized and TeleClinic treats hundreds of patients online every day.
FINALISTIN

MENGTING GAO
Mengting Gao wants to create meaningful connections for people across national borders and cultural differences – with Kitchen Stories we succeed every day through one thing that connects us all: cooking.
FINALISTIN

VERONIKA RIEDERLE
Demodesk is the first intelligent meeting platform for sales teams.
The platform is based on our revolutionary screen sharing technology that uses collaborative virtual displays instead of sharing the seller’s local desktop screen. With Demodesk, Veronika Riederle stands for a corporate culture that focuses on diversity, equal opportunities and sustainability.
JURY
For The Spark 2021, we once again put together a top-class jury, which used their expertise to select the The Spark winners 2021 at the jury meeting.
The jury meeting took place on October 6th.

Sebastian Matthes
Chefredakteur Handelsblatt

Fabian billing
Deutschlandchef McKinsey & Company

Ann-Kristin Achleitner
Scientific Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies (CEFS), Munich University of Technology

Christoph Brand
CEO Axpo Holding AG

Matthias Dill
CEO & Managing Partner Energy Impact Partners Europe

Dr. Ralph Fürderer
Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Und Vorstandsmitglied Hager Group

Prof. Dr. Veronika Grimm
Inhaberin des Lehrstuhls für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Wirtschaftstheorie, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg und Mitglied im Sachverständigenrat Wirtschaft

Philipp Justus
Managing Director Google Germany GmbH

Katharina Kreitz
Co-Founder Vectoflow GmbH

Barbara Kux
Stellv. Vorsitzende des
Verwaltungsrats Firmenich SA sowie Mitglied der Aufsichtsräte Grosvenor Group, Henkel und Pargesa Holding

Dr. Sigrid Nikutta
Vorstandsvorsitzende DB Cargo

Dr. Victoria Ossadnik
COO Digital, E.ON SE

Dr. Stephan Rohr
Founder & Co-CEO TWAICE

Dr. Frank Reintjes
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Powertrain, E-Mobility & Manufacturing Engineering, Daimler Truck AG

Markus Sontheimer
CIDO, ISS World Services
NOMINATION COMMITTEE
The experts for the nominations in 2021 were:

Prof. Dr. Michael Dowling
Lehrstuhl für Innovations- und Technologiemanagement Universität Regensburg und Vorsitzender des Münchner Kreis

Prof. Dr. habil. Alois Knoll
Professor TU München, Lehrstuhl für Robotik, Künstliche Intelligenz und Echtzeitsysteme

Florian Petit
Gründer Blickfeld & Gewinner The Spark 2019

Hans-Jürgen Jakobs
Senior Editor Handelsblatt

Raffael Winter
Partner McKinsey & Company