Start-ups

Ready-made sauce and payment app win AiDia 2024

11 September 2024
Hamburg's Afro-German start-up contest for Black founders - EUR 53,000 in prize money

Eight finalists out of 60 teams that applied for AiDiA 2024 in two categories scooped EUR 53,000 in prize money on Saturday (September 7, 2024). Launched in 2022, the Afro-German contest is a mix of an ideas pitch for Black entrepreneurs and cultural festival. AiDiA and is now a permanent fixture in Hamburg's start-up ecosystem.

Hot topics 

Addobea Schmidt won first prize of EUR 30,000 for her Addobea ready-made sauce for jollof rice. The one-woman company now hopes to launch more African foods on shelves in German supermarkets. (Another food start-up, the Konzoom, a delivery service in the greater Accra region in Ghana, made initial contacts during the contest. The company delivers within an hour and is 20 per cent cheaper than its rivals.) Adon Health came second and won EUR 15,000. Its product counters testosterone deficiency in men over 45 years. Customers can request a lab   test and medication by post. The company had previously raised EUR 700,000 in a financing round. Third prize went to the Zula start-up, which aims to empower young people, and won EUR 5,000 with its digital books featuring children of all skin colours. Meanwhile, the Serverless Salad start-up, which offers cloud-based technology and AI-supported software modules, also forged contacts in Hamburg.

Top marks for ideas 

The contestants also included three start-ups that have yet to launch officially or are in the early stages. Among them is the Stay & Pay app, which won EUR 2,000 in prize money. The app speeds up the payment of restaurant bills. The Funding Crew, which is already up and running and uses (AI) to link up start-ups with investors and funding schemes, won EUR 1,000. Blue Housing International, on the other hand, focuses on building materials made from recycled plastic. The start-up is focusing initially on building garden sheds and houses later. To this end, it is forging long-term collaborations with DIY stores.
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