Colipi, a company founded at Hamburg University of Technology, received the prestigious Future Hamburg Award last week. Colipi’s Climate Oil, a sustainable alternative to palm oil, could make an important contribution to climate protection. The startup received significant support from the Startup Port and Startup Port @TUHH in its business development.
With a revolutionary process for producing a palm oil alternative that is not only environmentally friendly but also actively binds CO2, the startup Colipi impressed the jury of the Future Hamburg Award, which was presented for the third time last week. The award is aimed at start-ups that develop innovative and sustainable solutions in the fields of mobility, logistics and green tech. This year, young companies from 28 countries competed for the Future Hamburg Award. Second and third place went to Make My Day from Israel and AraBat from Italy. The award ceremony took place as part of the EXPLORE 2024 event organized by Plug and Play.
Colipis Climate Oil, a sustainable alternative to palm oil produced by bacterial gas fermentation from carbon dioxide, oxygen and hydrogen, could make an important contribution to climate protection. The process is still at an early stage of development, but has enormous potential if successfully scaled up. Many see it that way, especially the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), which is supporting the founders with an increase in EXIST research transfer funding of 2.9 million euros to a total of 4.1 million euros – the highest individual funding from the federal government’s EXIST program to date.
The Startup Port or Startup Port @TUHH played a central role in the development of the company: with its focus on promoting start-ups from academia, the network not only provided financial resources, but also contributed significantly to the development of Colipi through mentoring, advice and access to a broad industry network.
“I am particularly pleased about Colipi’s award because it underlines how science can contribute to solving social challenges. The team truly deserves the award,” says Dr. Christian Salzmann, Executive Director of the Startup Port @TUHH.
The three winning startups of the Future Hamburg Award will be invited to a program of Hamburg Invest’s Startup Unit and will also receive support in building an industry network and arranging investment contacts. As the first-placed startup, Colipi will also have the opportunity to take part in a four-week international accelerator program run by Plug and Play in Silicon Valley.
Colipi’s victory at the Future Hamburg Award 2023 shows once again how important the contribution of start-up support structures, as embodied by the Startup Port, is for the development of sustainable and innovative solutions.
Further links:
Colipi: 4.1 million euros for a sustainable palm oil alternative (April 24, 2023)
Further information about the founding history of COLIPI can be found in our Startup Story.
