Good news from the TUHH startup scene: The TUHH startup exaere has won the Female StartAperitivo 2026 and has thus qualified for the nationwide Female Founders Contest. Founder Yelda Nur Demirdöğen impressed the jury with a biotechnological process for the sustainable recovery of rare earth elements—an approach that combines scientific depth with high relevance for industry and the energy transition.
exaere is currently receiving support and further development as part of the EXIST-Women program at Startup Port @TUHH.
With its victory at the state level, exaere is now ready for the next step: competing in the national finals.
In addition to exaere, other innovative teams were recognized in the competition, including pickz.ai, Aurelytix, and SURFACtoBioTech, which, along with exaere, were among the eight finalists. pickz.ai is developing a solution that better integrates data and processes between opticians and eyewear manufacturers, thereby making collaboration more efficient. Aurelytix, on the other hand, relies on AI-powered real-time financial analytics to provide companies with early insights into their financial situation and enable informed decision-making. SURFACtoBioTech significantly accelerates biotechnological and medical testing procedures by enabling a much larger number of experiments to be conducted in parallel.
All four teams are supported throughout their startup journey as part of the Startup Port network.
The Female StartAperitivo is part of the nationwide Female Founders Contest and is specifically designed to provide visibility, networking opportunities, and funding opportunities for female founders—an important step toward bringing innovative, women-led startups to market more effectively.
The news about exaere was first published by TUHH.
For more information about Female Aperitivo and the other winners, visit Startup City Hamburg.
