Formnext Start-up Challenge rewards innovative additive manufacturing companies

The Formnext Start-up Challenge provides up-and-coming companies with the opportunity to showcase what they do on the world’s leading additive manufacturing platform and to meet new customers as well as partners and investors. Formnext 2023 will take place from 7 to 10 November in Frankfurt. With more than 600 exhibitors already registered, the trade fair is heading for new record figures.

Long-term impact on business success

The technological innovations arising from the Formnext Start-up Challenge have contributed to advancements in additive manufacturing technology and the 3D-printing industry for many years. “The Formnext Start-up Challenge aims to support young companies in the long term. We offer the winners a highly attractive package enabling them to showcase what they do alongside the elite of the global additive manufacturing world and inject fresh impetus into the international manufacturing industry,” explained Sascha F. Wenzler, vice president for Formnext at event organiser Mesago Messe Frankfurt.

The Formnext Start-up Challenge has demonstrated its relevance to the international investment and start-up scene and its long-term impact on corporate success for many previous winners, including 3YOURMIND, DyeMansion, Kumovis, Sinterit, trinckle 3D and Xioneer. Dr Alexander Kostenko, CEO of Photosynthetic, winner of the Start-up Challenge 2022, said: “We made more useful contacts in the four days at Formnext than we had in the previous 18 months. This once again accelerated our business in the right direction.”

In addition to the 3D-printed award, sponsored by voxeljet, the five winners will each receive a comprehensive Formnext exhibition and marketing package, which includes a fully equipped exhibition booth in the Formnext 2023 Start-up Area and inclusion in all Formnext PR activities. In addition, as part of Formnext, the winners can participate in a pitch event on the Industry Stage to be broadcast live on Formnext.TV, giving them the opportunity to impress investors, companies and customers with a brief presentation of their products or services.

Additional award for sustainability

The Formnext Start-up Challenge will also focus on the increasingly important issue of sustainability. The AM Ventures Impact Award, worth €5,000, recognises start-ups that are leading the way in this field. “Additive manufacturing has become an important technology with huge potential to resolve global sustainability challenges,” explained Arno Held, managing partner at AM Ventures. “We are on the way to a sustainable and resource-efficient society, and start-ups are particularly well placed to drive this transformation in traditional manufacturing,” he added.

Prof. Peter Mayr, chair of materials engineering of additive manufacturing at the Technical University of Munich in Germany and a jury member, said: “The Formnext Start-up Challenge is a unique opportunity for additive manufacturing start-ups to expand their network, receive feedback from potential customers and industry experts, and evaluate their business models. Only through this collaboration between start-ups, science, and industry can we develop applications of tomorrow and increase the maturity level of additive manufacturing across domain boundaries.”

Companies can participate in the Formnext Start-up Challenge if they are no more than 5 years old, have a marketable product and generate annual sales of less than €10 million. Start-ups that have already won a package for the Formnext Start-up Area or have a majority shareholder and more than €10 million in annual sales are not eligible to take part. The winners will be announced in September.

More information can be found here. The application form is available via this link.