Smart Country Startup Award 2023 - the finalists

Let's imagine a world in which public administration uses artificial intelligence, replaces clipboards and folders with apps, and creates a digital twin of an entire city. This is not some sort of utopia, but the project of some of the startups that have applied for the Smart Country Startup Award 2023 and will pitch for the win in November. More than 50 startups applied for the coveted award, and a jury has selected the six most convincing projects that will present themselves and their innovative solutions at SCCON on November 8 at 5:45 pm. The Smart Country Startup Award will be presented in the Smart City and GovTech categories. The Smart City category is about digital solutions that improve the quality of everyday life in cities and municipalities. In the GovTech category, processes are to be made faster and smarter. The winners will receive prize money of 5,000 euros each and free startup membership in the Bitkom digital association. The Smart Country Startup Award is organized by Get Started, the startup initiative of Bitkom in cooperation with EPAM and GovTecHH - the Public Venture Client Unit of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

GovTech category

The following startups are the finalists in the GovTech category:

Silberfluss is a startup from Munich and offers digital end-to-end processes for public administration completely without programming skills. Forms or even an entire online portal for submitting applications can be set up individually using a modular system. Within the authority, specialized procedures, file management or even the generation of notices can be organized via Silberfluss.

The startup SUMM AI from Munich delivers easy language at the push of a button. With the help of an AI tool, texts are translated fully automatically into easy language. This enables public administration to meet legal accessibility requirements quickly, easily and in a resource-saving manner.

With the help of AI, the Berlin-based startup Tucan.ai can automatically summarize conversations and text documents. The goal of Tucan.ai is to accelerate documentation and processing and achieve more transparency and new insights with the help of knowledge archiving for the public sector.

Smart City Category

The finalists in the Smart City category are:

The startup GeoVisual Interactive from Fürth in Bavaria creates a geo-referenced, adaptable digital twin of municipalities. This tool can be integrated into various areas of city administration and infrastructure planning, shortening planning and coordination times, improving communication and streamlining decision-making processes.

PLAN4 Software, based in Freiburg i. Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, offers a digital solution for building assessment. It combines central data collection, intuitive digital and mobile condition assessments, reliable data on renovation costs, a knowledge database and transparent documentation. With the app version, the days of paper, clipboard, pen and digital camera are over. Condition recording becomes faster and more effective.

ZAUBAR from Berlin combines AI and augmented reality (AR) to create immersive, interactive content. Using predefined AI recipes, ZAUBAR generates 3D objects and places them in real-world locations, using a visual positioning system (VPS) to ensure accuracy of up to one centimeter. Via browser or app, the tool can be used anywhere.

Daniel Breitinger, Head of Startups at Bitkom: "Smart applications and digital administration are now at the top of the agenda in many municipalities, but there is often a lack of know-how and suitable offerings. Many startups offer solutions that not only use the latest digital technologies, but can also be deployed immediately. The Smart Country Startup Award gives six startups the stage to present themselves and their ideas and tools."

Tickets for the Smart Country Convention are available here in the online ticket store.