When a university hospital offers its own start-up support, it says a lot about the esteem in which start-ups are held. This is the case in Düsseldorf: with Startup4med, the University Hospital Düsseldorf supports those interested in setting up a company, from the initial idea to applying for funding and setting up the company. This is a great example of how vibrant and diverse the start-up ecosystem is in the state capital. The three 'fresh ideas' that thrive in this environment and will be showcased in this VIVID are not just from the health sector: Weltenmacher, Your Showdown and Teresa.AI.

IMMERSIVE LEARNING WITH FUN

Boris Kantzow, one of the founders of Weltenmacher

Education is one of the most important pillars of society. At the same time, the shortage of skilled labour is one of the biggest challenges of the coming decades. “We need to harness the power of technology to meet this need. XR (Extended Reality) technology is a very powerful tool to deliver immersive and interactive learning content while inspiring learners,” says Boris Kantzow. With this mission in mind, he founded Weltenmacher GmbH in 2017 together with Jonathan Natzel and Jürgen Funke (Syngenio AG). Markus Goldbach joined the company as a partner in 2021. Weltenmacher combines sound didactics, XR technology and gamification in its easily accessible digital educational programmes. “In our VR applications, learners can interactively learn standardised, practical content in a three-dimensional environment at their own pace and in numerous languages,” says Kantzow. The concept has clearly been well received: with partners and customers such as Cornelsen eCademy, Currenta, Baxter, Bayer, Buderus, Malteser and Schindler, among others, numerous XR learning applications have been implemented internationally for learners of all ages. The Weltenmacher team has set itself ambitious goals for the coming years: “We want our learning applications to become an integral part of education and training. Lifelong learning also applies to us. With the help of AI, we will be able to produce even better and more creative learning content more quickly and easily,” says Boris Kantzow. •

WELTENMACHER GMBH
BINTERIMSTRASSE 8
40223 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.WELTENMACHER.DE

GAME SHOW HYPE

Max Muhle and Philipp Dieckmann founded Your Showdown in 2023.

Higher, further, faster, smarter - if you can beat any competitor on screen, you can now take on the challenge in real life. Your Showdown is the name of the successful live game show concept from Berlin, which has also been represented in Düsseldorf since the beginning of 2024. It was founded in 2023 by Philipp Dieckmann and Max Muhle. “Phil and I have always been fans of TV game shows. But just watching them on TV wasn't enough for us, so we started developing our own version of 'Schlag den Kumpel',” explains Max. In Düsseldorf, friends, families and colleagues have the opportunity to take part in a special kind of playful showdown on an area of around 1400 square metres. With nine different themed worlds and over 100 game variations, Your Showdown offers a wide range of popular games. “We are now the first port of call for companies and business contacts who are looking for an innovative idea to help them outperform themselves as a team due to the increase in remote working. Because we offer a complete carefree package, including highquality technical equipment, we even turn formal corporate formats such as workshops and seminars into a fun networking event,“ says Max. This has proved popular, with over 2,500 companies visiting the two sites since they opened. An outdoor area will soon be added in Düsseldorf. The Showdown van has also been on the road since the summer, bringing interactive game shows to any location. •

A DIGITAL ASSISTANT FOR THE ELDERLY

Zerrin Börcek and Jeannette Bouffier, founders of Teresa.AI

Zerrin Börcek's own father was looking for something to motivate him in his retirement, and a friend of his fell into old-age depression after the death of her husband: these two drastic life events were the trigger for Zerrin Börcek's business idea. “As a result, I started thinking about how the elderly can maintain their autonomy and social networks for as long as possible, while at the same time reducing the burden on caregivers,” she explains. She saw an AI-based voice assistant as a possible solution - and developed a prototype. With the support of the Graf Recke Foundation in Düsseldorf, Germany, this prototype was tested by care home residents. And the “digital friend” was well received. Strengthened in her vision, Zerrin finally founded Teresa.AI together with Jeannette Bouffier in March 2020. Since then, they have been joined by CTO Sascha Wolff and a colourful team of experts consisting of a UX/UI designer, project manager, marketing consultant, assistant product manager, systemic consultant in nursing and interns. Teresa.AI also won a special prize at the AXOLOTL MedTech business plan competition. Since the summer of 2022, the Düsseldorf-based start-up has been developing the product further in a co-creative process with its customer, Caritas Westerwald-Rhein-Lahn e. V. Teresa. AI is currently tablet-based. The next steps will be to develop a smartphone view and create a closed social network for families. “We want to offer our product in several languages and roll it out across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the EU,” says Zerrin. •

TERESA.AI UG
TECHHUB.K67
KASERNENSTR. 67
40213 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.TERESA.AI

Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Weltenmacher, Your Showdown, Teresa:AI

Fresh Ideas from Düsseldorf