Start-ups are at the forefront of shaping the future of urban development. With their innovative and powerful technologies and models, they can make a significant contribution to making cities more liveable, sustainable and connected. At the same time, they boost the economy by creating new jobs, attracting investment and improving the climate for innovation. In Düsseldorf, with its diverse start-up ecosystem, there are some excellent examples of this - we present three of them in this VIVID: meet SmartSylvan, Terra Fidelis and MyHome!

AUTONOMOUS, MOVABLE TREES FOR BETTER CITY CLIMATE

The idea for SmartSylvan was born in August 2022 during a major heat wave. ‘While walking through Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz in Düsseldorf, I noticed that the square was completely exposed to intense sunlight. This made me think about how multifunctional public spaces like this, when not in active use, could be redesigned with autonomous, relocatable trees that move strategically depending on the sunlight,' explains CEO Parisa Kloss, an urban planner for climate change. Together with communication designer Thiemo Kloss (CCO), she began developing the idea in the spring of 2024, and the company is currently in the official incorporation process. The technology behind SmartSylvan integrates robotics, sensors and AI algorithms to monitor environmental factors such as sunlight, temperature and plant health. 'The sensors detect fluctuations in sunlight and the AI uses this data to determine the best location. The robotic system then moves the trees autonomously, which is different from conventional mobile trees,' explains Kloss. The AI also continuously monitors soil conditions and moisture levels to ensure the trees are optimally placed and watered as needed. SmartSylvan will be tested in real-life scenarios in Düsseldorf in 2025. An indoor application, for example with indoor plants in residential and commercial buildings, is also planned. 'Düsseldorf is the ideal launch city for SmartSylvan because it is very committed to sustainability and green urban development,' says Parisa Kloss. •

SMARTSYLVAN
FLORASTR. 10
40217 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.SMARTSYLVAN.DE

This is how the autonomous and mobile trees in Düsseldorf's city centre could look.

In the spring of 2024, CEO Parisa Kloss and CCO Thiemo Kloss began developing the concept for SmartSylvan.

THE NEW PATH TO HOMEOWNERSHIP

From left to right: Tim Vito Villabruna (Head of Marketing) and Maximilian Mindermann (founder) manage the business of Terra Fidelis.

Ever-increasing property prices are making the dream of owning your own home more and more difficult. Maximilian Mindermann founded Terra Fidelis in July 2021 to make this dream possible again. Together with an experienced team of shareholders consisting of Victor Moftakhar (former CEO of Deka Invest), Hans Enssle (former Director of Morgan Stanley), Johannes Burkhardt (Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group) and Ulrich Lembeck, Of Counsel (lawyer at Clifford Chance), he has developed a smart business model based on the so-called "heritable building right": ‘Terra Fidelis buys land and makes it available to homebuyers in perpetuity (990 years instead of the usual 99!) for a monthly fee. Owning the land is not necessary to live in your own home. This reduces the equity requirement by up to 50 per cent and creates more financial freedom,' explains Max Mindermann. ‘A homeowner with hereditary building rights can sell, lend, rent or bequeath the house. Any increase in the value of the building benefits him alone. And if he should ever no longer own the property, he has the right to purchase it from Terra Fidelis,' says Mindermann. After a successful proof-of-concept phase with the purchase of the first plots, the Terra Fidelis team is now focusing on the next financing phase in order to further scale the model. Over the next few years, the company plans to launch a property fund that will offer investors the opportunity to invest in developed plots for the first time. •

TERRA FIDELIS GMBH
JAKOB-KAISER-STRASSE 12
47877 WILLICH
WWW.TERRAFIDELIS.DE

INNOVATIVE SOCIAL REAL-ESTATE NETWORK

The property market has changed dramatically in the wake of the interest rate turnaround: The profitability of those offering properties is under enormous pressure, the search for a rental home in urban areas is putting those looking for a property to the test and the costs of established brokerage portals are constantly rising, affecting both those offering and those looking for a property. 'This is why we have developed MyHome: a contemporary portal that offers real added value to both those offering as well as those looking for property,' says Stefan Kircher, who launched the start-up at the beginning of 2023 together with Markus Frank and Philipp Wadenpohl. With MyHome, property adverts are no longer presented in the usual form of photos with long text, but in an appealing video feed. 'We are equipping both private and commercial property advertisers with useful tools. For example, it will soon be possible to use MyHome Studio to quickly and easily create a floor plan directly from a mobile phone. We also offer a Match & Book tool for viewing appointments and will soon be making important documents such as rental contracts and handover certificates available digitally,’ explains Stefan Kircher. In addition to estate agents and property seekers, architecture firms and design studios can also create a profile on the portal. The start-up sees itself as a “social real estate network” that connects all players in the real estate industry. The official launch is planned for the beginning of 2025. The three founders then plan to gradually roll out MyHome in major cities and make property listings available throughout Germany by the end of the year. •

MYHOME MEDIA GMBH
SIEGFRIEDSTRASSE 24
40549 DÜSSELDORF
WWW.MYHOME.IO

From left to right: Stefan Kircher, Markus Frank und Philipp Wadenpohl

Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Christian Kloss, Ehsan Tamrabadi, Terra Fidelis, MyHome

Fresh Ideas from Düsseldorf