Berlin, Germany / Palo Alto, CA / New York, NY (May 07, 2015) – The winners are chosen! 18 German startups got selected to participate in the German Accelerator program in the second half of 2015.
German Accelerator is pleased to announce the selection of the winning startups that will spend three to six months in New York City and Silicon Valley, where they will profit from our unique mentoring network. A group of finalists were invited to present their business ideas to an international jury of experts after going through an intense multi-tier selection process. After seeing all pitches, Ram Srinivasan, chairman of the Steering Committee in charge of the selection, closed the session and presented the following results:
For our Silicon Valley offices in Palo Alto and San Francisco, the following companies got selected: 4tiitoo Cooee ESNC Hydrogenious Technologies mapegy Marketplace Analytics Movelizer Myestro Interactive On-Apply Rescued Ideas Zoobe Zu-Zweit The winning startups, chosen for our office in New York City are: Autoaid Brandnew IO BusyLamp Channel Pilot Favendo Nightadvisor (Check out the full list of startups on the Homepage of German Accelerator)
The announcement of the winning companies was part of the bi-annual “Celebrating Innovation” event, which took place on the evening of May 6th, 2015 in Berlin.
In his opening speech Dr. Volker Treier, chief executive of foreign trade of the DIHK (German Chamber of Industry and Commerce), explained the importance of linking the German startup scene with the old economy: “If Germany wants to keep its leading position in the world market, the traditional economy has to merge with the digital world. The Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Germany and their worldwide network of subsidiaries could be a valuable support for the realization of the Mittelstand 4.0.” 
More than 500 people attended the event in the House of the German Industry (Haus der Deutschen Wirtschaft) where the secretary of state (Staatssekretär) of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology Machnig agreed with Dr. Treier’s arguments and emphasized the importance of fast growth for young businesses - which is a question of the mindset and of an early starting point for the internationalization. The German Accelerator focuses on these areas and provides substantial support to foster international growth.
In addition to the speakers and companies’ pitches, the Expo-Area was the heart of the event by providing ample opportunity for everyone to experience innovative technologies. The Expo-Area served as a great spot to connect with some of the brightest minds of the German startup community, discover and play around with products showcased by over 50 startups and celebrate with the winner of the evening.
A special highlight was the announcement of the winner of the public choice award. Hydrogenious Technologies convinced the audience of its vision and was therefore chosen as worthy winner.
The next “Celebrating Innovation” event will take place in Dresden on October 15th 2015, where the next batch of startups that will participate in the first half of 2016 will be chosen. The next application round for 2016 is open until August 31st and we encourage all German startups to apply for our acceleration program here: http://germanaccelerator.com/application
About German Accelerator
The German Accelerator is a growth acceleration program that supports German startups from ICT related sectors to enter the U.S. market. It provides startups with hands-on mentoring and office space at its locations in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and New York City. German Accelerator identifies and selects the most promising German startups and assists them in their pursuit of becoming category leaders with lasting competitiveness and success in the global marketplace. The accelerator’s vision is to foster the international growth of German tech startups by supporting them with an effective and efficient entry into the U.S. market with its dedicated mentors. Participation in the program is free of charge for all selected companies.
For more information and to submit an application visit our website http://germanaccelerator.com, engage on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GAccelerator or follow us on Twitter @GAccelerator.
