BASF and AHK Romania announce the Romanian start-up competing for the best innovator in the region of Central and South Europe

Teraseya FLY start-up is the winner of the local BASF Innovation Hub event aimed at innovators and start-ups that either directly or indirectly contribute to the pillars of the Green Deal – clean energy, smart transportation and farm to fork strategy.

Teraseya FLY is a unique solution to monitor, automatically, in real time the pest insects which are responsible of destroying 20% of the crops worldwide. The „Plug and Play” device helps farmers to protect their crops while reducing the quantity of sprayed insecticides.

Last week, on November 3, the best 5 ideas out of the 15 that have entered the competition in Romania participated in the local finale of the BASF Innovation Hub contest. The 5 finalist start-ups were: Teraseya FLY, Solarino, Aeroponix Robotics, R-Create, Carbon Smart and their solutions focused on more sustainable agriculture and reducing the use of plastic packaging.

“The innovation, especially in green technologies, helps the economies turn into more sustainable, more digital and more resilient ones”, said Sebastian Metz, CEO AHK Romania. “We welcome the Romanian participation in this South and Central European competition and hope that the winning solutions will find application in the related industries. The BASF Innovation Hub Awards supports the innovative companies and start-ups to develop their ideas and strengthen the economies, especially in these challenging times. The realization of these ideas is welcome, as they directly or indirectly contribute to the widespread use of clean energy, smart mobility and sustainable agriculture.”

The winner was elected in a live event which can still be watched at the following link. During the live event the start-ups presented their innovative ideas to the five members of the jury: Andreas Lier, Managing Director BASF Romania & Bulgaria; Sebastian Metz, CEO AHK Romania; Raluca Fiser, President and Board Member Green Revolution & Bravva Angels; Vlad Craioveanu, Managing Partner Impact Hub; Victor Negrescu, member of European Parliament and Vice-President of the Committee on Culture and Education.

“First, we were happy to be selected, then amazed by the quality of the ideas presented by the other innovative companies”, said Raoul Ros, COO and CO-Founder Teraseya FLY.  “All in all, it was a great experience and the start for new business relationships. Thank you for organizing such a professional event.”

The following day, on November 4, the winning start-up of the Romanian local event faced the other 5 finalist start-ups from the region in the Grand Finale. The event was also streamed live and can still be watched at the following link.

Finally, out of the 120 ideas that have entered the Grand Finale competition this year, the jury of the BASF Innovation Hub competition decided to choose two best innovators of the year instead of only one. The start-ups ekolive from Slovakia and Holloid from Austria were both chosen as the great winners of the competition and rewarded with the grand prize. ekolive is the first and leading provider of an EU/ETV certified eco-innovative bioleaching method (InnoBioTech®) for processing waste/minerals/soil using bacteria. At the same time, Holloid’s 24/7, real-time, image-based in-line monitoring helps producers of food, pharma and energy to reduce costs, improve quality and raise safety. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Holloid shows what happens in bioreactors and in the environment.

“In light of current challenges and opportunities Innovations, Start-Ups and entrepreneurial spirit have been never more important than today”, concluded Andreas Lier, Managing Director BASF Romania & Bulgaria. „The chemical industry is one of the cornerstones for a low-carbon future and develops innovations for this transition. We are honoured and pleased to have the opportunity to listen to local innovators and that they are sharing their innovative ideas, learn from them, connect, cooperate and offer support to make change together happen.”

BASF Innovation Hub contest was organized by a chemical company and European leader in the field of research and development, BASF, in partnership with AHK Romania locally. The contest was open for six months and organized in 11 countries of Central and Southeast Europe. The winners of the local phases won 2500 euros each, whereas the best two ideas of the final phase, Grand Finale, were awarded additional 5000 euros each.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About AHK Romania

AHK Romania is the official representative office of the German economy. Established in 2002, AHK counts over 550 member firms and provides companies with an important platform for networking, information exchange and experiences. Through the services it offers and through the events it organizes, AHK Romania actively supports German companies when they enter the Romanian market and is also a partner of Romanian companies interested in the German market.