CHROMOSOME Industrial, eMio, Naturtrip.org and siut are the four German start-ups which won the second round of the innovation contest launched by DB. They each had five minutes to pitch their business ideas and convince the jury, against six other competitors.

In addition to a prize and €25,000 of funding, the four winners will benefit from a three-month co-working space and a mentoring programme with DB and external coaches as of 15 January 2016. During the event DB also announced the opening of “mindbox Berlin”, its new co-working space, to complete its offer as an incubator.

The “DB Accelerator” programme aims at backing start-ups focused on railway infrastructure and mobility related, which introduce new business models or technologies. After the first round, DB awarded two start-ups specialised in sensors – either allowing real-time exchange of information or detecting obstacles on railways – with which it still works in close cooperation.

(Source: Deutsche Bahn)