Maja Rudinac received the top prize of € 20,000 (US $21,700) to invest in her business, Robot Care Systems. Maja has developed the Lean Elderly Assistant robot (Lea) which provides elderly people with the support they need to live more independently. Lea offers a variety of assistance ranging from help with walking to indicating when medication is due to be taken and prompting the person to take exercise.
The LiveWIRE Award is presented each year to an entrepreneur under the age of 35 who is able to convince the panel of judges of his or her innovative potential and entrepreneurship. The final took place in style this year at B. Amsterdam, a building of the future when it comes to cooperative working and dynamics.
A prize worth € 5,000 (US $5,400) for the winner of a public vote on the LiveWIRE Netherlands website was won by Job Jansweijer from KonneKt, with 35% of the votes cast. KonneKt provides a creative shapes game that enables young patients, who are being nursed in isolation, to play games with each other.
Robot Care Systems and KonneKt, along with the two other finalist businesses, Skytree and EXO-L, were assessed in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and growth potential. The judges included: Hubert Deitmers, Co-founder and Managing Partner Endeit Capital B.V.; Constantijn van Oranje, Special Advisor StartupDelta & Vice-Chair International Circle of Influencers; Huib ter Braak, Excom member Arval & Director Europe and Mediterranean Zone, Chairman-elect CIC Rotterdam; and, Marius T.H. Meeus, Professor of Strategy, innovation and organisational learning, University of Tilburg. The jury prize was presented by Geert-Jan Bruinsma, Founder of Booking.com.
You can read the stories of all four finalists at www.livewire.nl/nl/kandidaten.
A revolutionary ankle band for sportspeople that prevents ankle injuries, without restricting the athlete's freedom of movement.
A creative shapes game that enables young patients, who are being nursed in isolation, to play games with each other.
Robot LEA (Lean Elderly Assistant) helps elderly people to continue living independently in their own homes, by providing support with everyday tasks.
Adding space technology to appliances here on earth, Skytree aims to reduce the greenhouse effect by drawing CO2 out of the air.