The DESIS Lab and ERA Chair in Social Innovation at Nova SBE are thrilled to announce the awardees for the Spring 2025 Prototyping Fund! This program provides teams of students with up to €600 or €2000, in case they are reapplying for a second round, to bring their ideas to life by building prototypes.
We are excited to share that this semester, we received a total of 24 applications and we have awarded funding to 13 teams. Among them are 10 new teams, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the table, as well as 3 teams continuing their journey from the previous cycle.
Over the semester, these awarded teams will dedicate their time to exploring, testing, and iterating on their prototypes. The kick-off of this 5th edition took place on October 7. The selected projects span a remarkable range of themes: from health and wellbeing to sustainability, digital inclusion, and workplace innovation. Among them are ColdPath, an AI-powered solution for predicting temperature breaks in cold-chain transport; KauSchlau, an AR-based self-therapy app for jaw disorders; and LIGARO, a biodegradable, protein-based adhesive offering an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic glues. Teams are also tackling workplace wellness and sustainability through Habitua, a gamified platform to reduce employee fatigue, and Purifying, an automated bottle-cleaning and water-refilling station.
Other projects include My Aboard, a digital literacy platform for seniors; PlastNatur, compostable school and office supplies with measurable impact; and Tirrèa, a line of natural Sicilian cosmetics using volcanic ash. Environmental innovation continues with VerdeWall, a moss-based photobioreactor for cleaner urban air, and OHANA, which expands shared sports equipment access for students.
Returning All-Star Awardees—agora, BridgeAI, and The Kuza Collective — continue to develop scalable solutions for menstrual care accessibility, AI education, and shared business resources, respectively.
Stay tuned for updates on the progress of these teams and mark your calendars for the final showcase event, scheduled for Tuesday, November 25th, 2025, from 12.30 pm to 2 pm at the Nova SBE KPMG Gallery. Join us to witness the incredible prototypes crafted by these talented teams!
Spring‘25 Prototyping Fund Awardees
ColdPath: A low-cost van-mounted system that predicts temperature breaks in medicine/food transport before they happen using AI analytics.
Team: Guilherme Rio-Tinto (Nova SBE), Rodrigo Rio-Tinto (Loughborough University), Rafael Rio-Tinto (Instituto Superior Técnico).
KauSchlau: An AR-powered mobile app providing digital self-therapy for jaw disorders (bruxism and TMJD) using real-time movement tracking.
Team: Leon Rauch (Nova SBE), Moritz Scherer (Hochschule Trier), Benjamin Cadiz de Gracia (Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha), Christian Wolf (Universität Bern).
LIGARO: A biodegradable, non-toxic wood and paper adhesive made from modified proteins as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional glues.
Team: Joana Kappes (Nova SBE), Florentine Adam, Leander Lehmann, Mona Körding (Leibniz University Hannover), Tim Gatz (University Duisburg-Essen).
Habitua: Lightweight web app delivering weekly 2-5 minute micro-actions for employees with gamification, rewards, and HR dashboard to reduce workplace fatigue.
Team: Luca Guerrini, Lorenzo Forlani, Francesco Castiglione (Nova SBE).
Purifying: Vending-machine-style station that deep-cleans bottles with UV-C light and high-pressure jets, then refills with purified water.
Team: Khaled Elgazar, Bo Jacobs, David Sgorbati, Jan Göttig, Katharina Gessner (Nova SBE)
My Aboard: Digital inclusion platform for seniors featuring mentorship booking, guided learning, and gamified elements to build digital literacy and financial confidence.
Team: Leticia Marinangelo, Anshul Punhani, Lourenço De Brito Evangelista, José Neves (Nova SBE).
PlastNatur – Circular School & Office Supplies with Measurable Impact: Compostable bioplastic school supplies (markers, cups, bags) with smart collection points and digital tracking for measurable environmental impact.
Team: Giovanni Pio Atripaldi (Nova SBE), Ana Soares (practioneer), Isabel Giorgioni (practioneer).
Tirrèa: Three Sicilian cosmetic MVPs (face cream, scrub, cleansing bar) using volcanic ash and local botanicals.
Team: Giovanni Passanisi (Nova SBE), Lorenzo Polli (Università Bocconi), Rocco Leone (Università di Catania) .
VerdeWall: Flat panel photobioreactor with moss compartments for building facades that cultivates micro-algae and purifies urban air with easy installation.
Team: Senne Delanghe, George Rafael Castillo (Nova SBE).
OHANA – Shared Equipment for Students: Expansion of surfboard sharing to general sports equipment using simple storage boxes with changing lock codes before upgrading to automated systems.
Team: Zita Merle, Gabriele Inama, Moritz Meyer (Nova SBE).
agora – All-Star Awardee: Develops customizable period product dispensers for businesses and organizations to provide barrier-free menstrual care in shared spaces.
Team: Marie-Chantal Anterist, Hannah Zapf, Jakob Pöttgen, Kristina Martins (Nova SBE)
BridgeAI (previous Bridgewise)- All-Star Awardee: An e-learning platform creating accessible AI education content for students, teachers, and SMEs to build AI literacy and reduce digital inequality across schools and workplaces.
Team: Niklas Josua Kohl, Luca Maximilian Blöcher (Nova SBE).
The Kuza Collective – All-Star Awardee: A platform providing SMEs and freelancers with access to shared resources and services, improving business efficiency.
Isaac Jumba (Nova SBE).