AHK Romania and BASF announce the competition of FIRST PHASE OF BASF INNOVATION HUB CONTEST: EcoTree qualified for regional final

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

• The best start-up idea is EcoTree – cloud platform that makes recycling easier and smarter
• Regional finals is scheduled for Friday, 12^th November at 12 CET
• BASF Innovation Hub is an international contest in the field of sustainable development hosting start-ups and innovators from 11 countries of Central and South Europe

The cloud platform solution that makes recycling easy as everything is transparent and clear provided by EcoTreeis the winner of local BASF Innovation Hub contest aimed at innovators and start-ups that either directly or indirectly contribute to the pillars of Green Agenda – clean energy, sustainable agriculture and circular economy.

The winner was elected in a live event organized on zoom yesterday. During the live event the start-ups presented to the four members of the jury their innovative ideas.

Jury members were Andreas Lier, Managing Director, BASF Romania & Bulgaria, Sebastian Metz, CEO of AHK Romania, Oana Craioveanu, co-founder of Impact Hub, first co-working space launched in Romania and Bogdan Herea, CEO & Founder at PitechPlus – WebHelp Group.

On Friday (12^th November at 12 CET) Romanian start-up EcoTree is participating in the regional finals of the best start-ups in Central and South Europe.

“EcoTree is a cloud platform that makes recycling easy as everything is transparent and clear. This approach is important because it easily allows us to notice pain points and to react more quickly and accurately. In the grand finale I expect to see a lot of great ideas and to get inspired by them. I cannot wait to pitch on Friday,” said Bogdan Andronache, EcoTree.

More than 80 start-up ideas from 11 European countries took part in BASF Innovation Hub contest. Andreas Lier, Managing Director BASF Romania and Bulgaria and President of the Jury points out that the winner will have an opportunity to use the prize for further development of the idea, launching the solution onto the market, promotion, or any other manner they find suitable for the solution development.

“As corporate sector representatives we collaborate with governments, non-governmental organizations and support entrepreneurs and start-up. Start-ups at early stage need a platform to get attention, present and exchange their ideas with the corporate sector and find additional possibilities to leverage their future path. Sometimes due to the lack of finances they cannot even present their solutions, so they remain pure sketches on paper or in the head of an individual”. This is one of the reasons why we were honored to have the opportunity of listening to the local innovators, share our experience with them and give them support”, concluded Sebastian Metz, CEO of AHK Romania.

BASF Innovation Hub contest was organized by a chemical company and European leader in the field of research and development, BASF. Contest was open for six months and organized in 11 countries of Central and South Europe. The winners of the local phases won 2500 euros each, whereas the best idea of the final phase (Friday, 12^th December at 12 CET) will be awarded additional 5000 euros.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Almost 110,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of approximately €59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and the United States of America (BASFY). Further information available at our webpage: www.basf.com.

About AHK

AHK Romania is the official representative office of the German economy and also the largest bilateral Chamber of Commerce in Romania. 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.

More information can be found on the website: www.ahkrumaenien.ro .

Youtube link to the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmdABBf8zCU