– Logistics decision-makers vote start-ups gapcharge, Boxwise and Everstox into the top three places
– Digital goose bump moment when the winning team is announced

The winners of the Digital Logistics Awards 2020, one of the most important awards in the logistics start-up scene, have been announced: The start-ups gapcharge, Boxwise and Everstox have made it to the first three places in the competition for the most innovative digital solutions for logistics. The winners received prize money totaling 24,000 euros at a digital award ceremony today, Wednesday, afternoon. At the same time, they secured access to the network of the Digital Hub Logistics, Europe’s best Digital Innovation Hub (DIH), which organizes the competition.

The Award Cerenomy was moderated by Prof. Dr. Michael Henke, Institute Director at Fraunhofer IML. All finalists and laudators were connected live online. More than 100 participants followed the digital announcement of the winners on their monitors. The winners and placements were presented by the award’s sponsors, DAKOSY Data Communication Systems AG, Loxxess AG and Sick AG, accompanied by drum rolls and trumpets.

The team from the start-up company gapcharge from Duisburg was briefly stunned by the announcement of the first place and the associated prize of 15,000 euros. The subsequent cheers from the founders were transmitted from monitor to monitor and created a real goosebump moment. Gapcharge has developed a smart wireless charging system for electromobile logistics and light vehicles such as logistics scooters, which in combination with digital condition monitoring makes logistics processes more efficient. The idea was most convincing to the participants of the Future Logistics Congress, who were able to vote for the winners after yesterday’s pitches of the eight finalists. According to the founders of gapcharge, the prize money prize now gives them the opportunity to make new investments.

Second place went to Rotterdam-based Boxwise – the first ever social start-up at the Digital Logistics Award. With their online platform Boxtribute, the young entrepreneurs want to ensure that humanitarian aid supplies reach emergency areas faster and are better distributed. A few years ago, the founders themselves had worked as volunteers in a refugee camp in Greece in 2016 and were shocked by the chaotic distribution of clothing, hygiene products and food. Second place in the Digital Logistics Award and a check for 6,000 euros now help them to develop their start-up and involve new actors.

Third place, combined with prize money of 3,000 euros, went to the Munich-based start-up Everstox, who intend to fight the battle with their API-controlled platform for Warehousing & Logistics Amazon. The solution provides flexible warehouse logistics and fulfillment services for e-commerce, wholesale and retail companies to support the growth of offline and online stores in Germany, England (UK) and throughout Europe.

All winners will receive access to the Digital Hub Logistics network in addition to the prize money. The Everstox team combined its thanks for third place with the desire to continue to exchange knowledge and “perhaps even make friends”.

Finalists presented solutions for the Silicon Economy
The young companies as well as five other finalists had presented themselves and their business ideas from the fields of IoT, Cloud, Platform or Smart Devices on the first day of the Future Congress Logistics – 38th Dortmund Talks, yesterday, Tuesday, in short, exciting pitches. The new data economy in logistics was the main topic of the Future Congress. The participants of the event, decision-makers from business and science, then voted for the most convincing presentations and thus for the companies and developments in which they saw the greatest innovative power for digital logistics. A look at the field of finalists made it clear that all developments have the potential to become part of the so-called “Silicon Economy”. “In any case, our three winning teams have the potential to change the world of logistics decisively,” Maria Beck, Manager of the Digital Hub Logistics, also congratulated the founders. At the same time, she and her team were delighted about the successful premiere of the first digital edition of the award, despite some technical problems during the actual pitch session.

The Digital Hub Logistics had conducted its competition completely online – from the pitches at the Logistics Future Congress – 38th Dortmund Talks, which also took place online throughout, to the voting and the awards ceremony. This did not detract from the quality of the applications – on the contrary: the online version of the award enabled start-ups from all over the world to participate. In fact, with 32 applicants from neighboring European countries, Slovakia, Slovenia and Estonia as well as Israel and Canada, the field of participants was more international than ever before. In addition to 27 start-ups, five start-ups – digital teams from companies – were also among the candidates. In the Digital Hub Logistics, such digital teams are supported and advised in building their digital business by innovation coaches from the scientific community and a customized service offering, among others.