About the Advanced Materials Competition

The Advanced Materials Competition (AdMaCom) is a fast-paced two week equity-free Accelerator Program for startups with novel technologies in Advanced Materials. Organized by the Innovation Network for Advanced Materials (INAM), the program brings together the brightest minds in materials to make the right connections and to gain access to the broad infrastructure that the network is known for.

This year’s program marks the 5th edition of AdMaCom. For the past 4 years, INAM has invited startups to join them in Berlin for the program. However, due to the current pandemic, AdMaCom 2020 was fully remote, making it easier for startups from anywhere in the world to participate.

The Winners

This edition of AdMaCom offered four prizes. The overall winner of AdMaCom would be chosen by the expert jury which this year included the following experts and members of the INAM Network—Kai Bindseil of Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie, Deby Fapyane of Cellugy (legacy startup, winner of the 2019 AdMaCom), Tobias Faupel of High-Tech Gründerfonds, Willhelm Hüttenes of Hüttenes³, Naotaka Mukoyama of JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation and Ralf Westerheide of Robert Bosch GmbH.

This year’s overall winner of AdMaCom was traceless from Hamburg, Germany. The team, represented by Johanna Baare, aims to diminish plastic pollution with their novel bioplastic material.

The Mentor’s Choice Award goes to the startup which had the highest rated score by the AdMaCom mentors. After each mentoring session, each mentor rated the startups based on specific criteria. At the end of the program, these scores were tallied to reveal a winner.

This year’s mentor’s choice winner was Polylux from Akron, Ohio, USA. Represented by Kaushik Mishra and Matt Healy, the team is developing an innovative medical adhesive platform technology.

The Crowd Favourite Prize is voted on by the Demo Day audience in real time and this year’s winner was Bloom Biorenewables. Bloom is from Laussane, Switzerland and was represented by Maxime Hedou.

The Sonnenberg-Harrison IP Prize went to the startup that was hand picked by sponsor and IP mentor, Robert Harrison. The prize went to CerAMing—a local team from Berlin, Germany and represented by Sebastian Walzel.

The Startup Finalists

Avisa Myko Inc. (San Francisco, California, USA)

Avisa Myko has developed a fermentation technology to produce Melanin at 4000 times a lower cost. Melanin is a Multifunctional Super Material with UV Blocking, Radiation blocking, electrical and semiconductor properties. Their current focus is on selling Melanin for cosmetics and Industrial applications for UV and Gamma radiation blocking applications. https://www.avisamyko.com/

Bloom Biorenewables (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Bloom reveals the hidden value of biomass to provide renewable energy and materials in markets such as fragrances, materials, plastics or textiles. They products which are both sustainable and cost competitive. http://bloombiorenewables.com

CerAMing (Berlin, Germany)

Project CerAMing is developing a new patented 3D-printing technology for ceramics to an industry Level. The company will produce parts out of alumina, zirconia and Silicon carbide for Industry customers. These are the most widely used advanced technical ceramics. The Technology is merely developed for the Needs of ceramics so can outperform other existing 3D-printing technologies for ceramics. https://www.ceraming.de

DiviGas (Singapore, Singapore)

DiviGas has invented proprietary polymers materials to make a new hydrogen membrane, a nano-molecular filter, that allows for much of $15 billion’s worth of hydrogen lost every year at petrochemical plants to be re-used. https://www.divigas.co

Light and Charge Solutions (Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)

Light and Charge Solutions is producing materials for the active layers of organic electronic devices to improve device stability, efficiency, and lifetime. Their materials will enable rapid, and lower cost manufacturing of the devices on a large scale and their new technology will assist in improving device quality, open new revenue streams for manufacturers, and provide a solution that does not employ scarce elements. https://www.lightcharges.com

Lusoco B.V. (Eindhoven, the Netherlands)

Lusoco creates sustainable illuminated signage using energy harvesting glass. They offer illuminated signage that is climate neutral and off-grid. https://www.lusoco.com

Made of Air (Berlin, Germany)

Made of Air is a carbon-negative materials company. They take low-value wood waste and transform it into high-value, carbon-negative thermoplastics. These thermoplastics can be formed with all traditional heat-forming methods and used for a wide variety of applications including the automotive, furniture, and built environment industries. https://www.madeofair.com/

PlastFormance (Teisendorf, Germany)

PlastFormance develops and distributes plastic compounds with extremly high filler contents, resulting in new material attributes inherited by metallic and ceramic powder fillings. All of their materials remain capable of injection-moulding.  https://en.plastformance.com/

PolyLux (Akron, Ohio, USA)

PolyLux is an innovative advanced materials company that is creating a light-switchable adhesive platform. Their main target market is the medical adhesives space as there is a strong and unmet need in the current market for an adhesive that attaches stronger than what is currently available but releases easily on demand. https://polylux.co/

Quantum Solutions (Chilworth, UK)

Quantum Solutions is a high-tech company that develops and manufactures new nano-materials called "Quantum Dots". Established in 2017, Quantum Solutions has been trading with tens of companies and universities worldwide specifically in Europe, Asia and the USA, and is recognized as a provider of high-quality quantum dot materials. https://qdot.inc/

Traceless (Hamburg, Germany)

It is traceless’ mission to make a substantial contribution to solving the global plastic pollution. Based on their patented technology, they produce a novel material whose qualities are comparable to those of conventional (bio)plastics while being completely (bio)circular. Their material is based on agricultural residues, home compostable, harmless for environment and humans, and competitively priced. http://www.traceless.eu/

For information about AdMaCom 2020 and to watch the Demo Day, visit: https://www.inam.berlin/admacom-2020