Munich, July 1, 2025. Antonia, Carlotta, Clara, Florian, Jacob, and Stella (all 17) want to ensure more safety for cyclists. “Nice and simple instead of bells and whistles: The future of safety,” they said in their pitch. Their plan features two 180-degree sensors in the front and rear lights of bicycles that alert riders with light and acoustic signals to possible dangers. With this idea, the accompanying business plan, and an advanced prototype, the six-member team of students from two Hamburg high schools won the German Finals of business@school, the educational initiative of the international management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Munich.

Presentations for high-profile judges conclude the project year
Understanding business, working in a team, and thinking entrepreneurially—this is what more than 1,000 students at around 70 schools in Germany learned and experienced over the past ten months by participating in business@school. Supported by teachers and around 400 dedicated coaches from the business world, they developed their own business ideas, not only acquiring key skills for the future but also awakening their entrepreneurial spirit. 

Ten teams had qualified for the Finals at nine pitch events throughout Germany. Two additional teams won special prizes, which also qualified them for the German Finals; a third special prize went to the team from Hamburg, which later prevailed to take first place. The team from Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium in Görlitz secured the sustainability award sponsored by the Boston Consulting Group for its idea “Algastralis,” featuring algae panels for improved indoor air quality. The team from Leibniz School in Wiesbaden won the Social Entrepreneur Prizesponsored by SOS Kinderdorf e.V. with the idea of “Safejewl,” and the team from Helene-Lange-Gymnasium and Gymnasium Kaiser-Friedrich-Ufer was awarded the special prize “Technological Innovation” sponsored byBCG Platinion for “Frühn.”

In the three preliminary rounds of the Finals, the teams from Hamburg, Heidenheim, and Kirchheim came out on top, earning the right to present their pitches again in the main round, this time before a large audience and a panel of high-profile judges. Michael Brigl, Head of BCG Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and CEE, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, praised the teams: “You’ve proven that you have enormous skills in understanding economics, advancing ideas, and developing business models. This is exactly what we need now in Germany and Europe—and what will move us ahead. I encourage you to stay open to new topics and curious about new technologies. With this mindset, you drive innovation.

Second place goes to Kirchheim Gymnasium for “ReBoxable”
Finn-Luis, Matteo, Simon, and Sofian (all 17) came in second, close on the heels of the winning team. The four students from Kirchheim developed a leasing model with reusable shipping boxes for sustainable logistics. They impressed the judges with a well-thought-out concept and a business plan with a “win-win-win concept” for their company, shipping service providers, and end customers. The team was also awarded the MakerSpace special prize at the business@school Finals. Judge Stefan Drüssler, Managing Director and COO of UnternehmerTUM GmbH, was enthusiastic about the potential impact of their business idea: “What immediately convinced us about ReBoxable was its innovative approach to drastically reducing packaging waste. It’s more than just a box: It’s a contribution to a more sustainable future in online retail, which is good for both companies and end customers.”

“PowerChargeGo” wins third place for Schiller Gymnasium
Annalena (16), Stephan (17), Thabo (17), Til (17), and Tilakshan (19) from Heidenheim presented a magnetic induction power bank with a foldout EU power plug. With this idea, the team wants to prevent empty batteries. Their motto fits their mission: “Always there. Always ready.” 

Overall, twelve teams participated in the German Finals: 

• Anton (16), Christopher (17), Jakub (18), and Linus (16) from Canisius-Kolleg in Berlin pitched their business idea “ModCase,” a modular pencil case.
• The team from Edith Stein School in Darmstadt—Jonathan (17), Malte (17), Maximilian (17), and Moritz (17)—presented their business idea “StepSafer”: non-slip stair mats with software-based fall detection.
• Adile (17), Josephine (16), and Julia (17) from Gymnasium am Wirteltorin Düren competed in the business@school German Finals with their business idea “ToteMate,” a sustainable jute bag organizer.
• The business idea “Algastralis,” which deploys algae panels for improved indoor air quality, was presented by Alicia-Sophie (17), Aurélie (16), Florentine (17), Luis (17), and Sascha Lene (17) from Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium in Görlitz.
• Antonia (17), Carlotta (17), Clara (17), Florian (17), Jacob (17), and Stella (17) from Helene-Lange-Gymnasium and Gymnasium Kaiser-Friedrich-Ufer in Hamburg won the business@school German Finals with their business idea “Frühn,” a radar sensor assistance system that alerts bicyclists to dangerous situations.
• The team from Schiller Gymnasium in Heidenheim—Annalena (16), Stephan (17), Thabo (17), Til (17), and Tilakshan (19)—took third place at the business@school German Finals with their business idea “PowerChargeGo,” a magnetic induction power bank with a foldout EU power plug.
• Adrian Elias (17), Emil (17), Henry (17), Jesse (18), and Johannes (18) from Kaiser-Wilhelm- und Ratsgymnasium in Hanover presented their business idea “NeoGrip”: goalkeeper gloves with an interchangeable grip system.
• Second place at the business@school German Finals went to Finn-Luis (17), Matteo (17), Simon (17), and Sofian (17) from Gymnasium Kirchheim for their business idea “ReBoxable,” a leasing model with reusable shipping boxes for sustainable logistics.
• Aaron (16), Christoph (16), Cristian (15), Eric (15), Richard (16), and Timon (16) from CJD Königswinter presented their business idea “[verdum] grünräume,” a modular greening concept for in- and outdoors.
• The team from Luitpold-Gymnasium in Munich, Kheder (18), Lenny (16), Nikolai (17), Shayel (17), and Tobias (17) pitched their business idea “MingaBall,” a digital platform for small-field tournaments and local football communities.
• The business idea “Hydrostrap,” a drinking reminder device, was presented by Julian (18), Lana (18), Laura (18), and Luisa (18) from Carl-Theodor-Schule in Schwetzingen.
• Lukas (17), Mats (17), Moritz (16), and Simon (16) from Leibniz School in Wiesbaden competed in the business @school German Finals with their business idea “Safejewl,” a stylish safety bracelet with an emergency call app.

Invitation to networt
Leon Can Cakmak, board member of the Young Founders Network e.V., awarded the YFN special prize to three of the twelve finalist teams, independently of their qualification for the main round. With this, these three teams are invited to the YFN 9.0 Event and the Young Founders Conference. The Young Founders Network is a collective of young founders and start-up enthusiasts. Both the extensive business@school community and the Young Founders Network will act as forums of support for the YFN special prize winners—for “ReBoxable,” “Frühn,” and “ToteMate”—as they pursue their future business ideas and interests.