Since the beginning of the year, the start-ups selected for the Circular by Design Challenge have been following a 12-week coaching programme which will end at the end of March.
Launched at the end of October at the initiative of the Luxembourg Creative Industries Cluster managed by Luxinnovation, with the support of the Ministry of the Economy, the programme is aimed at facilitating the development of new design solutions and innovative business models that are in line with the principles of the circular economy.
After having interviewed the 10 candidates participating in the coaching programme (HERE and HERE) and having collected testimonials from their respective head coaches, here are the impressions gathered from our project partners.
“As we near the end of the challenge, the whole team has really gelled and grown together at every level,” comments Marc Lis, the manager of the Luxembourg Creative Industries Cluster at Luxinnovation. “The process we’ve put in place is really bearing fruit and the partners’ continuous input during our steering committee sessions has provided great guidance and fostered tremendous growth for our candidates and their project ideas.”
Claudine Bettendroffer (Silversquare)
“We are proud to partner with the Circular by Design Challenge as we really see the future in sustainable concepts across all fields.
As a coworking space, we are already thinking about using sustainable materials to create our unique interior designs,
in cooperation with the brightest local artists. We are always on the lookout for great new ideas on the market.
It therefore felt absolutely natural to provide a central meeting point for the creative brainstorming sessions
that were part of the programme and to support the winner of the interior design category.”
Piero Cavigliasso (Guala Closures Technologies)
“We were really happy to be part of this Circular by Design Challenge
and we are still convinced that this project is a good opportunity
for companies and designers to come closer on a sustainable thinking.”
Line Didelot and Sara Vispi (ANKAA Project)
“As a non-profit organisation, being part of the Circular by Design Challenge has been a very rewarding experience.
We were very impressed by the progress of the participants from their first pitch to the last steering committee session.
We hope that the principles of the circular economy gain in importance and become a key element for future developments in Luxembourg.”
Sébastien Fontaine (Goodyear Advanced Design Studio)
“It’s great to see a group of finalists that are highly motivated and work hard to integrate the comments and recommendations shared during the reviews. The Circular by Design Challenge has also energised our teams within Goodyear.
Even if there will only be one winner per category, they all deserve a successful future in their respective businesses.
We hope that this first edition of this Challenge is just the beginning of a successful series.
National and international companies, such as Goodyear, need these kind of programmes to connect with innovators.”
Olivier Laidebeur (Office Freylinger)
“Circular design is by nature innovative, and needs strong intellectual property protection.
The projects presented to date are definitely aligned with this approach,
and show that the circular economy, innovation and entrepreneurship are part of the future of our lives.”
Romain Poulles (PROGroup)
“Our participation in this first Circular by Design Challenge is a very interesting experience,
and the motivation and enthusiasm of the participants is stimulating for the partners.
Overall, we are very satisfied with the organisation. We hope that the results will live up to the expectations of all parties involved,
including those of the participants. We are ready to participate in a second edition.”
Fabrice Roth (Lycée des Arts et Métiers)
“This edition of the Circular by Design Challenge is an opportunity to meet great people from different fields.
We learned a lot from all the participants, partners and mentors: a lot of ideas to build a better future.
It is a great experience and we can’t wait for the second edition. We will of course be there to take part.”
Benedict Reimann (United Caps)
“We are delighted to work with outstanding local talents and developers at Luxinnovation
to help tackle the challenges of the Circular Economy.
The creativity, ingenuity and technical excellence of this network reflects the best in design, innovation,
and technology that Luxembourg has to offer.”
The intensive work of the 10 participants will culminate in submitting their final pitch decks by midnight 9 April. On 29 April 2021, an awards ceremony, in the presence of the Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot and all partner companies, will reveal which projects have won their respective categories.
The awards are partnership deals with the project partners in order to implement the winning ideas.