Best Food Founder 2019: air up secures lucrative TV advertising deal from ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator at Anuga conference
The Start-up investor and Hack AG honour the most innovative food start-up founder at the Anuga
air up will receive a TV advertising budget valued at 250,000 Euro
Munich, October 8, 2019. air up, a start-up providing the world's first drink bottle to deliver flavour through scent, is the winner of the Best Food Founder 2019 pitch event. The start-up faced tough competition across two rounds to secure a media deal valued at 250,000 Euro for the ProSiebenSat.1 Group channels and the chance to gain a foothold in the German market through TV advertising. ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator and Hack AG, one of the leading manufacturers of bakery and confectionary goods, held the first pitch competition Best Food Founder 2019 on October 8th at the world's largest produce trade fair, the Anuga, in Cologne. The competition is aimed at founders from the food industry and rewards the most innovative start-up and their business idea.
Six finalists took to the stage to present their business models in short pitches before a jury comprised of experts from the food and media industries. Managing Director of ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator Dr. Fabian Heuschele was joined by the CEO of Zentis Karl-Heinz Johnen, Kuchenmeister's CEO Hans G nther Trockels and investor and Olympic weightlifting champion Matthias Steiner to form the expert jury. Peter Hack, CEO of Hack AG, moderated the event.
Decision live on the Culinary stage at the Anuga
In addition to air up, a further five start-ups pitched their business models before the jury and a live audience. Happy Cashew produces plant-based alternatives to milk products. Kolonne Null creates high quality alcohol free wines and sparkling wines. PLANT B is a plant-based drink containing a high fruit percentage and beneficial almond protein. SWARM Nutrition develops innovative foods using functional and sustainable insect protein. Zveetz produces provide low sugar sweet treats with their desserts, yoghurts and fruit gums.
In the first round, candidates are teamed in pairs to go head-to-head and deliver their short pitches for a place in the final. In the first Semi-Final, Kolonne Null took on SWARM Nutrition, followed by Zveetz against Happy Cashew, whilst in the last round air up and PLANT B battled for the final spot. The jury delivered their verdict, naming Kolonne Null, Happy Cashew and air up as the finalists. In the finale the three remaining start-ups were asked to spontaneously answer questions from the jury. air up delivered the most convincing response and prevailed in the finale against the competition.
Simon N esch, Co-Founder of air up: I am thrilled. I didn't know what awaited me this morning and the fact that I can now stand here as the winner is such a huge opportunity for our company and our team.
Dr. Fabian Heuschele, Managing Director of ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator: air up is for me the competition's most innovative start-up because the product itself displays true innovation. The start-up advances the food and beverage industry and their business model is very promising. We are looking forward to supporting air up with TV advertising across our broad range of channels and to drive their growth moving forward.
Peter Hack, CEO of Hack AG: This year's winner was selected as the company perfectly meets the contemporary needs of the food and beverage industry and propels the market forward with their innovation. As a result of the success of, and positive response to the event, we look forward to hosting the competition again with the ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator team in 2020.
About ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator:
ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator is one of Europe's leading start-up investors. Accelerator invests in B2C start-ups offering products and services designed for the mass market and have established business models with a substantial amount of initial revenue. Start-ups receive a media package starting at 1.5 Million Euro (including TV, Special Ads, Online Video, Influencer Campaigns or Addressable TV), which helps them to achieve their growth potential. In addition to media services, Accelerator offers its start-ups a mentoring program, office space in Berlin and access to the entire ProSiebenSat.1 Group network - one of the leading media companies in Europe.
About Hack AG
Hack is one of the most successful corporations in the manufacturing of bakery and confectionary products. The company is based in Kurtscheid in Germany's Westerwald region and is a family owned business in its third generation. The company's idea is clear: the combination of traditional baking craftmanship and modern convenience. Under the umbrella of Hack AG there are six subsidiaries that specialize in various areas of the business.
About air up
air up has developed the world's first drink bottle that can add flavour to water using different scents. When drinking from the air up bottle, scented air is mixed with the water. The air is transported to the brain's scent receptors through the pharynx, where it is perceived as taste. The result: a beverage free from sugar, calories and unhealthy additives.
About Happy Cashew
Happy Cashew is a young company creating handmade, plant-based alternatives to milk products that are both healthy and full of flavour. The key ingredient: Cashews that are packed full of minerals, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. As Europe's first producer of vegan cheese alternatives made from cashews, from the very beginning Happy Cashew was committed to a handmade production process that is strictly based on techniques used in traditional cheese production.
About Kolonne Null
Kolonne Null was founded in Berlin in 2018 by artists and entrepreneurs Phillip and Moritz. With the f
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
21/10/2025
Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...
21/10/2025
As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...
21/10/2025
ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...
21/10/2025
While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...
21/10/2025
MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...
21/10/2025
Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...
21/10/2025
Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...
21/10/2025
Heartland Video Systems, Inc. (HVS), a premier video systems integration, consulting, and expert ATSC 3.0 implementation firm announces that it has partnered wi...
21/10/2025
QuickLink, the leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest integration solutions, today announced the appointment of Austin Hinton as it...
Best Food Founder 2019: air up secures lucrative TV advertising deal from ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator at Anuga conference
