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Every year, we organise the 4TU Impact Challenge, in which promising startups pitch their idea for impact. In 2022, InAtmos (then CryoCop) was declared the winner. With InAtmos, Coen van den Brand and his team have developed a method to capture CO2 from industry. What has the 4TU Impact Challenge brought them? What steps have they been able to take so far - and what does the future hold for InAtmos? We spoke to Coen to see where they are now in their journey towards impact.

The aftermovie shows  the highlights of this year's 4TU Impact Challenge finals, where innovative startups from the four technical universities competed for the jury and audience prizes. From inspiring pitches to impactful solutions and enthusiastic networking, it was an evening full of creativity and purpose.

28 startups of the four technical universities went to Helsinki, Finland, from the 28th of November until the 2nd of December to experience Slush: the most founder-friendly startup conference in the world. This is what they got out of it.

The final of the 4TU Impact Challenge took place on Thursday 12th of October for the fifth time and was hosted by Eindhoven University of Technology. The professional jury selected Afterlife from Wageningen as the winner. This company uses fungi to make edible protein products from agro-food waste streams. Delft-based Geotherm Electric, which helps industrial plants by converting waste heat into electricity, walked away with the audience award. Afterlife makes high-quality proteins from waste streams through fungal fermentation. In doing so, the startup aims to create new opportunities for food manufacturers, bridging the gap between sustainable proteins and a circular economy. The professional jury, led by Eindhoven's Rector Magnificus Silvia Lenaerts, chose Afterlife from eight finalists.

Trade missions to technology expos are very useful for start-ups. This was evident during the Finnish trade expo Slush, where 4TU.IMPACT held the finals of the last Impact Challenge. Several start-ups from the four participating Dutch technical universities (4TU) traveled to Finland. The participants were able to expand their networks and come into contact with investors there.

"It's just a real pleasure every time," says Robert-Jan Smits, president of the Executive Board of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He is referring to the students who pitch their ideas, prototypes and projects during a competition like the TU/e Contest or the 4TU Impact Challenge in the battle for the prize. "It's wonderful and really clever how these young people are able to present themselves. Just in terms of how creative they are in their solutions for a wide variety of issues. That's really special.”

Start-up ZED (Zero Energy Development), a TU Delft spin-off, developed wire- and battery-less sensors that run on the energy created by simply pressing a button. Or by buckling your belt.

The Technology Drivers of 2022 are now in full swing. Building on the insights of their predecessors, they defined concrete projects to accelerate transitions with technological innovations within 5 important societal themes.

Pepijn Beekman and Dilu Mathew, founders of start-up ECsens, a spin-off of the University of Twente, are planning no less than a revolution in healthcare. In late 2019, they won the 4TU Impact Challenge with their sensors to diagnose cancer faster.

When Nixon made his famous speech about the silent majority, he could not have imagined that 50 years later that group would have a voice thanks to Populytics,  platform for civic participation.

The University of Twente spin-off FlowBeams is working on a technology to inject liquids, such as vaccines or insulin, without the use of needles. This significantly reduces the risk of infection and also cuts down on a lot of waste.

TU/e startup Hable wins the third edition of the 4TU Impact Challenge, a competition for the best idea from students from the four Dutch universities of technology.

A sensor on steel bridges designed to detect fatigue cracks and monitor the progression of this damage. That's the headline-making feat of the TU Delft start-up Villari in the Netherlands.