2020

Falling Walls Lab Second Edition Delft

130+event attendees

6high-caliber jury members

14groundbreaking ideas

2winners flying to berlin

The event

On 23rd September, Falling Walls Lab Delft 2020 edition was held showcasing 14 ideas of young innovators in front of an audience of over 200 people and 6 high caliber jurors.

The present event was directed to a broad audience and aimed to create a powerful network among innovators, companies, and local innovative groups to give young innovators and entrepreneurs the chance to reach a bigger audience and the opportunity to continue developing their projects and achieve a bigger impact on society. Strategic partnerships with leading companies and institutions were taken such as TNO, KNAW, TUDelft, and Rabobank, which had a representative person as part of the Jury.

The event involved three different rounds of pitches for a total of 14 participants. Networking sessions were also held in between the pitches, during which the attendants, connected through an innovative platform called Veertly, could interact with each other. After a long and laborious jury discussion, Sofia Fonda was announced as Winner of Falling Walls Lab Delft 2020 with her idea of Breaking the Wall of Shame. The second position was assigned to Trey Cranney and his idea of Breaking the Wall of Wildfire Firefighting Technology. The two winners were selected to showcase their innovative ideas further at the Falling Walls Remote Event.

The winners

Sofia Fonda

1st prize

Breaking the Wall of Shame

Trey Cranney

2nd prize

Breaking the Wall of Wildfire Firefighting Technology

Praveen Sridharan

3rd prize

Breaking the Wall of Climate Change and Rooftop Solar

The jury

Rushabh Chheda

Conscious Designs

Rushabh Chheda is the founder of Conscious Designs, a Rotterdam-based startup that is working on an idea of using locally-sourced waste plastic to create affordable self-built housing for the low-incom communities in the developing world. Moreover, he was the winner of FWL Delft 2019 and finalist at the FWL Finale the same year; so he's uniquely in tune with how a pitcher is thinking.

Ina Dijstelbloem

TU Delft

Ina is specialized in international marketing/communications. She is responsible for the international recruitment of master students at TU Delft and is always focused on how to convey a message to people world-wide. She will focus on the communication side of the pitches: message, supporting tools/visuals, passion, leadership, and connection with the viewers.

Rogier Verberk

TNO

Dr Rogier Verberk holds a PhD in experimental physics from Leiden University (2005). At TNO he worked on EUV lithography and became principal project manager. From 2013 on he helped to set up the QuTech research center for quantum technologies. Since 2016 he is Market Director at TNO, responsible for semiconductor equipment-, quantum-, Industry4.0- and Medical Technologies.

Stefania Milan

University of Amsterdam

Stefania is Associate Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam. Her work explores the interplay between digital technology, activism and governance. She enjoys experimenting with digital and action-oriented research methods and finding ways to bridge research with policy and action.

Gert Hans Berghuis

Rabobank

Ir Gert Hans Berghuis has been working in innovation for over 20 years. After being a partner at strategic design agency Fabrique, he started working as a corporate innovation coach. Next to that, he is coaching startups and teaching about innovation at TU Delft. Since 2019, he is leading the Innovation Factory at Rabobank, working on future business models and innovations.

Hester den Ruijter

KNAW

Hester den Ruijter works in the field of experimental cardiology. She focuses on research that bridges fundamental research and teh applicability of research for patients. She investigates the cause of the differences between men and women in the field of cardiovascular disease. The women in cardiology are central to her education and media campaigns.

The sponsors

TNO

Main partner

TNO connects people and knowledge to create innovations that boost the competitive strength of industry and the wellbeing of society in a sustainable way.