GERMAN STARTUP BEATS THE DRAGONS

Tobias Modjesch of Germany won the finale of the European entrepreneurship competition Meet the Dragons 2011 with YOUCOOK, a company that wants to take over the European consumer market with its healthy and fresh ready-to-eat meals.

Over 700 people were in Rotterdam to attend the event, held in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011.

Seven European finalists had 2.5 minutes each to convince the Dragons — a panel of top international entrepreneurs — that his or her start-up was going to be the next big thing. After a first selection by the Dragons, the audience chose Modjesch as the winner. Only a few votes behind was the Dutch startup Zebralegal run by Conny Bergsma and Bastiaan de Wit, who came in second place. In his thank you speech, Modjesch said he felt lucky to be chosen as the audience favorite, especially because the Germans had just beat the Dutch in a football match the previous evening.

As winner of the public’s prize, Modjesch opened the Amsterdam Stock Exchange the following morning. He was in the company of an international delegation including Ted Zoller of the Kauffman Foundation, Henk Keilman, top entrepreneur and known from the KRO program ‘Dragons Den’, and Nevzat Aydin, a renowned Turkish entrepreneur and investor.

To read more go to unleashingideas.org .