Companies

Changing Times Award Winner 2009

In 2003 Gameforge was a pioneer in developing and publishing browser and client-based Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). The founders utilized the enormous growth of broadband internet access to easily distribute MMOGs such as "OGame", thereby creating a new variety of games industry and attracting millions of players in a very short time.
Games are basically free of charge, with individual add-on costs for outfits, weapons etc. Premium and multi-premium accounts offer benefits in terms of the user interface, or small in-game advantages.
Today Gameforge is the largest independent global provider of these NMOGs and offers 16 games in 50+ languages. More than 85 million users have signed up for Gameforge games so far and 300,000 new users sign up every day.
The company employs more than 340 people at its offices in Karlsruhe, Germany. Accel Partners has had a stake in the company since August 2007.

Changing Times Next Gem Award 2009

Founded in Norway in 2001, Meltwater Group provides Software as a Service solutions to over 19,000 clients worldwide, from non-profit organizations to Fortune 500s. Meltwater’s vision is to enter high growth markets where innovative technologies challenge existing business models. The company is aggressively growing on six continents, with 50 locations globally.
Profitable from the start, and founded with only $15,000, this privately held Norwegian company is committed to disrupting the status quo through novel technologies and a global sales and distribution infrastructure. Meltwater currently delivers business solutions based on search engine technology, cloud computing, and biometrics. The company has grown organically, without debt or external funding.
Jorn is also applying entrepreneurial ideas in the non-profit segment and the first initiative of the Meltwater Foundation; the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), is a two-year entrepreneurial training program in Ghana, Africa. The first class of trainees will graduate at the end of 2009, and will enter business incubators supported by Meltwater Foundation in Accra, Oxford and San Francisco.

Changing Times Cleantech Award 2009

Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are very thin semiconductors made of organic material layers. These semiconductors are only a few nanometers thick but they emit light in a diffuse way to form an area light source. By combining color with shape, organic LEDs will create a new way of decorating and personalizing personal surroundings with light. At the same time OLEDs offer the potential to become even more efficient than energy-saving bulbs.
Novaled AG is a world leading company in the OLED field, specialising in high efficiency long lifetime OLED structures and expert in synthetic and analytical chemistry. The company has attained the world record in power efficiency and has more than 400 patents granted or pending. It markets its advanced Novaled PIN OLED technology, together with its proprietary materials, to display and lighting manufacturers and it has developed long term partnerships with major OLED players worldwide.
The company, founded in 2003, is based in Dresden, Germany, and main investors are eCAPITAL, Crédit Agricole Private Equity, TechnoStart, TechFund and CDC Innovation

Challengers 2009

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