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The prize for innovations created through the power of the crowd was awarded in three categories: Open.Innovation, Innovation.Funding and Corporate.Innovation. Numerous projects from Germany, Austria and Switzerland applied for the coveted trophies. Three per category were awarded prizes.
Berghofer-Mühle, a 177-year-old producing foam mill with its own power plant, decided to create a new and expanded offering for customers during the Corona crisis.
They used a crowdfunding campaign as a market test to attract new customers, as a smart marketing campaign, and to fund needed purchases. The successful campaign confirmed their assumptions and enabled them to begin implementation.
Berghofer-Mühle demonstrates innovative approaches to using crowdfunding not only as a financing instrument, but also for market validation and customer loyalty. The involvement of the crowd in product development and the positive response to the project indicate a strong social relevance.
In addition, the sustainable orientation of the project and the company's ability to adapt and grow are positively highlighted. The Berghofer mill has shown how a traditional company can be successful by using modern techniques and practices.
The crowd powered innovation award is an initiative of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) Crowd in Motion and the Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Internationales Management und Wissensökonomie (IMW) in Leipzig, Germany.
Impressions of the award ceremony and the isn celebrates 20 + 2 years event were captured in the highlight video of the event.
In an online voting, Kleine Zeitung asked: "What is outstandingly Styrian, what unique products does our province offer?" and the company from Fehring received almost 9,000 votes from its own dedicated community.
