The Dortmund-based AI company Ziya prevailed at the nationwide business plan competition Start2Grow as the best AI company, securing third place behind the chemistry startups Simplyfined and Octo Germany. Against 88 competitors, Haris Yalcinkaya, Enes Arpaci, and Ilirjan Bytyqi demonstrated with their innovative AI pipeline "DatenLabel" that the future of Artificial Intelligence in Germany can be shaped with sovereignty, security, and maximum value for companies.
The Gold in Employees' Minds
The true potential of AI lies in making the gold in employees' minds usable. Employee knowledge and existing company data feed into the corporate ontology. This creates a foundation to strategically combine Germany's industrial competence with AI, bring new innovative products to market, and effectively counter the skilled labor shortage at the same time.
AI Pipeline "DatenLabel" for Sustainable AI Transformation of Companies
Ziya offers a holistic solution for the AI transformation of companies. With "DatenLabel," an AI pipeline was developed that covers the entire AI process -- from the idea through data organization to the deployment of powerful AI models. The approach enables companies to structure their AI ideas and data, break down silos, and identify targeted AI use cases.
The Four Steps of DatenLabel:
- Data Map & Corporate Ontology:
- Structuring unstructured data
- Breaking down data silos
- Visualizing corporate data
- Ideahub:
- Identifying relevant AI use cases
- Prioritizing by profitability, synergies & feasibility
- Collecting and structuring employee know-how
- Data Management:
- Categorizing and orchestrating relevant data
- ALMA: Automatic labeling with human oversight
- Seamless integration into enterprise systems
- AI Models & Deployment:
- Development of NLP, deep learning & computer vision models
- Scalable AI infrastructure (API, cloud, on-premise)
- Monitoring & performance optimization
Winners of the Start2Grow Competition 2024/2025
In addition to Ziya, there were two outstanding first-place winners from chemistry:
- Octo Germany: Develops a yarn for producing breathable textiles that stay dry even underwater.
- Simplyfined: Converts plant oils into sustainable feedstock for the chemical industry, creating a high-quality, economically competitive alternative to fossil raw materials.
These two companies demonstrate how broad the innovative power of German startups is -- from AI to sustainable materials to revolutionary technologies.
Thanks to Our Supporters & Partners
Special thanks go to the Dortmund infrastructure that accompanied us on this journey:
- Wirtschaftsförderung Dortmund for the support and organization of the Start2Grow competition
- Innoclub Dortmund, the CET, which fundamentally strengthen the Dortmund location
- Our first enterprise clients, who walk the path of AI transformation with us as long-term partners
Ziya stands for digital sovereignty, secure AI development, and hands-on solutions for companies. We look forward to continuing to shape the future of AI in Germany!