EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel becomes patron of "Stage Two"

30 universities are taking part in the excellence competition. Two of the initiators are RWTH Aachen University and Leipzig Graduate School of Management.

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel is the patron of the start-up competition "Stage Two", which was initiated by RWTH Aachen University and Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL). Thirty universities from 18 European cities are taking part in the excellence competition, each selecting their two best start-ups in preliminary rounds.

"Stage Two is the opportunity for entrepreneurial talents to make their business ideas internationally visible, to network and to shape the future," says HHL Rector Stephan Stubner. On October 29, the 60 start-ups will present their concepts live in front of the jury in Berlin, with five prizes up for grabs: Best Tech Start-up, Business Start-up, Best Female Founder Award, Sustainability Award and Digital Business Award. The competition's latest partners are Microsoft and McKinsey.

Since 2019, Bulgarian Gabriel has been responsible for research, innovation and education at the EU Commission. "For Europe, Stage Two is an opportunity to leverage existing innovation potential. We are therefore delighted to have won over the EU Commissioner for Innovation and Research for this European initiative," says Stubner on the Commissioner's patronage.