Professor Hendro Wicaksono wins 2026 PROFPRENEUR Award, Constructor University shines at Startup Summit Bremen
An award-winning professor, flagship accelerator program and half a dozen affiliated startups all contributed to Constructor University's strong showing at this year's Startup Summit Bremen. Professor Hendro Wicaksono was awarded the 2026 PROFPRENEUR Prize, an annual honor granted to "the most committed university lecturers who motivate and support students, employees and researchers to found startups.” The Summit brought founders, industry, media and politicians together to support Bremen’s innovation ecosystem, and featured booths from Constructor Start—the university’s international tech accelerator program—and five startups with direct connections to Constructor University.
The 2026 PROFPRENEUR Award and its €2,000 prize was presented to Prof. Wicaksono by Bremen Senator of Economics, Ports and Transformation Kristina Vogt, award sponsor Sparkasse Bremen AG, and event organizer Jan Wessels, founder of Bremen-Startups.de.
"The PROFPRENEUR Award is about recognizing true 'Super Profs' for startups" said Wessels. "Hendro is a shining example of someone who actively encourages his students to get out there and bring their ideas to life. He is helping spread the entrepreneurial spirit in this community and at Constructor university, which is Bremen's door to the world."
Prof. Wicaksono has been an ambassador for innovation and entrepreneurialism since joining Constructor University seven years ago. As the head of one of the university’s highest performing research groups in terms of academic publications and affiliated startups, he has helped spearhead entrepreneurial projects like the NeoHub platform and received Teacher of the Year honors.
“An award like this is a great sign that what we’re doing is impactful, and that’s something I want to pass on to my students, who came with me here tonight. It motivates me to continue investing in them and inspiring them to have impact in their lives,” said Prof. Wicaksono.
“I believe in prioritizing impact in everything we do, and this is the guiding philosophy of my research group. When I supervise PhD students, we always start by discussing how their projects will be impactful and useful, so they join the group with the mentality of doing research towards developing products and solutions,” added Prof. Wicaksono, whose research group has produced four startups in the past year alone.
Three startups founded by his current or former students nominated Prof. Wicaksono for the 2026 PROFPRENEUR prize, citing the value of his hands-on support and mentorship, entrepreneurial values and unwavering passion.
“Hendro has played a truly formative role in my entrepreneurial journey and that of many others at Constructor University,” wrote one founder. “His support goes far beyond the classroom, where he actively empowers students and researchers to turn ideas into real, scalable ventures. Professor Wicaksono doesn’t just teach innovation, he enables it. He empowers students to think big, act boldly and build responsibly.”
Constructor University’s accelerator program Constructor Start was also on full display at the Summit with a dedicated booth. CEO Dmitry Kurin was on hand to connect with startups, investors and industry partners, and promote the intensive accelerator for early-stage DeepTech, EdTech and Software+ startups.
“Constructor Start is helping to launch tomorrow’s groundbreaking tech startups by granting unprecedented access to the tools, knowledge, network and funding available through Constructor Group’s global ecosystem,” explained Kurin. “Global impact begins with local action. We are honored to be here today and will continue supporting Bremen as a high-performance marketplace for ideas and innovation.”
The program's current cohort, selected from more than 2,000 startups across the world that applied, includes a record four startups with direct ties to Bremen and Constructor University. After completing an intensive curriculum and personalized mentorship from top-tier industry leaders, participating startups will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas at the Online Demo Day event on July 3 and, if selected as finalists, Constructor University's flagship Demo Day finale on September 22, for a chance to win $100,000 in equity-free funding.
In total, five startups affiliated with Constructor University through students, professors or alumni participated in Startup Summit Bremen:
- Cytokyn M, a biotechnology startup and current Constructor Start participant combatting “inflammaging”—chronic inflammation linked to aging and chronic health conditions like Long COVID.
- ExoHeal, an award-winning medical startup founded by alumni Zain Samdani and Ramin Udash that has been featured in Forbes and TechCrunch, and won major competitions like Microsoft’s Imagine Cup and Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow challenge.
- Please Touch This Art, another initiative from Zain Samdani and Ramin Udash aimed at redesigning museum experiences for the blind and visually impaired using tactile, 3D-model art experiences.
- Insytes, an AI startup that leverages causal AI and data analysis to help businesses make better decisions. Co-founder Karim Abualrish is an alum of Constructor University.
- WasteAnt, another startup using causal AI, this time to help waste management and recycling operators better understand, monitor and optimize waste streams. WasteAnt was co-founded by Constructor alumni Dr. Christian Müller and Dr. Szymon Krupinski.
Startup Summit Bremen is an annual event presented by Bremen-Startups.de. This year's event featured 50 startups, numerous awards and prizes, and more than 700 attendees.
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