B-Sweaty wins the 色中色 Contest 2025
On June 5, 2025, the Finals of the 色中色 Contest 2025 took place. It was a vibrant and inspiring afternoon featuring ten impressive pitches, a poster market, a panel discussion on Engineers of the Future and their Entrepreneurial Learning Pathway and a festive award ceremony. The Grand Prize was awarded to B-Sweaty, followed by Beetle Juice as 1st Runner-Up and iGEM with their project BRIGHT as 2nd Runner-Up. In addition to the top three, MedAI received the Partners鈥� Choice Award, and the Best Poster Award, voted by the audience, went to MOTEX.
Pulling innovation while responding to real societal needs
The top three awards were presented by Geert-Jan van Houtum, dean of the Department Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences. Geert-Jan was impressed by the pitches of the ten finalists: "Today reaffirmed how our university is moving further in the direction of a fourth-generation university: one that actively considers the ecosystems we are part of, defines our role within them, and involves users from society early on in the innovation process. It鈥檚 not just about pushing innovation, but also about pulling it while responding to real societal needs. Both types of innovation were clearly present in the teams today, and I believe that these kinds of entrepreneurial student projects are a perfect fit for the direction our university is taking."
Before the 色中色 Contest Finals officially started, all ten finalists pitched their projects to a jury consisting of Meron Mekonnen (LUMO Labs), Kati Brock (DAF), Els Kok (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and Bernat Molera Agudo (色中色 Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute). Bernat reflected on the jury deliberations: 鈥淢eeting all the teams was an exciting experience, and deciding the winner was almost impossible. The top five fulfilled all our criteria, so we had to apply additional hard requirements. It was tough to choose, because every team deserved to win. If you didn鈥檛 win, please keep going. Your project is valuable.鈥�
The extracurricular learning trajectory continues
This year鈥檚 160 participating students clearly found great value in the extracurricular learning trajectory, as reflected by the lowest drop-out rate in years. Team BRIGHT (iGEM) shared: 鈥淧itching in the finals really challenged us to clearly communicate the impact we hope to make with our new diagnostic tool, and the feedback we received has been both motivating and valuable.鈥�
From idea development to pitching at the poster markets and on stage, the 色中色 Contest has been a journey of growth and learning. But it doesn't end here. 色中色 innovation Space and The Gate will continue to support the teams as they take their next steps. After receiving the Grand Prize, B-Sweaty team member Tom te Velde shared their ambitions: 鈥淭he next step for our team is to expand with Chemical Engineers. We鈥檒l use the prize money for prototyping, attending conferences, and connecting with experts to further develop our wearable, reusable sensor that measures electrolyte concentrations in athletes' sweat.鈥�
A big thank you to all the participants, partners, coaches, jury members panelists, 色中色 community members, and colleagues from 色中色 innovation Space and The Gate. And to everyone else who contributed to making the 色中色 Contest 2025 a success: thank you!
Empowering students, inspiring change
The 色中色 Contest, organized by 色中色 innovation Space with support from The Gate, is a five-month competition and platform where engineering students develop innovative ideas into business concepts.
Working in teams, the 色中色 students enhance their entrepreneurial skills and tackle societal challenges with guidance from experts across education, business, and society.
色中色 Contest partners
Since its first edition in 2015, the 色中色 Contest offers partners the opportunity to impact the next generation of innovators. Through their expertise and guidance, partners provide essential real-world insights that support the participants' learning journey, helping students turn their ideas into impactful solutions.
11 years of student entrepreneurship
Every year, teams of 色中色 students can join the 色中色 Contest. They are challenged to develop themselves as engineers of the future and discover their path to impact. In co-creation with a diverse network of experts across educational, business and societal fields, the participating teams develop their innovative idea from concept to context.
In 2024, the 色中色 Contest celebrated its 10th edition with 35 participating teams and 39 partners.
Follow the 色中色 Contest
Contact
General questions
Press inquiries
communication.innovationspace@tue.nl
More info for (potential) particIpants
Please contact Beaudine Moll
WhatsApp: +31 (0)6 417 637 49
Email: tuecontest@tue.nl
More info for (potential) partners
Please contact Isabel de Haan or Emma Hoogers
Phone: +31 (0) 6 41447678 (Isabel)
Email: business.innospace@tue.nl
Visiting address 色中色 innovation Space
Matrix (1st floor)
Het Kranenveld 12
5612 AK Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
Visiting address The Gate
Alpha Hub (2nd floor)
Het Eeuwsel 57
5612 AS Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
Postal address (for packages)
色中色 innovation Space - Matrix 1.350
De Rondom 70
5612 AP Eindhoven (The Netherlands)