Oculoo, Sano Sole & Hemicron winners of the first edition of The Entrepreneurial Experience

Thursday 18 June 2026

On Wednesday, June 17, the first edition of The Entrepreneurial Experience was festively concluded with the grand finale. What began in March with The Launch reached a climax this afternoon. Oculoo took home the Thales Business Award for best startup. Sano Sole won in the Ideation category and also took home the ASML Young Makers Award. The Novel-T Impact award, which was partly determined by the public, went to Hemicron.

The Entrepreneurial Experience builds upon nine editions of the UT Challenge. For this tenth edition, it was time for a new start. Although the message remains the same, the program has been given a new look. It is no longer just a challenge for students who already have a business idea, but an experience for all students who want to know what entrepreneurship entails. Following The Launch, the participants joined workshops, business labs, a pitch night, and pro-workshops, and the grand winners were chosen during the finale.

Motivating start

The show began with a few words of motivation from presenter Mike Verkouter of Novel-T: "I have been hosting these kinds of award shows for years, and the best part is what happens afterwards. Because it is not always the winners who achieve the most success. For instance, Codesandbox is one of the most successful startups the UT has produced, yet they never made it to the final of the UT Challenge. So who knows what will happen after today."

From Kickstarter to multi-million deal

With these words, the show continued with an introduction of the partners and the story of entrepreneur Emile Nijssen of Athom. His smart-home invention, Homey, was acquired by LG Electronics for millions. A major success story, which began as an idea from two students who set up the first successful Kickstarter. Emile: “When we launched our MVP, on the one hand, we were proud; on the other hand, we hoped that everything would work. And we knew that something would go wrong, which is why we kept our production close to home so we could act quickly if needed.” The hardware had to work, the software had to be easy to update, but the most important thing was the people. “The team was the most important thing. Without a good team, you get nowhere.” Emile is now passing on the success he achieved as an investor in startups.

Loud applause and positive energy

An inspiring story for the finalists, who are at the same point Emile was at 13 years ago, with little more than an idea and a dream.The finalists from the Ideation Category were the first to pitch, who developed their ideas during The Entrepreneurial Experience. The polished pitches of diverse ideas were met with loud applause and positive energy from the audience. Next, the finalists from the Startup Category took the stage; they already had a validated business idea and sometimes even a pending patent application. During the jury deliberation, student brass band ToHuWaBoHu really livened things up with cheerful medleys of well-known songs.

Winners' party

After the performance, the jury returned to announce the winners. Sano Sole was the first to receive a cheque for the ASML Young Makers award. Later, they were also surprised with the Ideation award. Sano Sole is working on a smart insole to prevent diabetic foot ulcers. Before the main prize was announced, Hemicron received the Novel-T Impact award, which was partly determined by the public. Hemicron is developing a data-driven method to predict and prevent migraines. The winner of the major Thales Business award was Oculoo, with their innovative eye drop glasses. We look back on a successful afternoon full of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

WINNERS

Thales Business Award: Oculoo
Ideation Award: Sano Sole
Novel-T Impact Award: Hemicron
ASML Young Makers Award: Sano Sole

Participants Ideation

Freshly - Digital twin of your food inventory
G!G - Collective bounty platform for brands and creators
Goal-IT - An app to help people achieve their fitness goals
Hemicron - Predicting migraines before they strike
MonroeNo - Clip-on bike accessory to secure loose fabric
Sano Sole - Early detection of diabetic foot ulcers
Roomly - Verified housing platform for students

Participants Startup

Last Ones Left - Online marketplace platform for last-minute activities
Manora Health Technologies - Improving dysphagia care with new diagnostic tools
Oculoo - Innovative eye-drop solutions
Revost - Innovative bike rack that automatically locks and charges e-bikes.
TutorMe - Peer-to-peer tutoring and exam-prep marketplace
XCTE - Fatigue testing at the speed of innovation