The oeuvre award, the Peak, is for Job Nijs. Beena Arunraj, Annemoon Geurts, Eelko Brinkhoff and Hans Krikhaar get a Star. Knallers are for Renato Calzone, Bas Klis, Marc Veldkamp and Share the Vibe.
The award ceremony at the old Philips Glass Factory at Strijp-T. Flnr Beatrix Bos, host Albert Maas of Avular and Bert-Jan Woertman. Avular is a startup focusing on Mobile Robotics
In Philips' renovated Glass Laboratory (building TY), the Geard and Anton community was the guest of Avular. There, the Gerard and Anton Piek Awards were presented. These went to people who have achieved something special in the innovative ecosystem of Brainport Eindhoven and from whom we expect a lot in the near future. These are not always the people who are always in the foreground, but without whom the house of cards would collapse very quickly. The presentation of these Gerard & Anton High Tech Peak Awards took place for the ninth time. It is the winter counterpart of the Gerard & Anton Awards, which are presented every summer to promising startups.
Beatrix Bos and Bert-Jan Woertman together with jury chairman Stijn Steenbakkers handed out the awards to the winners. The CEO of Avular Albert Maas welcomed visitors with an explanation of developments in Mobile Robotics.
Gerard and Anton
The Gerard & Anton Awards honour the founders of Eindhoven's very first startup: Philips. Gerard and Anton are at the roots of the family tree that now has many dozens of family members.
The awards
Stars 2025: Four people are put in the spotlight for their contribution to the high-tech and start-up scene in and around Eindhoven in the past year.
Smashers 2026: Four people from whom much can be expected for the coming year.
Peak 2025: One person has made a structural contribution to the Eindhoven ecosystem year after year - and will hopefully continue to do so - that they deserve a lifetime award.
Peak Awards 2025
The jury could choose from a longlist of nominees this year. Below are the winners by category with link to their page.
Piek Award winner Job Nijs with jury president Stijn Steenbakkers
The Gerard and Anton award winners.
Piek: Job Nijs receives the Piek Award for his many years of structural commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation in Brabant. With Braventure, he built a solid foundation for start-ups and scale-ups in which cooperation between regions, government and business is central.
Star: Beena Arunraj, Annemoon Geurts, Eelko Brinkhoff & Hans Krikhaar
Knaller: for Renato Calzone, Bas K., Marc Veldkamp MSc. & the hashtag#ShareTheStartupVibe collective(Xaveria Vossen, Evelien Nieuwenburg, Rik van den Reijen, Bob van der Meulen, Hugo van Hees, Jeroen Sassen)
More info
Detailed information on the prize winners and the jury's verdict can be found in the IO+ report
For information in English go to the report of IO+
Source: messages from the Gerard and Anton Community and IO+.
