Stars, bangers and a peak: the election of people who have stood out within the Eindhoven high-tech world over the past year once again had many fine winners.

Last night, director Brigit van Dijk-van de Reijt of the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij emerged as the big winner of the seventh edition of the Gerard & Anton High Tech Peak Awards on 11 January 2024. The election of people who have stood out within the Eindhoven high-tech world over the past year counts nine awards. This time, the ceremony took place at the Philips Museum, where Beatrix Bos and Bert-Jan Woertman, together with jury chairman Stijn Steenbakkers, handed out the prizes to the winners.

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 2023: Four people are put in the spotlight for their contribution to the high-tech and startup scene in and around Eindhoven in the past year.
Knallers 2024: Four people from whom much can be expected for the coming year.
Peak 2023: One person has made - and will hopefully continue to make - a structural contribution to the Eindhoven ecosystem year after year that they deserve a lifetime award.

Peak Awards 2024

Judgements are made by a professional jury, based on nominations from everyone active within the Eindhoven innovative ecosystem. Previous winners of the main award (the peak, because of the Christmas tree that is always just around during the ceremony) are Guus Frericks, Rob van Gijzel, Maarten Steinbuch, Staf Depla, Steef Blok, Naomie Verstraeten and Lucas van Grinsven. For the first time, the names of 'Gerard & Anton' have been linked to the Peak Awards. A logical step in the ambition expressed earlier this year by the ecosystem to develop various start-up events, the accompanying network and the awards into a Gerard & Anton community, with accompanying website and newsletter with all local start-up, scale-up, and innovation news and the event calendar.

Making the future

Jury chairman Stijn Steenbakkers (alderman for Brainport and the economy): "In Brainport Eindhoven, we make the future. Day in and day out, thousands of companies and start-ups in our region work on high-tech solutions that make a difference on social issues for many people around us. This position cannot be taken for granted and we should cherish it. I am proud that, for the seventh time with the High Tech Peak Awards, we can put driving forces and new talents in the region well-deservedly in the limelight. Important as recognition, but also as an incentive to keep working on what you believe in, swimming against the current and strengthening the strength of our unique high-tech ecosystem."

The award winners this time are:

Stars 2023:
John Bell, Fred Roozeboom, René Paré, Sonja Vos-Poppelaars
Knallers 2024
Katja Pahnke, Bob van der Meulen, Janne Brok, Patricia Y.W. Dankers
Piek 2023
Brigit van Dijk-van de Reijt.

More info

Extensive infomation on the prize winners and the jury verdict can be found in the report by Innovation Origins.

Initiators

The High Tech Piek Awards are an initiative of Innovation Origins, with the support of High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Municipality of Eindhoven, EY, VO, Kadans, Twice, Goevaerts Bouw and Holland Innovative.

Source: messages from the Gerard and Anton Community and Innovation Origins