Germany’s best – Nanogate is finalist in “Entrepreneur of the Year 2006”
Saarbrücken/Frankfurt, 22 September 2006. Nanogate AG was the only
nanotechnology company to reach the finals of Germany’s
“Entrepreneur of the Year” awards. At a gala yesterday in the Alte Oper
in Frankfurt am Main, tribute was paid to the economic achievements of
entrepreneurs in Germany.
Nanogate, a dynamically growing nanotechnology company, reached the finals
of “Entrepreneur of the Year 2006”. An independent panel of eminent experts
paid tribute to the entrepreneurial achievements of finalists in the Industry,
Retail, Services, Information Technology and Start-up categories. This was the
tenth time the awards had been presented in Germany. The winners were
announced and tribute was paid to the finalists at a festive gala held on 21
September in Frankfurt am Main’s Alte Oper that was attended by 900 invited guests from the fields of business, politics and culture.
Ralf Zastrau, CEO of Nanogate AG, said, “Dynamic entrepreneurship is receiving
increasing recognition in Germany. Nanogate AG is an example of
transformation from a technology company to a market-driven, economically
successful business undertaking.” Nanogate is one of the few nanotech
companies that operates worldwide and has launched a variety of products on
the market in conjunction with industrial partners including ABB, BSH, Giesecke
& Devrient, Kärcher and Koenig & Bauer. Nanogate Technology® imparts new
properties to any kind of surface, such as ceramics, plastic, metal or glass. The
product portfolio ranges from refined engine parts, sports surfaces and textiles
to industrial applications for glass. “We anticipate that in ten years’ time one in
two products will come into contact with nanotechnology,” Mr. Zastrau said.
Nanogate has been profitable since 2004 as an enabler for chemical
nanotechnology and is planning to make an initial public offering this year,
subject to general developments on the capital markets. The company plans to
use the IPO proceeds to finance planned growth, for example by expanding and
building new fields of business and technology platforms and by extending
development and production capacity.
