Across Europe, care workers face a persistent trade-off: time spent on paperwork is time they cannot spend with the people who need care. Maximilian Zimmermann, an 18-year-old German entrepreneur still completing school, is building an artificial intelligence tool aimed at changing that equation.
Zimmermann, co-founder and chief executive of Darmstadt-based StepSafer, won the European Commission’s Youth Start-Up Challenge 2026 at the SME and Clusters Assembly in Dublin. His company’s product, StepSafer Flow, prevailed over a record 135 applications from across Europe.
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Making Existing Care Software Easier To Use
StepSafer Flow is designed to let care workers interact with the systems they already use through spoken instructions. The technology supports more than 99 languages and can retrieve medical information, prepare patient documentation, assign tasks to colleagues on later shifts and send updates to relatives.
The approach addresses a key obstacle to technology adoption in care settings: replacing established software can be expensive and disruptive. Rather than requiring facilities to migrate data or install an entirely new system, StepSafer says its tool works alongside their existing software.
The company estimates that care workers lose about one-third of their working time to administrative tasks. It projects that its technology could cut the administration associated with a home visit from 19 minutes to around four. Those figures are StepSafer’s estimates, not independently verified results, but they point to a significant operational challenge for care providers.
A Growing Workforce Challenge
Europe’s ageing population is increasing demand for long-term care just as providers struggle to recruit and retain enough staff. The European Commission has estimated that the EU will need more than 1.6 million additional long-term care workers by 2050 simply to maintain current levels of coverage.
Tools that reduce administrative workloads could help providers make better use of a workforce already under pressure. For StepSafer, the decision to complement existing software may also offer a commercial advantage: it could lower the cost and disruption associated with adoption, while avoiding direct competition with established healthcare software providers.
The company says 26 care services have committed to participate in testing, representing more than 4,700 clients. It has reached this stage without external investment or a marketing budget.
A Young Founder In A Competitive Field
Zimmermann started his first business at 14 and is developing StepSafer while continuing his education. He is scheduled to sit Germany’s Abitur school-leaving examinations in 2027.
His age set him apart in a room of investors, policymakers and business leaders, but the competition was judged on the strength of the ideas. A jury assessed creativity, originality and the ability to present a persuasive business case. It was chaired by Igor Kalinic, head of sector for competitiveness and internationalisation at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), and included representatives from Enterprise Ireland, RDY Ventures and RTBeamTech.
After the three finalists presented in Dublin, audience members cast the deciding votes. Zimmermann’s win includes an invitation to the European Innovation Council Summit 2027 in Brussels, giving StepSafer an opportunity to meet potential investors, business partners and policymakers.
Other Finalists Tackle Practical Problems
The other finalists also brought applied technology to the competition. Gabriela Cosmina Ursache, representing Italian start-up Labby, presented a portable diagnostics platform intended to bring testing directly to farms. Its first product, CalCow, measures blood calcium levels in dairy cows, helping farmers and veterinary professionals identify hypocalcaemia before it becomes more serious.
German finalist Jonas Helfen presented ecoverity, a spin-off from RWTH Aachen University. The company is developing technology to automate the preparation of Environmental Product Declarations, which provide verified information about the environmental impact of construction materials. Ecoverity aims to reduce a process that can take months to just hours, helping manufacturers respond to increasingly demanding European sustainability requirements. The company says it has more than 30 paying customers and operates without external funding.
Together, the finalists illustrate the breadth of Europe’s start-up landscape, with ventures addressing needs in care, agriculture and construction.
Building A Network Beyond The Prize
Established in 2023 as part of European SME Week, the Youth Start-Up Challenge gives entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25 a platform to present their ideas to an international audience. Eligible applicants come from EU member states, including Cyprus, and countries associated with the SME pillar of the Single Market Programme. They submit a short video and business plan, with selected teams advancing to a final presentation.
For emerging founders, the value of the competition extends beyond the award itself. Visibility, introductions and access to potential partners can help turn a promising idea into a scalable business.
Zimmermann has won that opportunity while still preparing for his school-leaving exams. For StepSafer, the Dublin victory may be an early milestone in a much longer effort to give care workers more time for care.
