Fell in love with the project
When the X-Tech course was over, several of the students in the group lost interest in the project, but it lit a fire in Lorenz Flechtenmacher and Thomas Gammelby Lodberg and they decided to continue working on it.
“In the beginning it was just a university project, but we fell in love with the idea and could see that it had potential. We became obsessed with it and worked on it day and night,” says Lorenz Flechtenmacher.
Dewa was accepted into an incubator programme at Copenhagen Fintech and landed their first investment from a Swiss fund before the CEO of e-Boks approached them at a conference. This has now led to a strategic partnership with the aim of e-Boks investing heavily in Dewa.
“We have always set ourselves some tangible milestones – at first, it was winning X-Tech, then getting certified on the European blockchain, then getting investors – and each time, we have achieved them. So step by step, we've got to where we are, and that's really fulfilling,” says Lorenz Flechtenmacher.
Support from DTU's innovation ecosystem
For Lorenz Flechtenmacher, it has been encouraging to feel the support from DTU's innovation ecosystem.
“Our professors really took their time to help us in a way that I haven't experienced at the university in Germany. It didn't feel like we were just a number in the system, but they were really supportive and wished for us to succeed,” he says.
He also emphasizes that through DTU, Dewa has gained access to a network of people who have given the newly hatched entrepreneurs a boost in aspects from simple practicalities to launching a pilot project with help from DTU Campus Service and getting to board members through DTU’s continuing education programme, Board Education..
Professor Thomas J. Howard heads the X-Tech programme and has worked closely with Dewa. He emphasizes the tenacity of the two founders and says it’s unusual for a startup to enter into a strategic partnership as quickly as Dewa.
“It's an excellent way for Dewa to scale up their idea and it shows that winning X-Tech has become a bit of a launch pad. First and foremost, it obviously gives the projects some seed capital, but it also makes people in the entrepreneurial community take notice and gives the founders a boost and extra belief that they are on the right track,” says Thomas J. Howard.
DTU's Senior Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Marianne Thellersen, is also delighted to see the success of the two students’ startup:
“Dewa is a prime example of the innovative power that we as a university aspire to support in our students. We are also pleased that we can use our campus as a living lab and, in collaboration with Dewa, test the technology that can potentially make it easier to be a student,” she says.
Digital student ID as first test
Dewa’s first real-life test is a pilot project at DTU, where students can get a digital student ID that can supplement the physical student ID.
For now, the digital student ID can mostly be used in canteens, cafés, the book store and other places at DTU which offer student discounts, but in the long term, the technology can also be used for exam registration and other study-related services, as well as digital diplomas that can be verified throughout the EU.
In a digitalized country like Denmark, Lorenz Flechtenmacher is surprised that student IDs are not yet digital since a digital student ID can be issued immediately with no need for printing or distribution.
“Switching to a digital student ID can save time, money and increase security. Som physical student IDs can easily be copied if you just walk past them with an NFC reader,” he says.
It's also more efficient as you can get the digital student ID immediately rather than waiting weeks for it to be printed and sent out.
For Dewa, the project will give valuable insight into how students use the digital student ID and whether it provides value for DTU.
EU requirements for digital identification
E-Boks see a much broader perspective in Dewa than just student IDs. Whereas Denmark already uses MitID to verify identities online, not all countries have similar ID services, but this will soon be a requirement.
In 2026, EU legislation will go into effect making it mandatory for all EU countries to offer their citizens a digital identity wallet, which is exactly what Dewa specializes in. Their ID wallet can be used for identification for both public and private services and for signing digital documents. Dewa can also store digital driving licences and diplomas securely in their wallet, which complies with all GDPR regulations and runs on the European blockchain EBSI.
“We have been cultivating relationships with innovative environments from DTU and Copenhagen Fintech for some time, and this collaboration shows what opportunities it holds,” says CEO of e-Boks, Ulrik Falkner Thagesen, and continues:
“Dewa has identified a large market potential within the next generation of digital identity and purposefully developed a solution that meets the upcoming EU requirements. The solution will undoubtedly open new markets for us both inside and outside the EU.”
For Lorenz Flechtenmacher and Thomas Gammelby Lodberg, their early entrepreneurial days have been a whirlwind, but the journey has only just begun.
“I still get the feeling of ‘imposter syndrome’ when we, as students, sit at the table with CEOs who have 25 years of experience, and then we have to tell them about this technology. I took my last exam, only a week ago,” says Lorenz Flechtenmacher laughing.
“But it's also every entrepreneur's dream – it just happened much faster for us than it does for most people.”
