Airshade Technologies B.V. is a limited shares company, founded by Nikola Znaor in 2018, with headquarters in Amsterdam. The team is comprised of highly-skilled, young professionals, with complementary areas of expertise. Working in the most resource-consuming industry on the planet, we consider sustainability as default rather than an exception. As such, we view ourselves as pioneers in terms of technology and try to be game-changers in the industry. The inception of the product started a few years ago and since then, it has been developed from a concept sketch to a functioning prototype. Airshade has received multiple awards for its excellence in terms of innovation and sustainability. 

Jury members of these awards included professionals from global leaders in industry, academia and practice, such as Arup, Dyson, and LafargeHolcim, ETH Zürich, & MIT. During this time, we have built many prototypes and accumulated knowledge that will enable us to efficiently enter the market. As a start-up, we benefit from each other’s skills, co-developing all strategies, ranging from design & technical issues to market research and business development. Although we have already been in contact with some key players in the industry, we have mostly developed the product on our own. At this stage, we are ready to take the next step and commercialise the efforts that have been made so far.

1st Prize Adream2012 – Architecture and design using renewable and ecological materials – out of total 532 projects from 28 countries, Airshade recieved prize money and a 10000 EUR prototype budget. The project also took part in a travelling exhibition across Europe during 2013/2014, where it was exhibited at all main fairs and events in relation to sustainable architecture and design.
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6th prize of the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction Europe – The 2014 Holcim Awards for Sustainable construction received over 6000 entries from 152 countries and count as a global reference for excellence in sustainable construction. 

​James Dyson Award (Austria National Winner) 2017 – This distinction is awarded by the James Dyson Foundation, set up by one of the most prominent inventors of our time Sir James Dyson for problem solving in engineering and design. 

TISCHE Scholarship 2017 – Working scholarship awarded by the Chancellor’s Office of Austria for young talented architects. 

EU SME Instrument Phase 1 - on of the most competitive subsidies awarded by the European Commission for innovative startups. Airshade has carried out a feasibility study and continued technical testing. 

LeasePlan Emirates Energy Award -  nominee
Created in partnership with The Consulate General of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Dubai and NLinBusiness, the NBC 2020 Awards provide a unique platform to attract top-level innovations in the fields of water, energy and food to the UAE. 

Foto: Christiaan Krouwels (for Cobouw)