MUNICH INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM’s Post

Web Summit 2024 in Lisbon – where innovation meets inspiration! From Pharrell Williams’ opening speech to pitching in front of hundreds, this journey was unforgettable. The arrival in Lisbon kicked off with an incredible opening speech by Pharrell – an energizing start to the event! In the evening, I explored the vibrant streets of Lisbon with new acquaintances and fascinating personalities, immersing myself in the spirit of the Summit. The next day, the exhibition officially began: thousands of people from the digital world, all coming together to showcase their ideas, exchange thoughts, and learn from each other. One of the highlights was having the chance to connect with multiple investors and VCs to discuss market trends and potential opportunities. The various masterclasses on leadership and capital raising provided even more valuable insights. A special highlight for us was when Robert Habeck spoke at the German Startup stand. Our analyst managed to capture a coveted photo with him – quite a feat, but with a bit of luck, it worked! Later that evening, we attended the Germany Startup Night, which kicked off with an inspiring talk by Robert Habeck. Following that, we enjoyed great drinks, delicious appetizers, and meaningful conversations with fellow startups – one of our best evenings full of ideas, networking, and fun! The next day brought one of the most exciting moments for us: showcasing at our own stand! We had numerous visitors and were able to impress with our live version, capturing interest from people around the globe. Then came the big moment: our pitch in front of hundreds. The nerves were real, but in those two minutes, I gave it my all – delivering a strong pitch with a great follow-up conversation. And just like that, our Web Summit experience came to an end. We’re leaving with new friends, valuable contacts, inspiring conversations, and a lot of fun packed into just a few days. We’ll definitely be back next time! #WebSummit2024 #Networking #Startups #Lisbon #DigitalInnovation #Pitching

Open innovation doesn’t sound like 2015 anymore. Since then, corporations have gained substantial experience in working with startups, and best practices have begun to solidify. Open Innovation is no longer a black box. However, the landscape continues to evolve. New tools are appearing, with Venture Builders emerging as a significant new approach, despite some setbacks, while other models like Corporate Accelerators are on the decline. We're also seeing a trend of hybridization in these models, adding complexity to the Open Innovation landscape. As Open Innovation matures, the pressure to deliver tangible results increases. CEOs are less swayed by the 'cool' aspect of startups and are demanding real impact. This shift to an 'Age of Results' brings its own challenges, as the benefits of collaborating with startups – like strategic market insights, cultural influence, and branding – are often intangible and hard to measure in the short to medium term. We can't wait to hear from Alberto Onetti at our next in-person conference in Milan this June, how to navigate this 'Age of Results' for #openinnovation successfully.

Innovation hubs like Newlab are the way of the future. 🚀✨ These spaces provide the infrastructure, community, and resources that innovators need to transform bold ideas into commercially viable solutions. Infrastructure, pilots, and capital is a powerful formula to break down barriers and accelerate startups tackling the world's biggest challenges. From deep tech to climate tech, their work demonstrates the vital role these hubs play in driving impact and scaling groundbreaking solutions. It’s not just about innovation, it’s about placemaking. Innovation hubs create a centre of gravity for a region, fostering collaboration between startups, corporations, governments, and investors. They’re where ideas become reality, and where we can address the world's most pressing problems together. 🌍 Hubs like this is a thesis Frontier Collective is looking to deliver in our own ecosystem. Every major tech-forward city should have a hub! Newlab is the best model I've seen that does this at scale and they’re an amazing example of what shaping the future of innovation looks like. Watch their inspiring video here:

**What's the Future of Tech Innovation? Join Us at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024!** Get ready for an exhilarating experience as we countdown to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, happening from October 28-30 at the iconic Moscone West in San Francisco! With just days left, excitement is building for an event that’s set to redefine networking and conversation surrounding technology and innovation. 🌟 This year, we've curated a robust agenda that features interactive roundtable sessions exploring critical topics like sustainability in tech, AI advancements reshaping industries, and the importance of diversity and inclusion in startups. Dive deep with industry leaders who are not only shaping the future but are also eager to facilitate meaningful discussions with participants. This is your chance to voice your opinions, ask questions, and contribute to conversations that matter! Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out in your tech journey, these sessions are designed for you. Engage directly with experts who challenge conventional thinking and inspire new ideas while empowering you with insights essential for your growth. And that's not all! Attendees can connect directly with innovative startups driving corporate transformation through groundbreaking solutions. It's more than just discussions; it's about forging connections that can elevate your business strategy into something extraordinary! 🚀 So don’t miss this opportunity—take action now! Book a meeting with a startup: https://lnkd.in/dFYwmbHq Get ready for three days packed full of inspiration on stage combined with opportunities off stage – this event will be nothing short of transformative! Mark those calendars because TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is where innovation meets community. ➡️ #TechCrunchDisrupt #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #AI #Sustainability #DiversityInTech #NetworkingEvent #FutureOfTech #CorporateInnovation Learn more about our agenda here: https://lnkd.in/d68J8KS5

**What's the Future of Tech Innovation? Join Us at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024!** Get ready for an exhilarating experience as we countdown to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, happening from October 28-30 at the iconic Moscone West in San Francisco! With just days left, excitement is building for an event that’s set to redefine networking and conversation surrounding technology and innovation. 🌟 This year, we've curated a robust agenda that features interactive roundtable sessions exploring critical topics like sustainability in tech, AI advancements reshaping industries, and the importance of diversity and inclusion in startups. Dive deep with industry leaders who are not only shaping the future but are also eager to facilitate meaningful discussions with participants. This is your chance to voice your opinions, ask questions, and contribute to conversations that matter! Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out in your tech journey, these sessions are designed for you. Engage directly with experts who challenge conventional thinking and inspire new ideas while empowering you with insights essential for your growth. And that's not all! Attendees can connect directly with innovative startups driving corporate transformation through groundbreaking solutions. It's more than just discussions; it's about forging connections that can elevate your business strategy into something extraordinary! 🚀 So don’t miss this opportunity—take action now! Book a meeting with a startup: https://lnkd.in/dTxGsKrN Get ready for three days packed full of inspiration on stage combined with opportunities off stage – this event will be nothing short of transformative! Mark those calendars because TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is where innovation meets community. ➡️ #TechCrunchDisrupt #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #AI #Sustainability #DiversityInTech #NetworkingEvent #FutureOfTech #CorporateInnovation Learn more about our agenda here: https://lnkd.in/dyJNTg8E

Innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum. Here's a thought: Open innovation acceleration. The next level of innovation progress isn't: - Inside the company or - Locked behind closed doors It's through judicious collaborations. Enterprises + Startups = Innovation Working together on open projects, sharing resources, and pooling knowledge. This approach offers companies: ✅ Access to ideas they wouldn't have generated on their own ✅ The ability to reach market faster and ✅ Helps startups accelerate their growth An open innovation strategy poses risks, sure. But, it's their best bet to win in this innovation race. What recent collaboration sparked a new innovation for you?

The Role of Trust and Silos: My Insights from the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt Innovation Forum 🤓 “Trust has gone local” (Helle Thorning-Schmidt) While attending the Innovation Forum, I noticed a strong theme: we trust scientists and innovators, but there’s a big gap in trust when it comes to media and national and international politics. This lack of trust makes it hard to tackle global problems, like polarization, climate change or economic inequality. Another major point that stood out is that a lot of important work for change is still done in silos (Kirsten Dunlop) — separate from each other. If we want to see real change, it is needed to start actively connecting these silos. But right now, efforts to do this aren’t getting enough funding or support. ➡️ What this means for my work in Startup SH as a Startup Ecosystem In StartUp SH we are exactly doing this: breaking down barriers between people and organizations so that founders can be supported the best possible way and innovation in Schleswig-Holstein can flourish. 💫 ❤️🤝🌿 Trust and cooperation are built locally, and that’s how our ecosystem grows. 💡 Whether it’s through startups or global initiatives, breaking silos and building trust is an important key to progress. 🙏🏻 Thank you for having me BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. What I love about Innovation Forum and other formats of the Foundation is, that people from Business (Startups & Corporates, Investors), Science, Politics, Arts, NGOs, Public Administration, Media … come together to discuss. Always enlarging my perspectives. 🤓 📸: Corina Pfitzner 🙏🏻

Sesamers in Motion 2024: A year of connection, innovation, and growth As 2024 comes to a close, we’re looking back on an incredible year that brought us closer to innovators, founders, and game-changers across the Europe. Here’s what the Sesamers team achieved this year: 🔗 Connecting at leading Tech events From Slush, Web Summit, and France Digitale Day, to NutrEvent, Sifted Summit, Oslo Innovation Week, World Summit AI, and Food ingredients Europe we’ve been at the heart of tech and innovation. 🤝 Helping startups and innovators → Developed app.sesamers.com, your one-stop platform for scouting startups, hosting calls for startups, and connecting founders and corporates. → Organized the B2B Rocks 🎸 World Pitch Contest, bringing the incredible Beink Dream and Jeanne Le Peillet, the winner, to the stage. → Powered the SIAL Paris 2024 Startup Village, showcasing 100+ startups and connecting them with investors in the food ecosystem. 📣 Sharing opportunities → Spread the word on exciting calls for startups and opportunities through our weekly newsletter and launched a dedicated Food Tech newsletter. → Opened new doors to trends with the launch of our Sesamers TikTok, while boosting engagement across all social media platforms. 🎙️ New content formats → Launched the Sesamers Selected Podcast video format on YouTube, spreading our community’s voices in tech and innovation. ✨ None of this would have been possible without our incredible team and the amazing community that supports us. Stay tuned for even bigger things in 2025! 💜 Ben Costantini Austė Šilkaitytė Stéphane Paillard Daria Skrypnik Suzanne Newman Hugo HENRY Sophie Marquet Sandra Lafargue Mathias Negre #ProudSesamers #Innovation #Startups #TechEvent 

I was super grateful for the inspiring and transformative experience last week at Hello Tomorrow's Global Summit in Paris. The conference 100% delivered on Hello Tomorrow's mission of accelerating radical solutions to improve human and planetary health. Some notable mentions: 👉 A fantastic panel titled "Deep Tech Investment Trends" included Pae Wu, Steven Jacobs, Yoram Wijngaarde, and Arnaud de la Tour. They posited a refreshingly simple definition of deep tech: breakthrough tech being tried for the first time. They mentioned that this inherently represents the conundrum, though - first-time tech taking (much) longer to crack. The objective must be to turn techs into products. They noted that the Bay Area, representing an attitude (not a place), is rooted in commercialization, an accelerant for product creation. Whereas European hubs are more academically rooted, in turn, placing greater early-stage emphasis on theory/proof. Obviously, an oversimplification and generalization, but the point struck a chord. 👉 Another amazing panel titled "The Rise of Impact Investors" included Sophie Purdom, Agate S. Freimane, Seth Bannon, and Nick de la Forge. Some key takeaways were: - Hardware-enabled software innovations as a growing investment category  - Blended financing as a pathway to funding deep tech innovations  - The "innovator's mindset" is a universal phenomenon, yet the "scaling mindset" still more intensely resides in the US, and more specifically the Bay Area. 👉 The difference between Europe's and the US's startup culture and mindset was a super interesting theme that ran through many of the event's discussions. It often delved into city-specific ecosystems. This came across as a spectrum, each part of which is equally relevant depending upon the scenario. 👉 I especially loved the last panel of the event, "Communicating Deep Tech: Strategies for Startup Success." It included panelists Amélie Quilichini, Hailey Eustace, Michael Harmon, and Renita Kalhorn. They emphasized the need for simplified and relatable deep tech narratives at the outset of discussions - regardless of the audience. Deep tech entrepreneurs run the risk of presenting the awesomeness of their technical feats through equally technical narratives. By applying a simplified, relatable, and transformative narrative early in discussions, they will drive initial understanding, trust, and buy-in. Then, they will have ample opportunity thereafter to naturally dig into the critical technical aspects of their innovation. 👉 Finally, and most importantly, a shout out to the following 4 founders / startups from the Sustainable Construction & Infrastructure cohort  - amazing innovations and pitches - well done to you all: Lucy Lyons, Kestrix Arta Selmani, Mimicrete Derek Stein, Adept Materials  Stefanie Gerhart, ecoLocked Thanks for an incredible experience Hello Tomorrow - I’m already excited for next year. https://lnkd.in/eN_P8Jh5

The report from yesterday's EIT Summit 2024 #INNOVEIT is out now. Inside: - The state of the #entrepreneurship ecosystem in Europe 2024 - How EIT is accelerating innovation (stats, data) - Is the EU innovation-friendly? - How to make the change happen, according to explorer Bertrand Piccard - Interview with Federico Menna, CEO of EIT Digital - 9 outstanding startups in the finals of the EIT Health Awards 2024 - .... and the winners 🏆 👇