The organizers say the high level of interest shown by industry provides evidence of an economic turnaround, while at the same time proving that demand for high-tech booms in economically challenging times.
Keynote speakers at the conference earlier this week included Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Business and Technology; René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Klaus Dieterich, Board member of Robert Bosch; and Dieter Jahn, who is responsible for science relations and innovation management at BASF. All gave a warm welcome to the High-Tech Gründerfonds initiative, to establish a technology conference to promote collaboration between industry and young technology firms in Germany.
Michael Brandkamp, Managing Director of High-Tech Gründerfonds, says industry’s interest in young technology firms is growing. “Spring has now also arrived in business. There are clear indications to suggest that demand for innovation is returning.” He pointed to the huge public investment in research and said, “We must succeed in translating all this fantastic potential into commercial applications.”
Brandkamp added, “The aim of our partnering conference is to give our portfolio companies access to industrial alliances and to offer established businesses cutting-edge technology at first hand.”
The fund’s industrial investors are drawing benefits from being involved in High-Tech Gründerfonds, according to Dieter Jahn, Senior Vice President of Science Relations and Innovation Management at BASF. “We gain an insight into the extensive Gründerfonds portfolio, and obtain rapid access to new technological developments and innovative business ideas.”
This opens up opportunities for industrial partners to acquire stakes in start-ups funded by High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as the potential for other forms of alliance, such as joint development projects, technology transfer or client/supplier relationships.
High-Tech Gründerfonds, based in Bonn, has to date provided seed finance to around 180 technology ventures. The fund makes available start-up capital and supports founders in setting up companies. High-Tech Gründerfonds was established in 2005 on the initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Business and Technology (BMWi). Alongside the BMWi and the KfW Banking Group, industrial companies BASF, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens, Daimler, Robert Bosch and Carl Zeiss have invested in the fund.
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