On March 9, we hosted Leadership Conversations about Sustainability 360 and Casino Night. Participants discussed and exchanged ideas about the circular economy, decarbonization, and energy and later enjoyed themselves while playing casino games. The "Sustainability 360" event brought together an exclusive circle of sustainability experts from major companies, while the "Casino Night" event allowed for casual networking opportunities among corporates, investors, and start-ups.
The day kicked off with "Sustainability 360". We were pleased to bring together an exclusive group of around 40 professionals amongst Siemens, BMW, SAP, KUKA, Wacker, and Bosch joining us for an expert-moderated roundtable discussion together with our Managing Partner Sylvia Stojilkovic, Lars Eiermann (TUM Venture Lab Sustainability), Matthias Ballweg and Niclas Mauss (CIRCULAR REPUBLIC). Another special guest, who gave an outlook into market and regulatory developments on sustainability accounting, was Gyri Reiersen, Co-Founder and CPO of Tanso. The event provided valuable insights into how industry leaders can create a more sustainable world, from discussing how they can actively achieve net-zero goals through start-up collaboration projects to mitigating risks by transitioning to zero-emissions energy sources faster.
Some highlights and major takeaways from the discussion:
Profound innovation culture and open cooperation are key to finding new solutions for sustainability challenges. Especially collaboration with start-ups can offer significant opportunities for industry leaders.
Achieving sustainability requires a holistic approach that considers the entire lifecycle of products, from production to disposal. This involves rethinking business models, using sustainable materials and energy sources, and finding ways to reduce costs in the value chain.
As the energy crisis highlighted once again, flexibility, resilience, and diversification are key to the transition to net-zero energy sources. This includes action at the state level, but also on the individual company level by decentralization, insulation, excess heat usage, and cross-company collaboration.
In the evening, we hosted our much-anticipated Casino Night event, where corporates, investors, and start-ups gathered in a relaxed and sociable environment to network and enjoy themselves while playing casino games. The event featured a keynote speech from Daniel Wiegand, Co-Founder & Chief Engineer for Innovation and Future Programs of Lilium, a successful UnternehmerTUM alumni start-up in the air mobility industry. He shared insights on the future of sustainable air mobility and how it will impact our society, which offered a glimpse into the exciting possibilities of the future. With 140 guests in attendance, we regard the event as a huge success.
The atmosphere was lively and upbeat, with guests mingling and enjoying each other’s company during the evening. It was inspiring to see so many individuals from different industries come together to connect and discuss the future of sustainable innovation.
“At TechFounders, we aim to connect start-ups with corporates, industry experts, investors, and mentors to foster innovation and accelerate growth. The “Corporate & Investor” Casino Night was a great evening of fun and networking, where the participants were able to exchange ideas in an informal atmosphere” - Sylvia Stojilkovic (Managing Partner at TechFounders)
We’d like to thank our sponsors and partners, UVC, Lakestar, Deutsche Börse Gruppe, Initiative for Industrial Innovators, BMW i Ventures, and General Atlantic, for their support, and all the guests who attended and helped make the event so special.
