It’s the 14th edition of Forum UnternehmerTUM. Mastering future challenges has always been at the core of this networking conference. In 2022, we supplement visions with tangible impulses from forward thinkers and doers. This year’s Forum UnternehmerTUM turns the spotlight on the topics Future Start-up DNA, NextGen2042, and Leading AI.
International speakers, including start-up founders, scientists, and investors from well-known companies will discuss these topics extensively and give exciting impulses. In addition, partners and start-ups of the flourishing UnternehmerTUM innovation ecosystem will showcase their journeys, projects, and success stories.
Opening
Impulses: entrepreneurial, sustainable, human
What has to be done to ensure that Germany will still be a leading location for innovation in 20 years' time? Our host Jennifer Sarah Boone will guide you through three eclectic panels referring to this huge question, setting the focus on the topics “Future Start-up DNA”, “Leading AI” and “NextGen 2042”.
Main Stage
WELCOME
03:00 pm
HOST
Jennifer Sarah Boone
IMPULSE
03:05 pm
For the first time our generation experiences war in Europe, inflation is at a 30-year-high, a looming global energy crisis, and natural resources running out. Despite all the uncertainty and chaos, sustainability needs to come first on the agenda. All three aspects of sustainability: environmental, social, and financial. With climate change as the ultimate test, our only chance is technical and social innovation, collaboration across industries and boarders, and having the courage to take on problems that seem impossible. In her impulse, Gyri Reiersen, a climatetech start-up founder, argues for the importance of collaboration and innovation to solve the complex global challenges that our generation is facing - and how our common future depends on our actions in the next 20 years. What will you do to be part of the solution?
SPEAKER
Gyri Reiersen
PANEL | The Perfect Ecosystem
3:10 pm
Directly after a Impulse of Gyri, the panelists discuss the perfect ecosystem. We will learn that we have to work hand in hand, start-ups, corporate partners, and the entire ecosystem, to deal with the big challenges of our time.But where are the revolutionaries who are pushing the necessary paradigm shift further in Germany? We have to grow them! Starting at the very beginning, by training and inspiring young entrepreneurs, and fostering their mindset, talent and motivation to build a sustainable and efficient company. This even includes failure as a natural part of the process and step forward. A supportive, non-bureaucratic ecosystem is needed to set the stage for a smooth way to success.
PANELISTS
Thomas Hofmann, Gyri Reiersen, Helmut Schönenberger & Thomas Saueressig
HOST
Jennifer Sarah Boone
PANEL | Next Gen - Planning Ahead Sustainably and Putting Humans Back into Focus
3:20 pm
The second panel of the opening deaks with the perspectives and needs of future executives in companies. Ecological and social issues are increasingly coming into focus for every company, which also entails a major responsibility for the next generation of executives. Instead of building up companies quickly and leading them to an exit, long-term, sustainable planning is called for here, also in the case of company succession. What can next generations learn from successful and experienced entrepreneurs - and will they have the drive to bring a breath of fresh air to the corporate landscape?
PANELISTS
Philipp Dreyer, Anna Hörmann and Susanne Klatten
HOST
Jennifer Sarah Boone
Deep Dive - Future Start-up DNA
It is the start-ups, innovative companies and creative people who take on the problems of our time and find solutions to climate change, pandemics, world hunger and much more. They can change our world for good. Therefore, we have to enable them - whether it is by infrastructure, financing or sustainability goals.
For 20 years, UnternehmerTUM has been successfully working towards these ambitions together with a strong ecosystem. UnternehmerTUM wants to inspire other universities in Germany to establish the field of entrepreneurship as a "third mission" alongside research and teaching at the universities and to produce more innovations through start-ups to sustainably foster the success of key technologies.
Entrepreneurship Stage
IMPULSE
4:00 pm
SPEAKER
Felix Haas
PANEL | Transforming Cities and Industries towards a Circular Economy
04:20 pm
Recent crises have shown us brutally that Germany and Europe as a whole needs to fundamentally rethink how we consume vivid resources. We need to reboot our economical model in order to fight climate change and become more independent from countries that do not share our democratic values. A shift towards a circular economy needs a systemic approach that helps us to avoid pollution and use our resources at the highest utility possible. We believe that it is now the time to set impulses out of our Munich ecosystem in order to make this revolution happen in Europe and the world.
PANELISTS
Clemens Baumgärtner, Johannes Kirchhoff, Niclas Mauss & Markus Seidel
HOST
Miki Yokoyama
PANEL | Too Early for ESG? – The Importance of Sustainable Investing
05:00 pm
Are the investment rules of today fit to address the needs of tomorrow? Discussions and implementation of sustainable finance have grown significantly in recent years, however, in the asset class of Venture Capital (VC), ESG criteria played a minor role so far. VC accelerates the growth of the companies and the future – not only with capital but with guidance provided during scaling. In this high-class panel, we discuss how early adoption of ESG considerations create long-term value for start-ups, our environment and society. During the discussion, we will gain insights from all relevant stakeholders of the VC lifecycle, from the perspective of an institutional investor to the perspective of an investment bank and a start-up’s founder.
PANELISTS
Johannes von Borries, Anna Gerl, Frank Niederländer & Maximilian Zott
HOST
Sarah Theinert
PANEL | Enabling the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
05:30 pm
In this high-ranking panel, we will discuss the importance of education for entrepreneurial success. We will elaborate the subject from different perspectives, an investor's experience, a lecturer's view, and from the perspective of a young entrepreneur deeply rooted in the UnternehmerTUM ecosystem. During the discussion we will deep dive into a wide range of topics from the identification of great entrepreneurial talent, the importance of entrepreneurial education for future success, the required skill set for successful entrepreneurial careers, the motivation and mindset of the next generation of promising entrepreneurs, the efficacy of entrepreneurial education, the required support from politics and universities to scale entrepreneurial education, and many more.
PANELISTS
Yvonne Ehrlich, Jack Fuchs & Christoph Schuh
HOST
Inga vom Holtz
Deep Dive - Leading AI
As an entire paradigm shift, Artificial Intelligence changes the way machines are programmed and operated. As such, it is also changing our entire economic system and our understanding of it, offering at the same time numerous opportunities and economic chances.
But when it comes to Artificial Intelligence, Europe is still not catching up with China and the USA. The pandemic has once again ruthlessly revealed: We need better support for important key technologies so that we can respond to change. Nevertheless, artificial intelligence must be used responsibly and in a human-centered way. The sustainable and responsible use of AI is the focus of applied AI, the initiative to accelerate the application of AI by UnternehmerTUM, and puts the wishes and needs of people in the center
AI Stage
KEYNOTE | Global Trends in AI
04:00 pm
AI is developing at unprecedented speed. In this session, we will discuss the global trends in AI technology.
SPEAKER
Young Sohn
PANEL | State of European AI
04:30 pm
Kai-Fu Lee describes the global race to AI in his book AI-Superpowers as a competition between the US and China. There is no third player on a global scale. So what is the status of Europe? Should we be on this list? A lot had happened since the first publication of the book in 2018 but maybe not to the better. Many national countries published their national AI strategies, the European Commission presented their proposal of an AI Act. Following the vision of shaping Europe's innovative power in AI, we will talk about our position in the world.
PANELISTS
Christian Guttmann & Alexandra Mousavizadeh
HOST
Andreas Liebl
PANEL | Founding AI Start-ups in Germany
05:00 pm
appliedAI just published the AI startup landscape 2022 with mixed outcomes. While the number of startups increase, the dynamics slow down. With leading AI entrepreneurs we will discuss why entrepreneurs should found in Germany. What are the benefits? What are our strengths and weaknesses?
PANELISTS
Jonas Andrulis, Nicole Formica-Schiller & Han Xiao
HOST
Andreas Liebl
PRESENTATION | Whitepaper: AI in Climate
05:45 pm
Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our century. As a new, disruptive technology AI will play a key role in tackling climate change. In this discussion, we will shed light on a more systemic perspective on AI and climate change as a sneak preview into a paper that is about to become published.
PRESENTERS
Matthias Ballweg & Andreas Liebl
Deep Dive - NextGen 2042
Successful family businesses secure the economic prosperity of our country. They are key drivers of innovative strength and are characterized by special quality standards, a sense of responsibility and sustainability goals. They are the ones who can promise stability, even in times of crisis! SMEs and their family businesses are rightly regarded as the backbone of the German economy: 58% of all employees here generate 52% of the German gross domestic product (Stiftung Familienunternehmen).
Nevertheless, they are facing greater challenges than ever: digitization, family succession, structural change, accelerated markets and the development of new business models, to name just a few buzzwords. With the help of innovative working methods and the application of new technologies, the new initiative "FamilienUnternehmerTUM" would like to accompany established and medium-sized companies on their journey towards ecological-technological change.
NextGen Stage
INTRO | Why Familienunternehmertum?
04:00 pm
SPEAKER
Christian Mohr
IMPULSE | The Importance of Ecosystems for Family Businesses
04:05 pm
SPEAKER
Catharina van Delden
IMPULSE | NextGen4Bavaria and the Role of Family Business for Digital Bavaria
04:15 pm
SPEAKER
Judith Gerlach
PANEL | Surprising, Unexpected Cooperations are Needed for the Next Generation of Hidden Champions and a Sustainable Future
04:25 pm
The 300,000 succession gap - approximately 50% of family business successions will still be unresolved by 2026. To close this gap, different and new approaches are needed. What are the challenges, but also what are the opportunities in this? How about new ways of financing, reskilling, or even start-ups as the family businesses of tomorrow, a new founders' DNA? This panel will address several considerations.
PANELISTS
Ann-Kristin Achleitner, Fabian Kienbaum & Sebastian Kuss
HOST
Steffi Czerny & N.N
PANEL | New Concepts for Family Business Succession are Needed – How to Close the Gap?
05:10 pm
Collaboration needed - ecosystems are more important than ever to master the major challenges of today and tomorrow. Why do we need unexpected, sometimes surprising, connections to make family businesses fit for future generations? This panel explores the different perspectives of experienced NowGens and aspiring NextGens as they shape the future of their family businesses.
PANELISTS
Christian Haub, Anna Hörmann, Angelique Renkhoff-Mücke & Alexander Wottrich
HOST
Dominik Wichmann
Corporate Stage
Beginning at 6 pm, you can experience successful stories of “How we turn vision into values”, in our Partner Lounge. In a relaxed Fireside-Chat atmosphere, UnternehmerTUM and its partners will present three interesting use cases. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to engage with our partners in follow-up conversations and to discuss how you can turn visions into values.