Aug 24 2020
Looking Back, Moving Forward
A Recap of Program 8 at STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play
As human beings, we can get used to the comfort and flow of schedules and routines. There is a sense of safety and calm that comes from getting the hang of something. As you may have guessed, calm isn’t the word we’d use to describe the last few months. Quite the opposite. In the context of our platform, we’d describe it as exciting, challenging, curious, engaging, inspiring, exhausting… and while things may not be business as usual, we have taken this as a chance to really push ourselves to learn many new things.
Moving forward, our EXPO is coming up soon: the culmination of each program and a place to showcase, demonstrate, pitch, collaborate, and celebrate the tech projects between startups and our corporate partners that have been in progress over the last 100 days. To get ready for all of the action on September 23 & 24, the following text will provide a glimpse at how our Program 8 team faced the switch to digital with laughter, humility, and dedication to innovation.
Virtual Kick-Off
March 2020
For the first time in our history we hosted a virtual event: Kick-Off of Program 8. The event brought together over 140 people from our corporate partners and startups. We included info sessions led by the Plug and Play team, a best practice Q&A with our Champions at Webasto and enabled 64 meetings between new program startups and partners. To see our community come together in a new format and feel the excitement for the new program and their commitment to pressing on despite challenges, was truly inspiring.
Future of Workplaces Deep Dive & Meetup
April 2020, hosted by Plug and Play
When Corona hit the world and with it, our platform, we didn’t hesitate in identifying the rapidly appearing needs of our partners. In our inaugural virtual deep dive & meetup, we focused on startups offering tools to deliver a better experience in virtual meetings and remote collaboration. Also, we scouted for solutions that could help to automate workflows and optimize processes throughout a company.
Speakers included: Benedikt Ilg (Flip), Dr. Marc Thom (Sony), Anja Hendel (diconium), Sophia Rödiger (Daimler)
Future of Production & Supply Chain Deep Dive & Meetup
May 2020, hosted by Plug and Play
It soon became apparent what major impacts the pandemic would have on many industries. We were confronted with the fragile system of global supply chains and subsequently, the Ventures Team sought out startups that could offer solutions to create end-to-end visibility and boost the resilience of global supplier networks as well as inside manufacturing sites.
Speakers included: Brad Keywell (Uptake), Wolfgang Kerler (1E9), Alexander Struck (Shell), Antoon Versteeg (Porsche), Dr. Lisa Smith (Prewave), Richard Markoff (Innovobot)
New Luxury Deep Dive & Meetup
June 2020, co-hosted by Porsche
For the first time in the virtual space, our Anchor Partner, Porsche, co-hosted a meetup on the topic of new luxury. New luxury was selected based on the observation that changing customer demands will create a new perception of luxury in the future. Unexpected tech topics were selected such as health and mental fitness but also the building of new communities and creating new and exciting user experiences. Our colleague Theo from Ventures wrote a companion blog to dive even deeper into the topic: Light after the lockdown – the new definition of luxury
Speakers included: Sebastian Ackermann (Porsche), Deniz Keskin (Porsche), Marco Brinkmann (Porsche), Pamela Danziger (Forbes), Georg Wolf (Buckle & Seam)
Future of Vehicles Deep Dive & Meetup
July 2020, co-hosted by Mercedes
A new format also allowed for further changes in programming events. Our final deep dive and meetup of Program 8 was spread over two days for the first time and tackled new and hyper-focused concerns on hygiene in vehicles. Startups of the first session presented new technologies on how viruses and germs could be detected and destroyed effectively in the context of a car. The second round was all about contactless retail and how we can create new ways and experiences for sales while simultaneously making it a safer process.
Speakers included: Katja Diehl (She Drives Mobility), Dr. Jens Wohltorf (Blacklane)
Our Team’s thoughts on Program 8
Looking back over the last five months, we have been working closely with our team to identify newly relevant topics for our partners, scout out the startups that could support in offering innovative solutions, bringing partners and startups together, and engaging with our community through accessible online events for the first time ever. Behind the scenes, the Program 8 startups were busy working with the business units of our partners, on the projects that will be presented at EXPO. As EXPO approaches, September 23 & 24, 2020, we reflect on the program for inspiration and as a reminder of how in the world of innovation, we take challenges and work together toward finding implementable solutions.
Program 8 will definitely be remembered – all virtual, no personal meetings and no meetups but still a lot of great and insightful discussions. The current program has shown that collaboration is key in times of crisis and that innovation is more …important than ever. Although focus areas have shifted, the potential for pilot projects still remains high.
If we have learned one thing from the past months, it’s that going fully virtual is not simply a matter of digitising content and feeding it to an audience. It is rather about orchestrating information and accessibility to generate a …highly efficient environment that enables partners to access the exact right information at their preferred time. Even before these difficult times, people were understandably reluctant to misuse their time – and that applies even more in a world where our attention has to be spread between dozens of equally important challenges.
One thing program 8 has demonstrated is that every crisis presents an opportunity. While COVID-19 has put some projects to a halt, it has simultaneously fuelled the speed at which new innovative ideas were born.
I believe the strong foundation of our platform is best understood when witnessing the collaboration between our partners and startups as they push the boundaries of innovation – more than ever in times of crisis. The scale and speed at which our …startups adapted their products and services to help during Corona was truly inspiring. It only serves to prove the motto of the upcoming EXPO 8: „The sum of innovation is infinite“
The last months proved again that a team’s creativity and capability to continuously modify and extend its ways of operating is crucial for success – following the slogan: “Improvise. Adapt. Overcome!”
The current outbreak has posed great challenges to our partners‘ businesses and our daily lives. Organizations and workers were forced to reinvent presence, productivity and collaboration. At the same time, I see this crisis also as a strong …driver of creativity and innovation – integrating external sources into the innovation process in order to implement innovation projects more effectively, efficiently and cost-effectively seems more relevant than ever before. Luckily we, at STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play are very happy to work with partners, that see this crisis also as an opportunity and keep on innovating – Therefore my favourite slogan right now is: Innovation must go on!
The Sum of Innovation is Infinite: EXPO 8
This EXPO you can expect high quality tech content in a user-friendly format. Under the motto The sum of innovation is infinite – we want to keep the focus on the vast number of projects that have been built together by the startups and business units of our partners; this is after all, the core of what we do at STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play.
By attending this handcrafted virtual experience, you will gain entry to a showcase of over 30 PoCs, Projects, and implementations. Think: Production Process Optimization, Transparency for Sustainability, Smart & Sustainable Materials, Future Car Technologies and more. To inspire and spark some creativity we have woven in a lineup of industry experts and thought leaders from all around the world to educate and entertain. And while handshaking is a no-go we have our customized Event App, as well as topic-themed breakout sessions which serve as a great alternative to connect with other attendees and curious minds.
We invite you to apply for your spot to attend now, and celebrate the results of a Program unlike any of the ones that have come before.
Find out more about EXPO 8: expo8.pnptc.events