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The event was organized by wvib Schwarzwald AG and BadenCampus to promote exchange between SMEs and startups and to initiate new collaborations.

Welcome and kick-off

Dr. Thomas Scheuerle, Managing Director of BadenCampus, and Bert Sutter (President of wvib) opened the afternoon with a clear message: Industry in the Black Forest and Rhine Valley has mastered enormous transformation processes in the past and will not succeed in the future without innovation. Medium-sized companies have long since embraced the start-up spirit, and it is precisely on days like this that it becomes clear how valuable the exchange between established companies, research and young innovators is.

Impulses: openness, courage and cooperation

Lisa Langer, CFO of the startup ionysis, reminded the audience in her speech that technological progress is not possible without openness. Disruptive innovation is uncomfortable at first, but essential for growth.
"Start-ups translate knowledge into marketable solutions and take risks that established companies often avoid."

Werner Mäurer, Managing Director of HIWIN GmbH, added impressively:
"We need more courage to take risks and more confidence in our own innovative strength."

Prof. Dr. Lengsfeld from the University of Freiburg also got to the heart of the matter:

• Collaborations between SMEs and start-ups rarely fail because of ideas, but because of structures, mindset and trust.
• Successful companies are those that are willing to try out new things, communicate openly and clearly define common goals.

Panel: A strong innovation ecosystem is created together

In the panel discussion with representatives from industry, science and start-ups - including Dr. Thomas Scheuerle, Werner Mäurer, Lisa Langer and Marcel Spiegelhalter - it became clear that a strong innovation ecosystem requires more openness, structure and the courage to fail.
There was a consensus that collaborations need to be actively supported and launched with clear goals in order to have an impact.

Best practices: Successful collaborations

The practical examples from
Framo Morat Group and GaussML, who jointly developed solutions for machine control systems based on machine learning.

SICK AG and Koehler Innovative Solutions reported on structured search processes for start-ups and targeted pilot projects.

Theben Smart Energy and the WEFA Group showed how SMEs can develop innovative strength through spin-offs.

These examples illustrate this: Experience meets the joy of experimentation, resulting in real added value.

smartXautomation Award

Eight startups competed for the newly announced award in front of a high-caliber jury. More information about the award and the jury can be found here!

Conclusion

The event showed that cooperation is the new competitiveness.
When SMEs and start-ups combine their strengths, an innovation ecosystem is created that is based on trust, structure and a shared vision. It's not just two ecosystems coming together - it's a real dialog about the future of the industry.
Many thanks to all the speakers, startups and participants for their inspiring energy, openness and courage to shape the future together, because sustainable innovation does not happen by chance - it comes about through networking, trust and collaboration.