After our premiere at NOAH in 2017 and the activities at re:publica and TNW a few weeks ago, Porsche and its partners are again part of NOAH in Berlin this year (13–14 June 2019, STATION) as one of the main strategic partners of the conference. In addition to the important dialogue with founders, we will present developments from Porsche Digital and, together with the startup platform HIGH MOBILITY, give new insights into this year’s Porsche NEXT OI Competition. We will also have the winning team of startup GHOST — feel it. with us, that won the competition out of more than 750 applications.
New technologies, new partners, new commitment — Porsche and the startup world
“If we want to build on the success we have enjoyed in recent years in the future, we will have to make fundamental changes,” said Lutz Meschke, Porsche’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief IT Officer recently. “We will need new knowledge in the future, some of which is quite far from our existing core competencies. That’s why we need to build a strong ecosystem with competent partners.”
“The automotive industry is currently changing faster than ever before." Stefan Zerweck
Porsche Digital COO Stefan Zerweck adds: “The automotive industry is currently changing faster than ever before. In the next 5 years, there will be more change than we have experienced in the last 50 years. We are therefore on the way to fundamentally transform our business model: From a traditional automotive manufacturer to a software-enabled automotive tech player.”
For this reason, Porsche recently increased its investment sum for corporate venture capital activities by 150 million euros. The aim of Porsche Ventures is to secure access to trends, new technologies and business models by investing in start-ups and at the same time to provide young companies with central insights into the world of Porsche.
Five strategic Porsche investments in startups
Porsche is concentrating on investments in business models relating to customer experience, mobility and digital lifestyle with a focus on future technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain as well as virtual and augmented reality. The various investments have one thing in common: they open the door to new technologies and business models. Here, we’d like to present five examples of how Porsche works together with startups today.
1. Gapless, Germany
Last September, Porsche invested in the Berlin based start-up Gapless. Gapless makes it possible to digitally manage vintage vehicles, including their entire history, and to share the data with other users in a forgery-proof manner. The value of collector’s items is to be maintained or increased through complete traceability. To this end, the start-up company is developing a solution based on blockchain technology that securely encrypts data records.
2. WayRay, Switzerland
Also in September 2018, Porsche joined WayRay as a strategic lead investor. The Zurich-based start-up develops and produces holographic augmented reality head-up display technologies and works to seamlessly integrate virtual objects into the driving experience. Compared to conventional head-up displays, WayRay offers a much smaller projection system that can be installed in any vehicle — regardless of the interior design. The technology will be tested for both driver and passenger. It thus also has potential for new concepts in the context of highly automated driving.
3. Rimac, Croatia
In June 2018, Porsche acquired ten percent of the technology and sports car company Rimac Automobili. The Croatian company develops and produces components for electric mobility and manufactures its own electric super sports cars. Rimac focuses on high-voltage battery technology, electric drives and the development of digital interfaces between human and machine (HMI). As part of the investment, Porsche has entered into a development partnership with Rimac.
4. Anagog, Israel
In April last year, Porsche acquired a minority stake in the Israeli company Anagog. Founded in 2010, the Tel Aviv-based startup specializes in the development of artificial intelligence in the context of mobility. The software development kit solution, programmed and patented by Anagog, makes it possible to understand and predict mobility behavior via smartphone-based artificial intelligence. For this purpose, sensor data is evaluated and translated into mobility status using algorithms. Data analysis takes place directly on the mobile device and thus does not involve the transfer of sensitive user data to the cloud.
5. home-iX, Germany
Since September 2017, Porsche has also held a stake in the Stuttgart-based technology company home-iX. The B2B startup specializing in Smart Living was founded in 2016 by two former Porsche employees. It enables companies to offer individualized Smart Living solutions by enabling devices to be networked regardless of manufacturer or transmission standard, thus defining new business models.
Innovation competitions for a better tomorrow
Besides the startups, Porsche is by now involved in various founder conferences such as the Slush in Helsinki or in the activities of the Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V. (Federal Association of German Startups) and, last but not least, organizes its own innovation competitions to search for visions for a better tomorrow. Most recently, the winners of the Porsche Next Open Innovation Competition were chosen in Ludwigsburg — a competition in which around 750 participants from more than 50 countries registered and submitted their ideas for the “Home”, “Drive” and “Arrival” scenarios.
.jpg/jcr:content/b-Die-Top-3-Teams-der-Porsche-Next-OI-2019-mit-Jury-(links).jpg)
Porsche Innovation Manager Andy Grau, together with Patrick Kück, Director Strategy and Innovation at Porsche, and Risto Vahtra, Founder High Mobility, will give insights into the competition on the first day of NOAH in Berlin (11.55–12.05 a.m., main stage) and will be available at the Porsche booth for questions and further details.
Another possibility to get involved with us is “Mobility for a better world”(registration deadline 30 August 2019), an idea competition at the interface of technology, mobility and sustainability that deals with the question of how sustainable mobility in our society could look like in the future.
In the four categories “People”, “Wheels”, “Cities” and “Trust”, creative ideas and solutions — regardless of their degree of maturity — can now be submitted via an application form on Porsche’s technology blog (apply now!). Participants can look forward to prize money of 20,000 euros, educational packages and development support in cooperation with the Porsche Digital Lab and the APX accelerator. The submitted projects will be evaluated by a jury of experts. It consists of Daniela Rathe, Head of Policy and External Relations at Porsche, Anja Hendel, Head of Porsche Digital Lab, Thomas Bachem, Founder & Chancellor of CODE University of Applied Sciences, Robert Martin, Project Manager Porsche Digital / APX, Franz W. Rother, Editor-in-Chief EDISON and Patrick Bungard, Director Center for Advanced Sustainable Management at Cologne Business School and Managing Director M3TRIX.
APX promotes early-stage start-ups
The Accelerator from Porsche Digital and Axel Springer Digital Ventures in Berlin, APX, offers further opportunities for young companies to cooperate with Porsche. APX is the acronym for the two partner companies and their common goal to support startups in the early phase of their company foundation and to accelerate their development. APX invests in digital business models across industries and sectors, particularly in the fields of lifestyle, mobility, travel, finance and insurance technology, media and health. Applications can be submitted at any time via the APX homepage.
Porsche has also been a partner of the innovation platform “Startup Autobahn” since 2017. We have written down in this blog post how we are involved there and why — impressions can be found in this video:
See you in Berlin?
On NOAH’s 10th anniversary, we would like to continue the dialogue and jointly develop the future — the next 70 years of sports cars and sporty mobility. Tickets for the conference on 13 and 14 June 2019 in Berlin are available here.
