The focus of the new business unit is to create a portfolio of independent start-ups. In cooperation with external entrepreneurs, innovative and exciting new business models will be elaborated to promote the successful spin-off and sustainable development of the company. These business ventures will be launched with their own independent brand yet are based on the platform business model. Once the companies have been launched, they will operate autonomously with the strategic support of Porsche Digital.
“As a digital unit, we are enabling digital business in a variety of ways. We are therefore looking for new and promising areas of growth to tap into new customer groups. This new function allows us to set up scalable platforms faster and more easily outside our core organisation,” explains Stefan Zerweck, Chief Operating Officer at Porsche Digital.
Headquarters in Berlin with global activity
The team of experts from the areas of business and software development as well as UX design is based in Berlin with close links to the digital scene. However, the team’s projects are not limited to German-speaking countries and have a clear global orientation.
“‘Forward 31’ offers new perspectives, closer networking with entrepreneurs and partners and faster rollout and implementation,” explains Christian Knörle, Head of Company Building at Porsche Digital. “For our company to stay successful in the future, we need to redefine ourselves in the digital environment. ‘Forward 31’ is one way of doing this.”
The name refers, on the one hand, to future orientation, to a forward vision for the company and to tapping into new business areas. On the other hand, the number “31” relates to the year 1931 when Ferdinand Porsche founded his engineering office. In those days, the company experimented with a variety of ideas and directions before it decided to develop the sports car as its core business. More information on the team is available at https://forward31.com
About Porsche Digital
Porsche Digital is the technology and digital lab of the sports car manufacturer based in Zuffenhausen, Germany. Its core focus is to find and scale new digital business models and optimise existing products.
This subsidiary of Porsche AG specialises in developing digital content and services, engineering excellent industrial solutions and is the driving catalyst behind the digital ecological system. The company’s headquarter is based in Ludwigsburg, a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. There are a further five locations around the world in Berlin, Tel Aviv, Shanghai, Atlanta and San Jose in the Silicon Valley.
