A head start for the future – 2021 High-Tech Partnering Days

January 19, 2021

• Germany’s innovators to take part in High-Tech Partnering Days on 9 to 11 February 2021 
• High-Tech Gründerfonds’ digital event to bring together experts from corporations, medium-sized firms, family-run companies and start-ups, as well as from the world of politics 
• Notable speakers include German ministers Peter Altmaier and Jens Spahn, as well as top executives from Bosch, Lidl Digital, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Börse, Drägerwerk, Software AG and Techniker Krankenkasse 

Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Health, will be opening the High-Tech Partnering Days in February. At the High-Tech Gründerfonds event, big names in business, politics and the start-up scene will be discussing how to find the right answers and devise innovation strategies during challenging times. 

Are established companies ready to tackle the Herculean task of digitalisation and transformation? Do they have the right innovation strategy in place? And can they implement this strategy in a targeted way? These very questions will be the subject of discussion by experts taking part in the High-Tech Partnering Days (HTPD), a three-day event that will be held in an entirely virtual format for the first time. From 9 to 11 February 2021, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) will bring together representatives from corporations, medium-sized firms, family-run companies, start-ups and the political sphere. The event will centre around inspiring keynote speeches and in-depth workshops to discuss the latest trends and solutions, along with panel discussions and one-on-one meetings. Moderator Sybille Schütt will guide participants through the conference programme. 

Leveraging digital tech to reach consumers more effectively
The opening day of the event will focus on digital tech, with participants discussing how digital technologies can be harnessed to optimise the way businesses reach out to consumers. The impact the crisis continues to have on Germany as a start-up hub will also be the subject of discussion. 

Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, will open the event. High-Tech Gründerfonds Managing Director Dr. Alex von Frankenberg will then deliver his keynote speech and get the conference under way. This will be followed by Rolf Schumann, Chief Digital Officer at Lidl Digital & Schwarz Digital, who will talk about the importance of digital technologies for the retail industry. Dr. Thomas Book, Member of the Executive Board at Deutsche Börse, will then offer his insights from a financial perspective. This will be followed by a workshop, a panel discussion on success factors in the (coronavirus) crisis and virtual one-on-one meetings in the afternoon to round off the day.

Life science and healthcare – Digital transformation of healthcare
The coronavirus pandemic has thrust the healthcare system into the spotlight. The second day of the HTPD will show how stakeholders from industry, hospitals and health funds are responding to the digitalisation of the healthcare market and which strategies they are pursuing for the future. Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Health, will give an introduction to the topic. Dr. Jens Baas, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Techniker Krankenkasse, and Toni Schrofner, Executive Board member for Medical Division at Drägerwerk Verwaltungs AG, will then give their presentations. The next items on the agenda will be start-up presentations and virtual networking opportunities.

Industrial tech – Digitalisation gives companies added edge
The third day of the HTPD event will focus on industrial tech, with insights set to be provided on customer-centric, agile development processes in this area as well as on trends in the digitalisation of industrial assets. The speakers include Guido Schlitzer, Managing Director of HTGF and Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke, Member of the Management Board for Digitalization and Technology at Deutsche Bahn AG. The discussions will again be followed by start-up presentations and opportunities for virtual exchanges.

HTPD 2021 – Hands-on mindset and high level of expertise
Dr. Alex von Frankenberg, Managing Director of HTGF, is looking forward to the event. “Right from the start, we felt it was important for the conference to incorporate the expertise of decision-makers at both established companies and start-ups, and in doing so bring these two worlds together. The support from two German ministers and high-ranking figures from the world of business shows how innovation and investment culture are right at the top of the agenda – and have been there for quite some time,” he said. For von Frankenberg, one of High-Tech Gründerfonds’ most important tasks is connecting an extremely wide range of stakeholders and fostering the transfer of knowledge.

Online platform encourages interaction
The organisers have created an event platform that will not only be used to broadcast the speeches, but also to facilitate interaction and networking. Those taking part in the virtual event will be able to share insights with other founders and decision-makers from industry and retail as part of one-on-one sessions and small-scale discussion sessions, while also watching presentations by high-tech start-ups sharing ideas and innovative business solutions. To register for the event and for more information, please click here.

A ticket for the full conference costs €99.00. Day tickets are also available. 

Stefanie Grüter

– Partner Communications & Relations

s.grueter@htgf.de