On 21 and 22 June, the international tech scene will meet in Amsterdam for The Next Web (TNW) Conference Last year, the Financial Times event saw over 10,000 participants from 80 countries attend, listening to presentations from more than 190 speakers. In addition, over 220 companies exhibited at TNW 2023. This year's keynote speakers include Formula E driver Antonio Felix da Costa, Jelena Zelenovic, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the European Investment Bank, and investigative journalist Geoff White. In addition, numerous founders will be appearing, including Bas van Abel of Fairphone, Mette Lyyke of Too Good To Go, and Lubomila Jordanova of Plan A.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, TNW Conference visitors will also find a booth from Startup Champs Germany. Under this name, Germany's four largest cities – Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Munich – have joined forces to raise awareness of Germany as a startup hub. Munich Startup will also be present at booth number #45, explaining the unique features of the Munich ecosystem.
In addition, each of the partner cities will bring startups to Amsterdam to present themselves at their own booths. From Munich, ESG-X, Exomatter, and May Auto Data won the competition.
ESG-X
Valentin Aman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ESG-X, explained:
“ESG-X digitizes non-financial reporting through its own databases and LLMs, thus operating at the interface of AI and ESG.”
This includes automating the mandatory pre-analysis, the so-called "materiality assessment," mapping existing company data, and supporting the resolution of data gaps. According to the startup, its models are capable of understanding company situations and therefore predicting relevant topics that require disclosure with high accuracy. It can also automatically map existing company data to the new CSRD regulation.
At TNW, ESG-X will not only exhibit but also participate in the Pitch Battle in the "Next in Tech" area. The competition will take place on the second day of the event, June 21, starting at 11:15 a.m. The winner of this battle will then compete against the winners from three other areas in the finals. Aman is looking forward to the event:
“At TNW, we want to meet inspiring industry leaders, network, and represent the Munich startup ecosystem together with other startups.”
Exomatter
With Exomatter ESG-X also has to compete against another startup. The DLR spinoff is developing an R&D platform for materials that creates a personalized shortlist of the most suitable materials for specific applications. This is based on material data from numerous scientific sources as well as users' own data. The Exomatter platform enriches this data using AI and enables the application of a wide range of physical, chemical, and technical criteria, as well as sustainability attributes and projected costs.
Also Barbara Bachus, COO and co-founder of Exomatter, is looking forward to the TNW:
"The TNW is exactly the right place for us as a deep-tech startup in the materials science space. We expect the TNW to offer exciting contacts with investors and companies in the materials sector, as well as engaging discussions on how AI can advance materials development. We are delighted to be representing the Munich startup ecosystem in Amsterdam, along with other startups."
MyAutoData
The Munich startup MyAutoData (MAUD) pursues the vision of building the largest consumer-oriented marketplace for the private sharing of personal data. The focus is on data-based purchasing of automotive products and services, as well as the development of an incentive system to reduce carbon emissions. MAUD acts as a neutral data trustee. The startup aims to give drivers back their sovereignty as data owners and let them decide for themselves with whom and under what conditions they want to share and monetize data.
Manfred H. Heiss, founder and CEO of MAUD, explains:
“MAUD is a social entrepreneurship startup and the world's first web-based marketplace that enables people to privately share and monetize vehicle usage data with businesses, cities, and market researchers.”
The organizers of TNW are also convinced of this approach, as MAUD is also participating in the pitch battles – albeit in the "Pixels & Profit" category. Startups will be pitching here on the first day, June 20, starting at 11:10 a.m.
Heiss says about the TNW:
"We believe that the TNW is a great opportunity for us to make consumers, business leaders, media, and investors aware that our groundbreaking solution will profoundly impact the way business is conducted today and has the potential to create a better future for society, the economy, and the environment."
