BE5, UnternehmerTUM's neutral innovation and digitalization platform, aims to promote cross-company collaboration among companies involved in the creation and use of buildings, develop innovations together with startups, and actively drive the digital transformation of the entire sector. According to UnternehmerTUM, this holistic approach is unique in the industry and is intended to support one of Germany's highest-revenue industries in tapping into new business opportunities.
The aim of the Platform for Built Environment Focused Innovations, Ventures & EnterprisesThe goal of BE5 (pronounced "BEFIVE") is to initiate digital projects with relevant industry players across the entire value chain in order to actively shape the future of building and infrastructure construction and operation. As a neutral platform, BE5 offers established companies, startups, and talented individuals the opportunity to jointly develop innovative solutions and business models through exchange, information, and opportunities for collaboration.
“However, there is a need to catch up when it comes to digitalization”
Companies should benefit from the cross-industry ecosystem of UnternehmerTUM benefit and gain access to creative minds, methods, and technologies. Expert lectures, workshops, boot camps, hackathons, startup fairs, and pilot projects are designed to convey important know-how, provide an exchange of experiences and inspiration, enable experimentation with new technologies, and promote the systematic development of new digital solutions. Partner companies can thus prepare existing employees for the work of tomorrow and increase their attractiveness to skilled workers.
"BE5 brings together not only companies, startups, and talented individuals, but also researchers, policymakers, associations, and venture capital investors. We aim to consider the entire life cycle of buildings and infrastructures—from planning and development to financing, operation, and dismantling. In addition to innovations in the fields of IoT, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, our focus is on training our partner companies' employees. At BE5, they gain valuable knowledge and expertise on new working methods and technologies. Technologies from the startup world open up entirely new business models and opportunities, especially for the construction sector."
says Dr. Manuel Götzendörfer, Managing Director of BE5. He continues:
"The construction and real estate industry is one of Germany's most important industries and employers. It generates well over €300 billion in annual revenue and employs well over a million people. However, there is a lot of catching up to do when it comes to digitalization. Digitalization has far-reaching consequences for the construction industry. Unfortunately, one in five construction companies sees digital technologies as a threat to their business model. With BE5, we want to change that by inspiring established companies to embrace new technologies and actively supporting them in their application – especially through collaboration with startups."
Driving the necessary change process in the construction industry
The GC Group, Knauf, Max Bögl, McKinsey & Company, Peri, Schüco, and Warema have been on board as founding partners from the outset. Additional corporate partners will join soon.
In addition Max Bögl, shareholder of the Max Bögl Group:
“With its startup culture, the platform is an important building block for quickly generating innovations along the value chain and decisively driving forward the necessary change process in the construction industry.”
