Alpha Circle supports collaborations between founders and established SMEs. We spoke with the network's managing director, Dr. Albert Michael Geiger. Here, he explains how SMEs and startups are brought together—and which young companies are particularly interesting in this context.
Dr. Geiger, please tell us briefly what Alpha Circle is.
Alphazirkel is a managed network of over 5,000 family businesses. From our Munich headquarters, we are connected worldwide, enabling family entrepreneurs to exchange experiences across borders and cultures. We regularly host company evenings, usually at the Palais Montgelas.
Fear of contact is still widespread
Why do you now want to connect the family businesses you organize with startups?
Reluctance to engage with startups is still widespread among our SMEs, and we want to counteract this. Above all, however, this is a structural challenge: The structure and organization of family businesses, some of which are already in their fourth or fifth generation, are usually not particularly well-suited to collaborations with founders from the outset. Furthermore, we see many opportunities when it comes to addressing the labor shortage. With their low-hierarchical structures, startups today attract precisely the employees our family businesses lack.
How do you want to approach this networking?
We organize events and discussions between medium-sized companies, potential investors, and startups from all over Bavaria, primarily in Munich. The next event is already taking place today: We are organizing a working lunch with family entrepreneurs and founders under the motto "Get to know successful startups." During this event, Dr. Michael Riemenschneider, Managing Director of Reimann Investors, and Oliver Mahr from Deutsche Börse AG will meet with Marco Hierling, CEO of AlphapetVentures; Stefan Herbst, founder of Haftpflicht Helden; and Adrian Renner, Managing Director of Global Savings Group, as well as Dirk Graber, CEO and founder of Mister Spex, to discuss their experiences with investors.
Startups value cooperation opportunities in Munich
Why are you choosing Munich as a location for this working lunch between family businesses and startups? What do you think makes Munich so special as a startup location?
Just recently a PwC study published a survey that confirmed the high level of satisfaction with the local startup ecosystem: With 96 percent approval, this figure actually improved by 8 percentage points compared to the previous year. The results showed that, in addition to the general quality of the startup scene, Munich startups particularly valued the many opportunities for collaboration with established companies. Our Alpha Circle initiative hits this nerve exactly.
In your opinion, what does such cooperation between medium-sized companies and startups look like in the long term?
Of course, I can only speak for the family businesses we network with, but these companies are interested in becoming reference customers for startups, for example. Often, they simply seek closer collaboration on an existing product or process in order to make the medium-sized company's business model more future-proof.
Which industries do the startups that your family businesses are particularly interested in come from?
We are interested in the entire B2B sector, but everything related to deep tech is also relevant to us and our network.
Can Munich-based startups looking for collaborations with medium-sized companies contact you?
Of course you are welcome to. You should simply contact startup@alphazirkel.com turn around!
Thank you for the interview!
