How can sustainable startups scale to unicorns? During her visit to Colab, US Ambassador Amy Gutman discussed with Philipp Gerbert, Managing Director of TUM Venture Labs; Susanne Kadner, Managing Director of the Circular Economy Initiative Germany; Sebastian Daus, founder of Fixfirst; and Christian Haessler, Global Program Lead for Circular Economy at Covestro. The diplomat also emphasized how the circular economy can contribute to becoming less dependent on raw material imports—an aspect that cannot be ignored in light of the war in Ukraine.
Gutman also discussed with the other guests how to further promote the sustainable unicorns of tomorrow, particularly what Germany and the US can learn from each other and improve upon. As a former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Gutman also shared her own experiences.
Following the panel discussion, selected startups presented their solutions at Colab. These included Libcyclethat recycle old or defective batteries from electric vehicles, and Hey Circle, which advocates for fewer disposable boxes in online shipping. Numi its software for supply chain logistics and Supplyz presented Wi-Fi-enabled food containers that use algorithms to predict consumption and automatically order replenishment.
The TUM Venture Lab Sustainability/Bioeconomy/Energy
The event was also an opportunity for the TUM Venture Labsto present themselves in more detail to a broader audience. In the coming months, the TUM Venture Lab Sustainability/Bioeconomy/Energy will complement the offerings for early-stage companies. In this joint initiative, TUM and UnternehmerTUM promote research-based companies with tailored support packages, incubation space, laboratories and technical infrastructure, training and venturing programs, and access to global networks of companies and investors. The goal is to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge research into marketable applications. UnternehmerTUM already has similar offerings in the form of the Respond Accelerator, which it operates together with the Herbert Quandt Foundation. Other initiatives such as the BDI Circular Economy Initiative, Acatech's Circular Economy Initiative, Projecttogether's Circular Futures, the Circular Munich association, and CirculaTUM, the research network of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), also support young sustainability startups.
Transatlantic Innovation Week, initiated by the U.S. Embassy in Germany and the U.S. Consulate in Munich, annually celebrates German-American cooperation. In 2022, the week will focus on sustainability and green innovation.
