Munich Startup: To get to know you better, please walk us through the most important milestones of your professional career.
Inga Grieger: With pleasure. My professional career has been rather unusual. From the beginning, my focus was on the automotive industry, but my positions and responsibilities have changed significantly over time. I am a trained automotive designer and hold a degree in Transportation Design (Munich University of Applied Sciences) and a degree in Business Administration (IWW). This means that I originally come from the creative side.
Before joining the BMW Group, I gained insight into the supplier perspective in various positions. I then spent ten years at the BMW Group in various positions focusing on interiors and digital products. I started in the BMW brand design studio, and over time, I increasingly specialized in innovation management. So, it became increasingly important to focus on how design and technological innovations can be brought together.
What my positions have always entailed is a high degree of communication and networking to bring together the various teams and ideas. Ultimately, in my new role as Business Development Manager at BMW i Ventures, I'm combining my previous experience and skills.
Munich Startup: You currently work as a Business Development Manager at BWM i Ventures, the BMW Group's corporate venture capital fund. Who is the fund aimed at?
Inga Grieger: BMW i Ventures is a highly agile and flexible fund, as we make our investment decisions independently. Our investments clearly focus on rapidly scaling technology startups in the automotive sector – in all phases from seed to growth, with an emphasis on Series A and B. We are active in the US, Europe, and Israel. We seek both innovative hardware and software solutions in the areas of vehicle development, smart manufacturing, intelligent supply chain, digital sales, information technology, and sustainability.
Sustainable transformation in the automotive industry
Especially with the launch of our second fund in 2021, we are increasingly focusing on solutions that help shape the sustainable transformation of the automotive industry. We want to help startups with potential scale quickly and support them with our know-how – our automotive expertise and the extensive network within the BMW cosmos are particularly exciting for young entrepreneurs. We see that our portfolio companies are making the automotive environment future-proof and more climate-friendly. We are incredibly proud to be so at the cutting edge.
Munich Startup: What exactly does your work there involve?
Inga Grieger: At BMW i Ventures, I work as a Business Development Manager to build and strengthen strategic collaboration between the portfolio companies and the BMW Group ecosystem. I act as a link between the BMW i Ventures portfolio companies and the BMW network. This involves a lot of communication, but also a strong sense of disruptive technologies for the automotive sector, especially with a focus on sustainable solutions.
Good ideas at the touch of a button
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Inga Grieger: As a designer, you learn during your studies how to generate good ideas at the click of a button. Since I like to think ahead, this comes quite easily to me. My best ideas come to me when I'm running, outdoors in nature. When I'm out on long runs, my body is moving, and my thoughts can flow, I feel inspired.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Inga Grieger: The first thing that comes to mind is Google Tasks. It's simple in concept, but in practice, it's worth its weight in gold: all tasks are integrated into the calendar, and at the end of the day, I can check off all completed to-dos. It just feels good. I rely heavily on Google Tasks for collaborating with colleagues. ConfluenceThe tool is easy to understand and user-friendly. And when I want to work creatively off the track, I often use Miro – an online whiteboardIt's great to have all your ideas available digitally at any time.
Munich Startup: What makes a good pitch for you?
Inga Grieger: An authentic presence is definitely important. Over time, you quickly recognize whether someone is just playing a role. In my opinion, it's crucial for founders' success that they remain authentic and don't pretend. This is also important for a founding team that is passionate about the idea and can convey this passion. Last but not least, we look at whether the business idea is customer-centric and can drive sustainable transformation in the automotive industry.
“Today, many founders can choose their investors”
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? If so, why?
Inga Grieger: Absolutely! I think it's easier than ever to start a business with a good idea. Especially because knowledge is readily available these days. In addition, the landscape has visibly changed: Today, many founders can choose their investors. This is precisely when the added value that BMW i Ventures can offer as a CVC and with the expertise of the BMW Group is particularly advantageous.
We live in exciting times, and so much is changing. This always creates a breeding ground for innovation. It's great to see what technologies are being developed to make the automotive sector more climate-friendly.
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on in the future?
Inga Grieger: I still consider digitalization to be one of the most important technology trends, with tremendous potential. There's a motto: “Everything that can be digitized will be digitized”If we follow this maxim, we're only at the beginning. Digitalization has a cross-industry impact and is being applied in every area. I'm excited to see where digitalization will take us. I'm convinced that it will simplify our lives and contribute to more climate-friendly behavior overall.
Munich Startup: In your opinion, what could be improved at the Munich startup location?
Inga Grieger: BMW i Ventures deliberately chose to locate in Silicon Valley and Munich – after all, the Bavarian capital is one of Europe's most important IT centers. The Isar Valley is impressive and is constantly evolving. There are now many starting points for startups, and the city is doing a lot to foster an innovative ecosystem. We will also see more deals in Europe and Germany in the coming years.
Making starting a business easier
Fundamentally, I hope that starting a business in Germany becomes even easier. Unfortunately, the hurdles are still very high. This hampers the valuable innovations we need for a climate-friendly and future-oriented economy.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Inga Grieger: Through my work, I have the opportunity to meet many great founders, both those who introduce themselves to us and the founders of our approximately 60 portfolio companies. Aside from them, I would love to meet Walt Disney to experience him and his creativity. I would find it very exciting to see him draw and to talk with him about how the Walt Disney Company has grown over the century. The company manages to entertain many people around the world—an important asset.
My job is very much about how technology can contribute to climate protection. Therefore, I would be very interested in working with Anna Alex, founder of Planetly, to maintain. With the founding of the SaaS platform for determining, offsetting, and reducing CO2 emissions in companies, she has proven to have the right instinct.
Finally, from a professional perspective, but also as a passionate runner, I think of the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. I'm always impressed by the way he built the Red Bull brand and how the stories surrounding the drink are still told today.
