The Noah Conference It's like a class reunion for investors, says a Munich-based business angel. The two-day, invite-only conference in Berlin brings together VCs, successful startups, and those that have yet to prove themselves. It's no coincidence that this year's conference motto is "Connecting European Champions and Challengers."
Since 2015, the Noah Conference in Berlin has had time to establish itself as a class reunion for approximately 700 VCs. Those who demonstrate a keen sense for startups meet every year in early June in Berlin to exchange views on their latest deals and to discuss which promising "challengers" might be worth investing in in the future.
Participating young startups, in turn, have the opportunity to present themselves in the Pitch Area. While the sponsor's branding is somewhat intrusive, the presenting startups do a convincing job. The Munich-based startup is the only one pitching on the topic of "hardware." Blickfeld and ProGloveThe rest of the startups are a diverse mix. There's something for AI fans as well as healthcare enthusiasts and mobility enthusiasts.
You just have to know which direction to go
Speaking of mobility, those who are already more established will be rubbing shoulders with one another on the big stage. The first morning will be dominated by the topic of mobility: After the block on "Travel & Tourism," there will be an exciting fireside chat with Uber, which briefly turns political. Following that, the focus will shift more to "Transportation": Flixbus will talk about its internationalization, movinga will explain the uniqueness of its digital platform solution and where the young company is headed in the near future (for example, to Scandinavia), and blablaCar will explain the peculiarities of the Russian market. And Chantal Amberd, General Manager at blablaPro, will say, "There is no 'one fits all'" when it comes to market entry strategies.
A highlight of the conference is certainly the Volocopter, which will be parked right outside. Visitors can climb aboard and experience what the future of transportation might feel like. Unfortunately, it's not possible to take off yet, even though Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter says:
“Next time you are in a traffic jam, look at the sky.”
The 2nd generation of the Volocopter has already been approved.
“It's closer than you think,”
said the CEO.
It's probably worth looking up at the sky in Dubai first, though. The government there is more open to autonomous flying, air taxis, and the like than Germany. Even though a 5-year-old could fly the Volocopter, the technology is easy to handle. You just have to know which direction you want to fly... Aiming high in this case?! Although, as a Munich local patriot, perhaps Lilium is a hot candidate for the next big (air) taxi.
A brief summary of the first day: The Noah Conference achieved its goal of bringing together a wide variety of vertical players on one stage, giving attendees a solid insight into a wide range of companies—be it a corporate VC from the mobility sector or a transportation startup. On the big stage, you actually know almost all the names and what the companies are up to. It's still nice to see everyone one after the other and hear what each one is up to next.
It also seems as if many people aren't there for the pitches or presentations at all - because with the bright blue sky and sunshine, the networking area outside around the Tempodrom is much fuller than the entire interior of the conference.
Want more? Click here for part 2.
