The second day of Bits & Pretzels 2019 will once again focus on the topic of impact. Numerous speakers will also emphasize the importance of female founders. for the future viability of a company. — An article by Regina Bruckschlögl, Helen Duran and Sandra Ohse
Day 2 starts promisingly: In the first keynote speech of the day, the Minister of State for Digital Affairs, Judith Gerlach, about the importance of startups:
“Startups are key for some of the major challenges we are facing right now. […] Technology is the key driver for change.”
Judith Gerlach
The minister, like many speakers after her, attaches particular importance to female founders. More women working in technical professions can not only solve the current skills shortage but also make an important contribution to future development. To inspire more women to pursue careers in the IT industry, Judith Gerlach has launched a program specifically for this purpose.
David Limp on the future of voice assistants
In a conversation with Britta Weddeling, Amazon Senior Vice President David Limp outlines the future of voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. He predicts that in the next five to ten years, these assistants will increasingly be capable of conversational interaction and emotions. They will also improve their ability to deal with human frustration. This will allow voice assistants to learn to improve themselves in the future.
With its affordable devices, which Amazon sells at near break-even points, and its voice assistant Alexa, the company is pursuing a clear strategy: They serve to encourage customers to consume and make this as easy as possible. Data protection was also discussed critically. David Limp clearly stated that this is one of the major current challenges.
In addition to the challenges that motivate entrepreneurs, the focus of the following lecture was passion. Donna Carpenter, CEO and Co-Founder of Burton Snowboards, said:
"The power from entrepreneurs comes from passion and maintaining the passion. Passion needs a purpose, because passion without a purpose is an empty promise."
The golden pretzel goes to Hawa Dawa
Then things get serious for the six startups that made it to the finals of the Bits & Pretzels startup competition. On day 2, they'll have another chance to present their business idea to the jury and a large audience on the Center Stage. Among the finalists: Wirelane from Saarbrücken, Carl from Berlin, Zinergy from Cambridge, Realtainment from Berlin, and Usercentrics and Hawa Dawa from Munich. It's positive that three women are also pitching. It's negative, however, that the jury is all male. Yvonne Rusche of Hawa Dawa ultimately wins the race for the Golden Pretzel.
But the Munich-based startup Teleclinic can be happy. It will receive a media budget of 500,000 euros from the ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator. Incidentally, the CEO of Teleclinic is Katharina JüngerNot only is the future female, but so is Bits & Pretzels 2019.
