02:00 PM

Registration

Duration: 60min

03:00 PM

Opening:

'State

of

the

Nation'

-

Building

Competitive

Strength

Amanda Birkenholz, UVC Partners – Principal

Johanna Bronisch, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Energy Innovation

Herbert Diess, The Mobility House – Executive Chairman

Stefan Drüssler, UnternehmerTUM – Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer

Philipp Herkelmann, EU Inc. – Co-Initiator

Jennifer Kaiser-Steiner, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Learning & Exchange Center

Leopold von Schlenk-Barnsdorf, FamilienUnternehmerTUM – Co-Founder

Marisa Schneider, UnternehmerTUM – Lead International Partnerships

Helmut Schönenberger, UnternehmerTUM – Co-Founder & CEO

Francesco Sciortino, Proxima Fusion – Co-Founder & CEO

Duration: 45min

Mark this item in your personal program

Opening:

State

of

the

Nation

Stefan Drüssler, UnternehmerTUM – Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer

Helmut Schönenberger, UnternehmerTUM – Co-Founder & CEO

Opening:

Intro-Impuls

1

Philipp Herkelmann, EU Inc. – Co-Initiator

Marisa Schneider, UnternehmerTUM – Lead International Partnerships

Opening:

Intro-Impuls

2

Johanna Bronisch, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Energy Innovation

Herbert Diess, The Mobility House – Executive Chairman

Opening:

Intro-Impuls

3

Amanda Birkenholz, UVC Partners – Principal

Francesco Sciortino, Proxima Fusion – Co-Founder & CEO

03:45 PM

Break

Duration: 15min

04:00 PM

Measuring

Impact:

Building

Successful

Start-up

Ecosystems

Andrea Frank, Stifterverband – Deputy Secretary General & Member of the Executive Board

Jennifer Kaiser-Steiner, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Learning & Exchange Center

Dorothea Ringe, Joachim Herz Foundation – Director Entrepreneurship Cluster

Maximilian Uebel, Boston Consulting Group – Head of Strategic Partnerships Central Europe

How do we measure the success of start-up ecosystems? What makes the difference between a thriving innovation hub and one that struggles to scale? And which tools can provide meaningful insights into impact and progress?
This panel explores key strategies for building and scaling successful start-up ecosystems, focusing on data-driven approaches to measuring impact.

Duration: 40min

Building Start-up Ecosystems

Mark this item in your personal program

Retrofits

and

Raw

Materials:

The

Circular

Economy

Opportunity

in

Delivering

the

Energy

Transition

David Bender, Heraeus Remloy – Co-Head

Luxia Broadbent, Matnex – Vice President Operations

Benedikt Franke, Munich Security Conference – Vice Chairman & CEO

Niclas-Alexander Mauß, CIRCULAR REPUBLIC by UnternehmerTUM – Co-Founder

Georg Weber, Wilo SE – CTO & Executive Board Member

Long overlooked or taken for granted, the supply of critical and strategic minerals is fundamentally important for the energy transition, just as for digital technologies, mobility, defence, manufacturing. How vulnerable is Europe and to what extent can a more circular economy contribute to preserving precious resources and reducing dependencies? Shedding light on the resource-related challenges amidst a world in geopolitical upheaval, this panel discusses existing good practices of industrial circularity, what’s needed to strengthen European secondary value chains and how circular business models driven by corporates and start-ups can pave the way to a more resilient economy, and ultimately to technological sovereignty, security and prosperity.

Duration: 40min

Running on Renewables

Mark this item in your personal program

Social

Impact

Republic:

How

Social

Impact

Ventures

Can

Change

Our

World

and

Society

Amanda Birkenholz, UVC Partners – Principal

Zarah Bruhn, Federal Ministry of Education and Research – Social Impact Founder & Commissioner for Social Innovation

Nina Mülhens, DigitalSchoolStory – CEO & Co-Founder

Philip Prestele, Digital Product School – Start-up & Ecosystem Evangelist

Miki Yokoyama, Aurum Impact – Managing Director

Join us for an engaging panel discussion where leading venture capitalists and founders of social impact start-ups share their experiences and insights on creating sustainable, scalable solutions that drive positive change. Explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the social impact ecosystem and discover how innovation can be harnessed to address some of the world's most pressing issues. This session will provide valuable insights into the intersection of business and social responsibility, offering practical advice for entrepreneurs, innovators and investors alike.

Duration: 40min

On Trends in Entrepreneurship

Mark this item in your personal program

04:40 PM

Break

Duration: 10min

04:50 PM

Electrifying

the

Nation

Johanna Bronisch, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Energy Innovation

Herbert Diess, The Mobility House – Executive Chairman

Bastian Gierull, Octopus Energy Germany – CEO

Werner Götz, TransnetBW – CEO

Germany’s transition to renewable energy is well underway, but presents challenges like supply volatility and grid constraints, with rising grid expansion costs affecting industries and data centers. A smarter solution is demand flexibility, requiring new market structures, incentives, and technologies.
This panel examines how flexibility can balance demand and ease grid strain. Key topics include:
- The role of demand-side flexibility in a resilient energy system
- Market mechanisms and policies to scale flexibility
- Engaging industrial consumers and end users in the transition
Experts from grid operations, technology, industry, and policy will highlight solutions to integrate flexibility effectively, ensuring both system efficiency and economic viability.

Duration: 40min

Running on Renewables

Mark this item in your personal program

From

Boardrooms

to

Dinner

Tables:

Why

the

AgriFood

System

is

Everyone's

Business

Nikola Baumschlager, UnternehmerTUM – Venture Consultant for Food & AgriTech Start-ups

Deniz Ficicioglu, BettaF!sh – Co-Founder & CEO

Olaf Koch, ZINTINUS – Partner

Andreea Lang, Givaudan – Business Development Strategic Partnerships

Benjamin Subei, Boston Consulting Group – Partner & Co-Lead Agriculture Europe

Roman Werner, TUM Venture Lab Food/Agro/Biotech – Managing Director

The panel explores the urgent need for systemic change in our food system, from farm to fork. Experts from start-ups, corporations, and retail will discuss the interconnectedness of food production, agriculture, and consumption, emphasizing the importance of cross-sector collaboration. The panel will address the agrifood system's impact on climate change, land use, and biodiversity, while also highlighting its potential as a solution. Finally, the soft launch of a new agrifood hub, a neutral platform for driving collective action, will be announced, showcasing its potential to facilitate partnerships and unlock opportunities for a more sustainable and equitable food future.

Duration: 40min

On Trends in Entrepreneurship

Mark this item in your personal program

Unlocking

Europe’s

Gold:

An

Ecosystem

Approach

to

Funding

Jean-Michel Dalle, Rise Europe – Member, Agoranov – Managing Director

Shiva Dustdar, EIB Institute, European Investment Bank – Director & Head

Benjamin Erhart, UVC Partners – General Partner

Philipp Herkelmann, EU Inc. – Co-Initiator

Miriam Partington, Sifted – Senior Reporter

Critical funding gaps in Europe's innovation landscape impede the growth of tech start-ups, preventing them from becoming true European Champions – a goal central to UnternehmerTUM's European network, Rise Europe. This panel discussion unites experts from start-up incubation, venture capital, policy, and economics to examine how to mobilize increased growth and innovation capital through an effective, interconnected funding ecosystem. Key topics will include fostering cross-border investments, strengthening collaboration between the public and private sectors, and the implementation of a pan-European entity designed to support start-ups.

Duration: 40min

Building Start-up Ecosystems

Mark this item in your personal program

05:30 PM

Break

Duration: 15min

05:45 PM

Closing:

Challenge

Accepted

-

Building

Competitive

Strength

Johanna Bronisch, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Energy Innovation

Stefan Drüssler, UnternehmerTUM – Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Kaiser-Steiner, UnternehmerTUM – Head of Learning & Exchange Center

Tobias Regenfuss, Accenture – Senior Managing Director, Technology Lead DACH

Leopold von Schlenk-Barnsdorf, FamilienUnternehmerTUM – Co-Founder

Alessia Sinzger, DLD Media – Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Global Partnerships

Stefan Wagner, SAP Labs Munich – Managing Director

Duration: 30min

Mark this item in your personal program

06:15 PM

Get-Together

Duration: 3h 45min

Mark this item in your personal program

UnternehmerTUM GmbH

Lichtenbergstr. 6
D-85748 Garching (Munich)
Germany

© 2025

Channels

LinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYoutube

Legal

ImprintPrivacy PolicyGeneral Terms and Conditions