Start-ups drive innovation, promote competition and boost economic growth. For this reason, Hannover Messe has set itself the goal of bringing young, up-and-coming companies together with established companies in order to explore opportunities for cooperation and investment. The Start-up Areas are located in Hall 2 and Hall 17, and state-sponsored joint stands, national pavilions and individual exhibitors are also available for the presentation of start-ups.

Examples of start-ups on site

Apollo Green Solutions from Cologne, for example, equips commercial buildings with an energy management platform that optimizes energy systems. AEInnova from Spain uses space technology to digitize Industry 4.0 with minimal impact on the environment. ZeroKey from Canada offers a positioning technology that leads the field in accuracy by a factor of over 100. Bytefabrik.AI from Karlsruhe develops software solutions based on artificial intelligence for analyzing machine and plant data that are intuitive to use.

Masterclasses ensure mutual exchange

For start-ups, the opportunity to exchange ideas and network is an important part of the trade fair presence. The 'Industrial Startup Stages' in Halls 2 and 17 serve precisely this purpose with a mix of pitches and presentations. There will be the following panel discussions and keynotes:

• "Opportunities and challenges for start-ups in the Industrial Internet"
• "Entrepreneurship and start-up engine"
• "What innovations does Germany as a business location need now?"
• "Playing to Win: Sustainable value creation with AI"
• "Why the world's most successful CEOs invest in start-ups and why they failed".

According to conventional wisdom, start-ups need a lot of support from established companies in order to be successful - but traditional companies can also learn a lot from the founders. The new masterclasses at the Hannover Messe therefore serve both sides by promoting exchange. For example, Michael Marhofer, CEO of the ifm group of companies, will talk about successful cooperation between start-ups and large SMEs. Conversely, Michael Kuehne-Schlinkert, co-founder and CEO of Katulu, will explain how artificial intelligence can be trained across companies, factories or machines without sharing sensitive data. Merantix Momentum's masterclass "AI Canvas Workshop" offers companies of all sizes a comprehensive guide to developing a sustainable AI strategy. Participation in a masterclass is included in the price of the admission ticket. A separate registration can be made here.