The Cebit platform 'scale11' in Hall 27 is intended to offer start-ups opportunities to attract the attention of investors, partners and the media. For example, the founders of INS want to present the first millimeter-precise indoor navigation with augmented reality that does not require any additional hardware. Emqopter will present an autonomous delivery drone with a gripper arm plus intelligent collision avoidance, while Sensosurf will showcase self-learning machine components for industrial processes.

There will also be plenty of business impetus from other parts of the world: the German Society for International Cooperation is bringing 20 start-ups from Kenya, Nigeria and Tunisia to Hanover as part of the 'Make IT in Africa' initiative, and the Korea Innovation Centre Europe will be represented by seven start-up teams from South Korea.

The Cebit premium partners ADAC and Volkswagen have announced their own start-up pitches and many other activities. Deutsche Bank also wants to be part of the big start-up show: The major bank wants to develop new products together with start-ups and will be presenting its dbAPI interface for services such as Open Banking at 'scale11'.

Expert panels and live action

In addition to traditional exhibitions, the start-up platform also offers event formats and special events - from the 'scale11' start-up stage for live pitches, panel discussions and community areas to business speed dating. At the Expert Stage, for example, the BVDS hosts information and discussion events with representatives of the start-up scene, influencers, investors and politicians.

Another format is the 30-minute 'Meet-a-Media @ Cebit scale11' sessions in speed dating format, where seven journalists will give interested founders tips on how to improve their media presence.

The 'FuckUp Nights' promise to be a special event: In maximum 15-minute slots on Tuesday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 13, young entrepreneurs will report on why they failed and reveal to the founders present how they can deal with critical situations. Those who have enough courage to compete with other founders on an open stage will be invited to the 'Founders Fight Club' for a creative battle of words under the eyes of a panel of experts.

Cebit Innovation Award

Three particularly promising start-ups have been nominated for the 'Cebit Innovation Award 2018': AIPARK uses big traffic data and artificial intelligence to make it easier to find a free parking space, the Crashtest Security Suite from Crashtest Security tests programs on the web for their security, and the Divera 24/7 software from Fire & Rescue Instructions makes it easier for authorities and organizations to plan the requirements of emergency services with real-time visualization. The three finalists can be found at the BMBF stand in Hall 27, Stand E52.