Our CEO Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger spoke with Deutsche Bank's magazine "What Next" about Europe's position in the global innovation race. His example: Munich, a city that now produces more startups per capita than Berlin.
In the interview, Schönenberger describes the pace of our ecosystem today: about three new companies launch through our programs each week, our startups secure roughly EUR 40M in venture capital every week, and out of every 100 teams we support, around 85 go on to succeed in the market. What he sees missing, above all, is bolder ambition: founders in the US aim for global market leadership from day one, and he believes Europe needs to set the same high bar.
Schönenberger names Munich's blend of world-class research and a strong industrial base - including Siemens, BMW, and Airbus - as a genuine advantage. To put that potential to work across Europe, he points to three priorities: capital markets built to fund growth, a labor market that gives high performers real flexibility, and one shared technology strategy for the continent.
His conclusion: Germany and Europe still have every chance to lead in high-tech industries worldwide, provided we act on it now.
