On February 14, 2026, a new platform was launched in Munich: the MSC Startup Hub, jointly created by the Munich Security Conference (MSC), UnternehmerTUM, and TUM Venture Labs, with the support of the Chamber of Commerce Munich and Upper Bavaria (IHK).
For the first time, global security decision-makers engaged directly with Europe’s startup and scaleup ecosystem — not as a trade fair, but as a forum for honest dialogue. The Hub sent a clear signal: security solutions emerge where technological excellence, entrepreneurial courage, and international cooperation intersect.
Security Through Scale
A central insight shaped the discussions: Europe’s resilience and strategic agency depend on its ability to translate innovation into industrial capability at speed.
Helmut Schönenberger, CEO and Co-Founder of UnternehmerTUM, emphasized the shared mission of diplomacy and entrepreneurship as drivers of prosperity and stability. Munich’s deep-tech ecosystem, with one of the highest startup acceleration rates in Europe, demonstrates what is possible when research, industry, capital, and founders align. The next step is scaling that momentum.
Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, underlined the systemic role that startups play in strengthening resilience and competitiveness. Europe must embrace entrepreneurial risk, treat failure as a learning opportunity, and integrate innovation more decisively into established industry structures to compete globally.
Manfred Gößl, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Munich and Upper Bavaria (IHK), highlighted that security is not produced solely by the state; a decisive share is generated by the economy. Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, reinforced that technological strength is the foundation of prosperity and international credibility, and that Europe must actively shape its own path between the United States and China.
From Excellence to Industrial Scale
A key moment of the day was the presentation of the study “Wachstumspfade” by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and UnternehmerTUM, delivered by Michael Brigl, Managing Director & Senior Partner at BCG, and Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs. The analysis identifies €1.7 trillion in untapped potential across six key technologies — including AI, quantum technologies, microelectronics, biotechnology, climate-neutral energy, and mobility.
The challenge is not scientific excellence. It is translation and scale.
Access to growth capital, anchor customers, reference projects, and innovation-friendly regulation are essential to move from pilot phases to industrial deployment.
The MSC Startup Hub 2026 demonstrated that Europe has the capabilities. What matters now is coordinated execution across ecosystems.
The accompanying wrap-up film captures the momentum, energy, and shared commitment of this day in Munich, and marks the beginning of a sustained alliance between security policy and technological innovation.
