The event has been even more successfully than last year: 130 start-ups (+50%) from the D-A-CH region (Germany-Austria-Switzerland) signed up ahead of the event, and 25 of them had an opportunity to present their innovative solutions to more than 100 operational decision-makers (+40%) from the VINCI Energies and Eurovia network.  

In five 15-minute Speed Dating Sessions on each of the topics Smart Maintenance, Green Hydrogen, Cyber Security, Digital Twin and Smart Construction.

On the Green Hydrogen topic, which includes the energy transition and sustainability, three solutions particularly stood out.

Firstly, Enapter has presented the compact electrolyser with patented AEM technology (Anion Exchange Membrane) for the inexpensive and economical production of green hydrogen.

Secondly, EnergieKoppler, a spin-off from the Technical University of Dresden, talked about its solution for the cross-sector networking and control of energy plants

Thirdly, Enspired presented its expertise of uncomplicated, cost-effective and rapid access to the electricity exchange for small producers of electricity.

Leading to concrete projects

The event began with an opening speech by Dr. Bernhard Kirchmair. He stressed the importance of cooperation involving start-ups and VINCI Energies brands, and of long-term cooperation via the in-house “Startup Connect” programme. The Startup Connect program aims to enrich VINCI Energies’ offerings and anticipate the needs of network companies.

“After the extremely successful outcome last year, our second VINCI Deutschland Startup Speed Dating event, too, has proved to be a real magnet for innovation. The highly individual approaches, skills and creativity of the young companies participating have once again convinced us how important it is that, in order to ensure digitalisation is a success, we should support cooperation with start-ups. Because they bring in precisely the sorts of vital innovations that we seek for many of our customer projects”, said Dr. Bernhard Kirchmair, CDO of VINCI Energies for the DACH countries and Eastern Europe. “Since the event, initial discussions have already taken place between the start-ups and our decision-makers about possibilities for cooperation and we are sure that, this time too, these will lead to the development of concrete concepts. For our customers, for the start-ups and for us, too, that will be a real win-win-win situation and we’re already looking forward to joint business developments.”

Win-win collaboration between startups and VINCI Energies

VINCI Energies has been backing cooperation with startups for a long time. On the one hand, in order to benefit from their agility and creative mindset, and, on the other, to bring these start-ups together with the decision-makers and customers that are relevant for their business. This makes them part of the ever-growing VINCI Energies D-A-C-H digital ecosystem.

According, for example, to the “German Founder and Innovation Study 2020”, produced by Gründerszene, KPMG and the HTW (University of Applied Sciences) Berlin, those involved see real potential in such cooperation: for 59% of start-ups, the focus is on the development of sales and marketing, whereas SMEs (62%) and groups (87%) see advantages coming above all through new technologies and business models. The success of VINCI Deutschland’s Startup Speed Dating is evident in the current business situation: the system integrator is already working actively together with more than half of the start-ups participating last year, in the form of partnerships such as customer projects, commercial partnership agreements and proofs of concept.