Where everything seems possible - Investor Days Thüringen

Bringing innovation to life – that is the goal of the Investor Days Thuringia. Originating from a regional matching event, it has grown into one of the largest pitch events in Central Germany. This year, it will take place for the tenth time under the title “Edition X” and offer around 30 start-ups and up to 16 scale-ups the opportunity to convince an international investment community of their innovative business models on June 4 and 5. In this interview, Christiane Kilian, Director of the Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research Thuringia (STIFT), and Katja Butzmann, Acting Managing Director of bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen, explain why the Investor Days Thuringia offer a very special springboard for start-ups and growth companies.

The application phase is currently underway for innovative founders who would like to present themselves on your stage. Why is a pitch at the Investor Days Thuringia worthwhile for you?

Christiane Kilian: 80 percent of the start-ups that pitch to us end up in an investor meeting. The actual investment is another matter. But we make the value proposition that we create a space in which pitchers can inspire investors for their business model on an equal footing and in a targeted manner. These discussions not only take place at the event, but also in meetings afterwards.

And how is it decided which start-ups and growth companies are allowed to present themselves at the Investor Days?

Katja Butzmann: We usually have around three to four times as many applications as we can offer pitch places and the selection decision is made by a jury. This is made up of the organizers, i.e. STIFT and bm|t. Our platinum sponsors also have a seat on the jury. They have been supporting our event for many years and have a great deal of expertise in the field of business consulting and development as well as new technologies. We take a whole day to look through the applicants. On this day, we discuss and decide who gets to present at the end.

Christiane Kilian: Together, we have a tough set of criteria. The focus of the decision is naturally also on the deal flow: What offers a good deal flow? Where are business models that are yield-oriented? We also focus on topics that have not yet arrived in the mainstream investment sector. We have a good sense of what could be “up-to-date” in the near future and where good yield cases are emerging. The added value of this innovative spirit is reflected time and again by investors and other stakeholders in the ecosystem.

That makes us curious. Can you tell us a few success stories of companies that got started through their pitch at the Investor Days?

Christiane Kilian: We have FreeMOM, for example, which even made it into “Höhle der Löwen”. It’s not a super technology-oriented start-up, but it’s also about disrupting the job market. We have ROOOM AG, which is now a well-established company in Jena and is also ensuring that the start-up scene in Thuringia continues to grow. With Elonroad, we had a Swedish startup that wants to drive forward the electrification of roads. This startup has also established many partnerships with companies here in Thuringia. We are therefore not only ensuring that start-ups receive investments, but also offering international start-ups access to the local market.

Katja Butzmann: We also have some Investee partners who took their first steps at the Investor Days Thuringia. For example, the company mi2-factory in the semiconductor sector. They are now involved in a major European project involving really far-reaching developments in semiconductor technology. Quantum Optics from Jena is also part of our portfolio. The company offers a game changer in encryption technology. When we think of “taking off”, I immediately think of Spleenlab, which has developed software for autonomous mobility. This company also raised its first round of financing at the Investor Days.

We are particularly proud that we have been able to invest around 865 million euros in Thuringia since the start of Investor Days 2016. Around 200 million of this is attributable to bm|t. We have therefore managed to attract 665 million euros of private capital to Thuringia since the start of the Investor Days.

What can we look forward to at this year’s Investor Days Thuringia?

Katja Butzmann: A visitor once told me that for one day at the Investor Days Thuringia, you think anything is possible. There is so much dynamism, so much initiative and also so much willingness and readiness to change in the air on this day. That is what characterizes the Investor Days. This time it will be a very condensed day full of pitches, but also full of opportunities to meet people. We start in the morning with an exclusive “Investors Breakfast” in the egapark in Erfurt. There, selected investors meet with young entrepreneurs who present their concepts. We network them as a team in a very targeted way. However, this only works if you know both the entrepreneurs and the investors well and know what they are looking for or what they are interested in. After breakfast, there are pitches from the scale-ups, i.e. the growth companies.

Christiane Kilian: The afternoon then takes place on the Petersberg – the beautiful vantage point where everything really does seem possible. We are there in St. Peter’s Church. It’s a wonderful break to say that the world of tomorrow is a guest in a building with a lot of history. At the same time, the Petersberg as a vantage point also offers many other perspectives for the future.

Katja Butzmann: That’s where the pitches will take place. We will see 20 companies on stage that are in the early stages and are approaching investors for the first time. The innovation arena is also open. There, both the pitchers and other companies will exhibit their services, products, ideas and concepts at various stages of development. There will be a panel discussion and, in between, the opportunity to network. Finally, there is a very nice and relaxed evening event, which also offers another opportunity to talk and get to know each other.

Apply now

Have you developed an innovative business model and would like to present it to an international startup community? Then apply to be a pitcher at the Investor Days Thuringia by April 27: Edition X.