Technology Review magazine has named Daniel Wiegand, co-founder and CEO of the air taxi startup Lilium, "Innovator of the Year." Three other Munich-based talents are among the nine "Innovators Under 35."
Lilium builds vertical takeoff electric aircraft, primarily intended for use as air taxis. Frank Thelen's investment firm e42 and the London-based investment company Atomico of Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström are already invested in the startup from Gilching near Munich. Six months ago, Daniel Wiegand in an interview with Munich Startup the benefits of the Lilium vehicle:
"We want to use it both in urban areas and between cities. With today's batteries, a range of around 300 km is possible. This would be a good way to connect a region like Bavaria and essentially turn it into a metropolis: From Munich, you can reach most of Bavaria in half an hour."
In his justification, Robert Thielicke, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Review, about the award winner:
"With his vision of a flying electric taxi, Wiegand demonstrates precisely the daring whose lack is so often lamented in Germany. And with the prototype, he has proven that Lilium Aviation is on the right track."
Technology Review also honors founders of Hawa Dawa, Konux and NavVis
In addition to Wiegand, the magazine honored nine other “Innovators under 35.” Among the honorees are the three Munich-based Jannai Flaschberger, Andreas Kunze and George Schroth, all of which were founded at the Technical University of Munich. Flaschberger is co-founder of Hawa Dawa based in Impact HubThe startup co-founded by Andreas Kunze Konux is regularly with Success stories in conversation. Schroth and his company are mapping NavVis also with great success interiors.
The American magazine Technology Review has been awarding the prize since 1999. Previous winners include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Daniel Ek of Spotify, and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Winners of the German edition of the award are automatically nominated for the international list of the 35 best innovators under 35.
