In the event review we present the roundtable of the Plant1 Here, Munich's accelerators, incubators, startup centers, and other multipliers such as VCs meet approximately every two months to discuss upcoming topics. Are you an employee of these multipliers and want to participate? by email to Robert Richter, Head of Startups & Incubation at Werk1.
In the podcast, we also talk about a press conference held by the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs with startups about Corona aid. Hubert Aiwanger discussed with Oliver Stahl, CEO of Munich startup Robotise, and with Julian Berlow from Scoobe3D in Augsburg.
What does greentech look like for cities?
In the main part of the podcast (minute 4:40) we once again focus on a greener future for the global economy. in podcast number 4 with food production and land and ocean use We now turn to the second part of the “Future Of Nature And Business”report from the World Economic Forum. This time, the focus is on infrastructure and urban development – and five Munich startups that are contributing solutions.
Urbanization will continue to pose challenges. While approximately 55 percent of the world's population currently lives in cities (in 2018, this was 4.2 billion of the world's total population of 7.6 billion), the urban population will grow by 1.5 million people per week over the next ten years. By 2030, as many people will be living in cities as there were in the world in 1990. Therefore, sound urban planning is essential.
The report "The Future of Nature and Business" identifies five sets of measures. In this podcast, we'll explore them one by one, using Munich-based greentech startups as examples.
How do you create space for more people and more infrastructure in the same area? Under the heading "compact development," the report mentions not only urban nature reserves and functional urban planning, but also the optimal use of infrastructure. Many startups in Munich have solutions in this area. Shareyourspace for unused office space or Shquared, one Platform for the parallel use of catering spaces Twostay is one of them. The two founders want to create bars and Convert restaurants into coworking spaces – at times when they're not being used. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there's a lot to do. We introduce Twostay in more detail starting at minute 9:55 in the podcast.
Green roofs, green facades
Another aspect is nature-friendly development (minute 11:22). This can include green roofs and facades. But it's about much more – resource-efficient development also falls under this category. As a greentech example in this area, we present Caala. Caala stands for Computer Aided Architectural Life-cycle AssessmentThe startup's software calculates and visualizes the energy and ecological footprint, as well as the life cycle costs of a building design, in just a few seconds. An interesting side note: The city of Munich financially supports the greening of spaces and buildings and even awards prizes for this purpose.
The next measure has the beautiful title "Planet-compatible urban utilities" (minute 14:32). This concerns the effective management of air, water, and pollution in urban areas. Many of these are municipal tasks in this country. In addition to water supply, recycling, and the use of renewable energies, environmental monitoring is also a topic. As an example of the latter, we discuss the IoT startup Hawa DawaThe 20-person team monitors, forecasts, and models air quality using sensors, satellite data, and more, and then conducts AI-assisted analysis. This results in the development of measures for improved air quality. This benefits municipalities, but especially the local population.
A garbage-eating robot and the Sion
When nature is the focus as infrastructure (minute 18:08) – for example, the Isar floodplains as protection against flooding – the city has already put a lot of thought into it. Technical approaches and startups from the greentech sector can help in preserving and restoring nature in the city. Angsa Robotics. The three Munich founders have developed a robot that clears green spaces of small pieces of garbage.
When we talk about cities and ecological management, we naturally also have to consider the topic of transport infrastructure (minute 22:14). Here, too, new technologies can help reduce the negative impact of transport on the environment. In the podcast, we talk about a Munich-based startup that uses renewable energy for its vehicles, but also wants to establish a new form of mobility in cities in general: Sono MotorsThe Munich-based company has developed the Sion, a solar-electric vehicle that is scheduled to roll off the production lines in early 2022.
In the second part of our podcast (starting at minute 27:32), we introduce the 3D printing startup Dyemansion. And we take a closer look at three of the VC firms that invested in it.
