- Politics and business encourage entrepreneurial spirit despite Corona
- Bitkom President Achim Berg sees artificial intelligence as the most important future technology
- Internet of Things in logistics increases efficiency
Entrepreneurship and the digitization of small and medium-sized businesses were the central themes of the second Digital X - Digital Edition on 23 June. Speakers from politics, economy and society, such as Bitkom president Achim Berg, Amorelie founder Lea-Sophie Cramer, series investor Frank Thelen and Diana Scholl from BVMW, talked about courage and entrepreneurial spirit even in times of crisis.
Bitkom President Achim Berg calls for investments in digitization
Achim Berg, President of the digital association Bitkom, praised the investment package of the Federal Government on the occasion of the Corona pandemic as courageous, determined and also internationally unique. The association is calling for 50 percent of the investments to be channeled into digital projects, especially artificial intelligence (AI). For Berg, AI is the most important future technology.
At the same time, Achim Berg called on entrepreneurs to get their companies ready for digitalization right now. KfW promotional projects offer great opportunities.
Diana Scholl, Head of Political Networks and Strategy of the German Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), praised the German SME sector: "Corona would have hit the SME sector much harder if digitization had not already taken place. At the same time, Scholl demanded at Digital X that digitization should combine economic, ecological and social components.
Founders need courage, staying power and new technologies
In addition to financial and political framework conditions, personal aspects of entrepreneurship were also discussed. shared their experiences:
- Lea-Sophie Cramer, founder of Amorelie: "To start up successfully, we must create new things, not fight the old."
- Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, entrepreneur and former boxing world champion: "The crisis has put us all to the test. Companies that have used the time and shown agility and adaptability may even emerge from it stronger.
- Frank Thelen, series founder and tech investor: "New technologies such as robotics, the Internet of Things or artificial intelligence will come. The question is not if, but when and how, and who will shape that change."
Crisis-proof logistics with the Internet of Things
The five parallel virtual stages of the second Digital Edition offered space for discussions on content. The thematic focus this time: How can small and medium-sized companies increase the efficiency of their logistics through the Internet of Things (IoT for short)? The new IoT hub of Telekom, which was presented by Rami Avidan, Head of IoT Business at Deutsche Telekom, offered one possibility.
Other partners presented best practices and possible applications for medium-sized businesses. If they were interested, decision-makers from medium-sized companies were able to network, exchange ideas and inform themselves about concrete applications on the virtual marketplace.
"Many medium-sized companies are already gone digital and are coming through the Corona crisis better. Let's build on this experience and push digitization together. I'm looking forward to the next Digital X in September and I'm sure we'll see numerous new digital projects," said patron Hagen Rickmann, commenting on the digital event.
The background:
Digital X is Europe’s biggest cross-sectoral digitalization initiative. More than 200 German and international partners are participating in it. It supports small and medium-sized enterprises in their digital transformation – 100 percent digital. The grand finale of Digital X 2020 will take place on November 19 and 20 in Cologne. The concept for Digital X: networking, exchanging insights, and learning from one another in the spirit of digital progress. The very best enterprises will receive the “Digital Champions Award” for their work. You can find further details on the digitalization initiative here and at https://www.telekom.com/en/company/topic-specials/digital-x-special.
About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom at a glance
More on the DIGITAL X initiative: Follow the #digitalx hashtag on Twitter and LinkedIn
