Founder of CAS Software AG

Managing Director of the Hightech.Unternehmer.Netzwerk CyberForum

Chairman of the karlsruhe.digital initiative and idea generator of the InnovationFestival

Europe’s dependence on the major players in the digital economy is enormous. The platform economy threatens both our market economy as we know it and our society. In addition to solutions on how we can prevent this dependency and achieve Europe’s digital sovereignty by 2030, you will experience a world premiere on trustworthy and fair IT products at the InnovationFestival. Be curious!

Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI

Chair of Innovation and Technology Management iTM at the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Innovation Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

The digital transformation is urgent! We have known this since before corona. Today, digital innovations are a decisive competitive factor worldwide. But it’s not just about developing technological innovations. Rather, innovations must solve real-world problems and bring added value to our living and working environment. In order to strengthen our innovative power and pave the way for digital innovations, we need three key levers in addition to digital expertise: networking with one another, experimenting more and taking bold risks.

CIO / CDO of the City of Karlsruhe

Director, Office for Information Technology and Digitization of the City of Karlsruhe

Shaping digital transformation sustainably. This is the guiding principle of the federal government’s Smart City Charter. The necessary infrastructure and data platforms often cannot be financed from public funds alone. Public-private partnerships must be designed in such a way that all partners benefit from the collaboration. The economic interests of the private sector currently dominate in many cities. What options do local authorities have to maintain digital sovereignty?

Project Manager & UX/UI Designer, EXXETA AG

Together with Zukunftsangelegenheiten GmbH, EXXETA has developed a sustainable transport solution for the Green City Logistics network, which connects shippers, bicycle logistics companies and inner-city distribution centers. The solution designed by EXXETA automates the coordination of stakeholders via a central platform. This also supports the scheduling and departure of tours, for example in the form of route optimization. The software accompanies the entire delivery process and ensures efficient and emission-free delivery of the goods.

Marketing Director, INIT GmbH

Making it easier for passengers with physical disabilities to use local public transport: this is the aim of the ASSISTIVEtravel travel assistance system from Karlsruhe-based company INIT. An app and other aids provide passengers with visual, hearing and mobility impairments with exactly the support they need to use public transport independently and thus actively participate in social life.

Research Associate, Institute for Information Processing Technology (ITIV) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT )

Head of the sub-project ‘Virtual test field for the verification of networked and autonomous driving functions’ of the High-Performance Center Profile Region Mobility Systems Karlsruhe In the future, the gradual automation of vehicles will see the transfer of control and responsibility from the driver to the vehicle. Both functional safety and IT security are of central importance. The virtual test field is a development tool for making early statements about the maturity level of automated driving functions on the basis of simulations. It enables virtual testing even before the first prototypes are realized and makes an important contribution to the efficient development of safe automated vehicles.

Software Developer, synyx GmbH & Co. KG

The Automodal project is dedicated to the automation of a gantry crane, which is being converted into a prototype under the premise of “people at the terminal”. It should be able to carry out independent, automated processes while ensuring the safety of people at all times. At the same time, CO2 emissions are reduced, resulting in more sustainable logistics.

Managing Director and Founder, prenode GmbH

Artificial intelligence – “AI” for short – is revolutionizing every area of our lives. But AI needs data, and lots of it. This is why companies are collecting as much information as possible to develop even better AI. So is the AI trend inevitably leading to the birth of huge centralized data octopuses? Fortunately, there are technologies that enable the development of outstanding AI despite decentralized data storage. This presentation is therefore intended to illustrate the tension between AI and data protection on the one hand, and to present innovative techniques for finding a solution on the other.

Professor, Institute of Anthropomatics and Robotics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Junior Research Group Leader, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; Managing Director, Karlsruhe Information Technology Solutions – kites GmbH

In our interconnected world, the language barrier is one of the biggest remaining obstacles to the idea of the Global Village. The KIT Lecture Translator has set out to overcome this hurdle. Based on language translation technology developed by Prof. Alex Waibel and his team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Carnegie Mellon University for more than 30 years, it is possible to automatically translate lectures and presentations simultaneously. This technology is now also available outside the KIT via kites GmbH.

Partner Manager, AfB gGmbH

Social Media Manager, AfB gGmbH

Illegal e-waste exports and rising CO2 emissions as well as deficits in the creation of inclusive jobs and data security: the environment, society and the economy are facing many challenges with increasing digitalization. AfB gemeinnützige GmbH recognized this years ago and developed a sustainable and economical solution: ecological & social IT remarketing.