Organised by the major German media WirtschaftsWoche , Handelsblatt , Tagesspiegel and DIE ZEIT , the GIGA Summit took place at 3,000 metres above sea level on 9 and 10 November 2017 in Sölden. After our victory at the NEUMACHER Founder Award of WirtschaftsWoche , we were given the chance to participate in this highly exciting event.
50 entrepreneurs, visionaries and lateral thinkers discussed the digital future of Germany. Among many other interesting discussion partners, we also met Dr Till Reuter (CEO KUKA), Hannes Amtsreiter (CEO Vodafone), Janina Kugel (CHO Siemens), Johann Jungwirth (VW digital boss), Alexander Schütz (supervisory board of Deutsche Bank) and many more. The talks and discussions were moderated by the publishers and editors-in-chief of the major media, including Dr Miriam Meckel (publisher of WirtschaftsWoche) and Gabor Steingart (publisher of Handelsblatt).
During the two eventful days, we were able to learn a lot about visions for the future of a digital and progressive Germany and what tasks, among others, young start-ups have to fulfil in order to realise this goal. Our hand therapy splint can be classified as telemedicine, as patients can train their fingers at home and their therapist can make changes to the device settings remotely via an app. Beyond the medical technology sector, we were also able to gain deep insights into other exciting areas: How will the German automotive industry change in times of electric cars, car sharing and autonomous driving? How can the state further advance the expansion of the fibre optic network? What problems need to be solved in terms of digital campaigning? Political issues were not neglected either: How is the inner human longing to be needed compatible with an unconditional basic income?
Large gatherings of entrepreneurs and young founders like at the GIGA Summit are a perfect opportunity for us to expand our network. We leave Sölden full of new experiences and inspiration and are already looking forward to the next event!
The Tagesspiegel has published an extensive article on the GIGA summit in Sölden.
