- 21 hours ago
As Country of the Year 2026, Germany's startup ecosystem is among Europe's most dynamic, built on deep public-private collaboration, world-class research institutions, and a rapidly expanding deep-tech and AI landscape. What does it take for founders, investors, corporates, and policymakers to translate these structural strengths into globally competitive innovation? How can Germany, alongside its European partners, cut through fragmentation, scale its advantages, and assert Europe's sovereignty in the global technology race? For Germany, and for Europe, the stakes could not be higher.
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TechTranscript
00:00Good morning, Paris. Viva Tech is on.
00:05Europe's biggest tech and startup event has officially kicked off this morning here in Paris.
00:13Now, would you believe that 10 years ago, this whole thing was just an idea written down on a napkin?
00:21And here we are, a decade down the line, in an event space with three floors, 15,000 startups, and
00:30visitors from 171 countries.
00:35From 45,000 of you to over 180,000. Now, that's what compounding looks like.
00:43Over the next few days, we have some fantastic guests and great lineups here on this stage to stay updated
00:52on the Viva Tech app.
00:54Now, let's move on to our next session.
00:59Now, when you think of German engineering, what's the very first thing that comes to your mind?
01:07I know that I, I'm a motorsports journalist, so of course, I would say cars.
01:13But the next discussion will make you think differently, to start thinking software.
01:20For our next discussion, please welcome Jan-Henrik Leiss, CEO and co-founder of Electron.
01:26Deepa Gautam Nigga, VP Corporate Development and Investments at SAP.
01:31Sebastian Borek, Managing Director of HDGF.
01:35Helen Uby, founder and CEO of the Lexploration Company.
01:38In conversation with Micah Knight, Founder and Managing Director of Embassidy.
02:05It's fantastic to be here for us this morning.
02:08We were just discussing just how amazing it is that Viva Tech is already turning 10 years old this year.
02:17And I want to ask the question real quick.
02:19Who of you has been here for 10 years already?
02:23Who has come to every single Viva Tech?
02:26I'm seeing some hands going up there.
02:28This is absolutely fantastic.
02:29The photographer has also been with us since year one.
02:32And who's here for the very first time, ladies and gentlemen?
02:35Who is here for the first time?
02:36Welcome and bienvenue already some of my speakers and well.
02:40The reason I'm asking this is that Germany has come to Viva Tech for nine consecutive years.
02:48It's our ninth time.
02:50And as our Minister Wildberger has already said, we are of course deeply humbled.
02:54We are very grateful for this year to be country of the year, partnering country.
03:00It means a lot to us, and we've come here really with our arms very wide open to invite you
03:06to speak to our startups,
03:08to pitch to our investors, to start new projects with our corporates.
03:13That's just the first key message I want to say before starting the discussion.
03:17The second one is, our Minister has also said that already,
03:21we are placing this country of the year in the context of the greater European conversation.
03:29This is not to just champion us and celebrate us as an ecosystem.
03:34This is really to put forward the question, what role can Germany play in the greater European tech agenda?
03:43What must we do to produce European tech champions together?
03:48Not only for ourselves, but also obviously for other countries that will hopefully work with our solutions.
03:55So this is the discussion we are looking to have.
03:58And with that, I'm sitting down and I'm looking towards my speakers,
04:02because I think one thing is clear, we've brought very different perspectives here.
04:06The VC is there, corporate is there, two founders.
04:10And we acknowledge just how different we are, but I think we're all very much united by tech
04:16and excited to kick off that conversation of what that means to push that European agenda a little bit further.
04:23We want to start with the German ecosystem and look a little bit of where we are standing right now
04:29and then move on to the European stage and then even look obviously at the global perspective as well.
04:35But let us start with the status quo.
04:37Maybe if we do a quick round, a blitzrunde we would say in Germany, where are we at?
04:42Because the MC was just saying, you know, the immediate thought is industrial backbone of Europe.
04:49What does the startup and innovation ecosystem have that is unique to Germany?
04:55As you just said, the industrial backbone of the mighty Mittelstand, so kind of the strength.
05:01Also, these were startups in their early days.
05:05And I think what is very unique is the roots in the deep industry within Germany.
05:13And this is something where, as you can see, the startup landscape, how it evolves,
05:17it always evolves around these deep tech topics.
05:23Helen is one of our most prominent startup founders at the moment, building reusable spacecrafts.
05:31We're going to talk about your startup in a little bit, but tell us what makes the ecosystem stand out.
05:36Because you could have founded the company somewhere else, but you did go to Munich.
05:41Yeah, so we founded the company in Germany and France at the same time, and we headquartered the company in
05:46Munich.
05:47Munich is a very special ecosystem.
05:49I think it's going to become kind of the Silicon Valley of Europe.
05:52Because you have a very, very strong university, which is called TUM, so Technical University of Munich,
05:57where you not only learn technical stuff, but you learn how to build stuff with your hands.
06:02And this is very important.
06:04We are a space company, so we are hiring people who are not just like bright engineers,
06:09but are people who can build.
06:11So that's one very strong strength of Germany, having redeveloped this mindset,
06:16not only technical knowledge, but also building knowledge and entrepreneurial knowledge or entrepreneurial energy.
06:21And the second thing, which I think is very strong indeed, is this industrial tradition.
06:26Munich is also well known for the automotive industry.
06:29And if we look at space in defense, one of the big challenges we have in front of us is
06:34scale.
06:34How to produce at scale with the right processes at a time when Musk is flying more than 200 rockets
06:42per year approximately.
06:44So it means we are not producing the rocket the same way,
06:48and we are actually reusing this automotive knowledge to scale the space industry.
06:54Fantastic.
06:55Sebastian, 3 billion volume investment, HTGF is currently having under its belly, I should say,
07:02not only investing in German, but also European startups.
07:06But what moves they need for you in Germany right now?
07:09Well, I also believe that the scientific landscape is a hidden opportunity,
07:14but it needs to be combined with entrepreneurial talent from all over the world.
07:19Germans are builders.
07:21Once they know what they do, they figure it out.
07:23They can really scale fast.
07:24And I think the temperature is right.
07:27We're going to kick some butt soon.
07:32Jan, quantum computing made in Siegen.
07:36Not many people will know Siegen, but I think this could also be named as one of the strengths as
07:40Germany,
07:41that Berlin is far from being just the startup capital.
07:45What we've managed quite well is build these small hubs,
07:48different regions in Germany that really have come out strongly.
07:51But tell us from your perspective what has made you become a successful entrepreneur where you are right now.
07:59Well, I mean, it's deep tech, right?
08:02And in the beginning of deep tech, it's always tech, right?
08:06So we are a spin-off of University of Siegen, and Siegen is, of course, the European capital of quantum
08:12computing.
08:13Probably you all already knew.
08:16So I do truly believe in the power of decentralized deep tech.
08:20So there are so many universities, chairs, institutes, and so on, and so many interesting ideas.
08:28And I think we need to enable these to be decentralized, and not only in Paris, in Munich, in Berlin,
08:36wherever,
08:36but in the middle of nowhere, and still it needs to work, right?
08:40So with Electron, we have been found in 2020 by two professors,
08:45and I think the most important topic is to mix technical expertise
08:51and all that what's behind these professor tech hats with business acumen.
09:00That was the main topic, and at that point of time was me.
09:05I dropped into that topic by accident from one day to the other with the idea of, okay, they need
09:11a business plan.
09:12And I became a co-founder, and I think that is, and over the last years,
09:18I have been in contact with so many deep tech startups,
09:21and most of them are struggling to really grab someone out of the business world
09:27and then try to reach the stars and do whatever is needed.
09:31And I think then lots of mindset needs to be in this team out of tech specialists plus business acumen.
09:41Plus the business acumen, okay.
09:43Since you were mentioning a little bit going towards the struggles that you've also encountered,
09:47tell us a little bit about really, from a founder's perspective,
09:50structural things that we still have to overcome in order to produce even stronger startups,
09:56potentially, you know, the next tech champions that we're hopefully going to see.
10:01Yeah.
10:02Well, structural topics.
10:05I truly believe in Europe, but we are 27 states.
10:11And when you then, for example, talk about Germany,
10:14then we talk about all these little cities, countries inside Germany.
10:19So it's really, really complex.
10:22It's very fragmented.
10:22And I would say startups, scale-ups in Europe need to overcome that.
10:29Because when we talk about scale-up capital, then usually capital is for one region,
10:37or it's for France, it's for whatever, right?
10:40And when we then talk about, and I think that is also the biggest topic, it's mindset, right?
10:48We need to truly believe in what is possible to do.
10:53Yes, we can reach the stars, right?
10:56And that's not, I would say, especially not the German mindset,
11:01but I would say this mindset needs to grow all over Europe,
11:05and we need to have this united idea to grow.
11:09And then we can talk about procurement, that we truly believe in new ideas.
11:17And with this mindset, we buy new technology.
11:20We can talk about talent mobility.
11:23So I think talent inside Europe needs to move as quickly as ideas.
11:27Okay.
11:28Right?
11:28Yeah.
11:29That goes down the road of that harmonization that you speak about within Germany already,
11:33but then the harmonization that we're now discussing with EU, Inc., for example,
11:38that's really going to happen across, hopefully, as an ambition, across Europe.
11:43But, Helene, you have built a truly impressive company.
11:48You're already 500 people, and you just told me that you've secured contracts
11:54worth 2 billion euros already, which is fantastic.
11:58And this is by having a pan-European thought at the DNA of your company.
12:06So tell us a little bit what has, how did you do that from the very start
12:11to really set up Europe-wide, but also what were kind of the challenges
12:16that you were encountering on that journey?
12:20Yeah.
12:20So indeed, we are building a global leader with European Roots.
12:23And so for the ones who do not know the exploration company,
12:27we are building the first ever European reusable capsule to send stuff
12:32and also astronauts to space.
12:34And we unveiled last week because the business of the capsule is now fully secured.
12:38You heard we have won about 2 billions in contract, like signed contract,
12:44won contract, so these are like firm commitments.
12:46I want to insist on that.
12:48The business is fully secured.
12:49And then we've unveiled last week at ILA, which is the big German aerospace,
12:54a model of the biggest rocket engine ever built in Europe.
12:58Because not only we are winning contract in the U.S. against SpaceX for the capsule,
13:02but we want to challenge also SpaceX on the rocket side,
13:04rooted here in Europe, but serving the world.
13:07So that's what we're doing.
13:08Here's for the mindset of, you know, getting the stuff.
13:12As I said, we started a company between Germany and France.
13:17And we've opened in Italy, we're opening in Spain in June.
13:22And why?
13:22Because it has pros and cons, of course.
13:24And at the beginning, people are saying,
13:25oh, you need to build a German champion.
13:28Or, oh, you need to build a French champion.
13:30And I said, no, I want to build a global champion with European Roots.
13:35And in the space business, and this is true also for many, many deep tech business,
13:39at the end of the day, if we want to work with the nations in Europe,
13:43we have to embody this European dream, this collaboration across countries.
13:47And at the same time, we shall be able to speak national languages.
13:50Like, why do I bring to Germany?
13:52What do we bring to France?
13:53What do I bring to Italy, et cetera?
13:56So what we did is, in every country,
13:59we tried to choose the best talent of the country.
14:02Germany, amazing for electronics, for example,
14:05because of all the automotive suppliers, Bosch, and you name it.
14:09So all our avionics is based in Germany.
14:12Germany is amazing for CO production.
14:15The final production line is based in Germany.
14:17France is the first and only country in Europe
14:20who is building ballistic missiles.
14:23And this is why, for the re-entry of the capsule,
14:25the whole technology is based in Bordeaux,
14:27which is the heart of that know-how in France and in Europe, et cetera, et cetera.
14:31Life support system is built in Italy.
14:33So we've tried to have, in every country, basically,
14:36the center of excellence,
14:37which really unleashes the talent of that country.
14:41And, yes, it's not easy,
14:42because it means disoptimizing the company.
14:46But the way we get freedom
14:48is that we start everything we do with private financing.
14:52So we started a capsule for people,
14:5450K in the bank account.
14:56And then we raised a lot of money,
14:58Bigger C, Bigger Series A, Bigger Series B,
15:00we raised in Europe.
15:01And then we shaped, I would say,
15:03the European Space Strategy together,
15:05the governments and the European Space Agency.
15:07And this is not the way people do things normally in space.
15:11I would say some historic players,
15:13they would not start big things
15:15before the governments have agreed.
15:18And if you start waiting for public money,
15:20then you're going to end up
15:21with a disoptimized industrial setup.
15:24Because then Germany will tell,
15:25I want to have that technology in my country.
15:27But if you start with private money,
15:29you choose your setup.
15:30And afterwards, you go to government,
15:33you convince them to be your anchor client.
15:37This is why we have, you know,
15:38that many contracts being signed.
15:40And I don't want to be too long,
15:42but I think this is really a way forward,
15:43not only for space, but also for defense.
15:45And it makes me very happy
15:47that so many founders now, you know,
15:49are here with bold ambitions,
15:51not only national ambitions,
15:53but really European ambitions.
15:55Fantastic. Thank you so much.
15:57And yeah, I think just having built here
16:01and having decided for the location
16:03and then spreading that European narrative
16:05is something very important.
16:06I would also argue
16:07that we have a lot more of these examples
16:09that we sometimes think.
16:11Mistral probably 10 years ago
16:12or would not have chosen Paris
16:14if it hadn't been for the effort
16:16in the European ecosystem
16:17that has been taking place.
16:19And I think France
16:20is already doing a fantastic job,
16:22especially building that talent ecosystem
16:24around Paris, for example.
16:27But tell me, Sebastian,
16:28because I know that scaling topic,
16:31the money question comes very fast,
16:34of course,
16:35that a lot of startup founders
16:37are complaining.
16:37I mean, Helena was able
16:39to raise private money,
16:40but a lot of founders aren't.
16:43They have to go to the US,
16:44maybe to England,
16:45to do the big tickets.
16:47Do you feel that this is already changing
16:48and that more private sector capital,
16:51for example, pension funds
16:52are being unlocked?
16:53Or are we still doing,
16:55you know, Mickey Mouse numbers here?
16:57I mean, the topic of having
16:59enough growth capital has been,
17:01since I've been in the internet,
17:03has been always an issue.
17:04It can't be enough capital.
17:06Of course, we need a good infrastructure,
17:08but most important,
17:09and Helene is the best example,
17:11and we're a very proud investor
17:13and honored to be supporting your journey.
17:15It's about ambition.
17:17It's about moonshot thinking.
17:19It's about just doing it.
17:22And I think if we disrail the discussion,
17:27okay, we need an IPO exit market
17:30in Europe and stuff like,
17:31yes, this is all right,
17:32but I think if I could choose
17:33between mindset and money,
17:35I would rather go for mindset
17:36because the right people always get money.
17:39And so I think we have to really start
17:42from what we actually really need
17:45and ambition, moonshot thinking,
17:47mindset, just doing it.
17:48And as you see,
17:50she's secured two billion,
17:51you know, contracted signs.
17:54It's possible.
17:54And using Europe as a very diverse,
17:58you know, platform where you can pick
18:01and choose from every country
18:03the best resources for your project.
18:06This is amazing.
18:08Yeah, and this is a very different mindset,
18:10right?
18:11You could call this a weakness,
18:13or you could have the mindset of thinking,
18:15this is fantastic.
18:15You've raised from Swedish investors here,
18:18from Balderton there,
18:19you know, from maybe five different countries,
18:20and they are at one hour of flight time
18:24potentially to travel to.
18:26In terms of capital,
18:27because there's one side I'm representing,
18:29but essentially, you know,
18:31the last round of Entropic
18:32was 65, 63 billion, one ticket.
18:35I don't know,
18:35it was a serious Z, whatever,
18:37Z round.
18:39Quite impressive.
18:40That's the total venture capital investment
18:44of one year in all startups in Europe.
18:47So, somebody needed to be quite brave
18:50to write this check.
18:52We have to, you know,
18:54also have a moonshot thinking
18:56on the investor's side.
18:58Right.
18:58Put the money on the table,
18:59and we know what's happening.
19:01Space is happening,
19:02AI is happening,
19:03energy is happening.
19:04Quantum is sitting next to you.
19:06Yeah, quantum, sorry.
19:06He raised 57, hey?
19:08I was already asking this morning
19:10if we can invest, so...
19:11I can fight for myself.
19:15But Deepa, I think you wanted to go in,
19:17and I hear that private sector thought
19:19probably is being elaborated on.
19:22Yeah, I can add to that
19:23as a corporate investor, actually,
19:26but it's also, as you said,
19:28I think it's,
19:29you need to choose
19:31between money and mindset.
19:32I would say, kind of,
19:34it's about the mindset,
19:35how to spend the money,
19:36even, yeah, across Europe.
19:39Actually, money is available,
19:40but even large pension funds
19:42rather invest into brick and mortar
19:44than into innovative companies
19:47and startups,
19:48and I think we need to
19:49break that mold somehow.
19:51And, as I said,
19:53speaking as a corporate investor,
19:55also trying to really flank
19:58also partnerships with investment,
20:00not only putting money on the table,
20:03but also kind of see
20:05how does the money
20:06has fuels structures
20:08and amplifies structures
20:11that are in place
20:12and help scaling.
20:14Janji, do you want to...
20:15So, maybe two topics.
20:19I think clarity
20:20about what we are talking,
20:22and I think that needs to be clear
20:23for everybody here in the room,
20:25and then, second,
20:27how to solve that.
20:29When we talk about deep tech,
20:30it's the only path to go
20:32for Europe.
20:34There is no other opportunity.
20:38And I do love that there are affairs
20:41like ViverTech and other stuff,
20:44and I do like that politicians
20:46are on the stage,
20:48Wildbaker today here,
20:49and so on.
20:51But the topic is much, much bigger.
20:54It needs to be the everyday topic
20:57of, at least here in France,
20:58because I have the feeling
21:00that Macron has somewhere
21:03on his desk
21:04the topic startups
21:06in his everyday life.
21:08Whether we in Germany
21:10with Merz have that,
21:11I'm not sure.
21:13And I'm not sure
21:13whether that's the fact
21:15for the other European countries.
21:16But that's the only way to go.
21:18Yeah.
21:19Yeah.
21:20You all need to understand that,
21:22and we need to fight for that.
21:24And then,
21:24talking about money,
21:26okay,
21:27I'm sick of talking about money,
21:29and I'm fed up with it,
21:30and it can't be that,
21:33and I'm talking with many
21:34deep tech startups,
21:35it can't be that we need
21:38to fight for money
21:39with more power,
21:41more capacity,
21:43and so on,
21:45then we work on the tech side.
21:48I don't know
21:49whether you are all aware of that,
21:50but that is my feeling.
21:52And it needs to be totally different.
21:55We need money,
21:57politics,
21:58and so on,
21:58need to take care of that.
22:00We need money,
22:01leave us alone
22:02with our technology,
22:04and we need to work on tech,
22:07not working on
22:08how to fundraise,
22:09with which investor,
22:11who wants,
22:12and whatever.
22:13Right?
22:14And then,
22:15it's not all about grants.
22:18Grants are really nice,
22:20but it's only a piece,
22:22a brick in the wall.
22:23What we need
22:24are corporates
22:25who love this game,
22:28who love tech,
22:29who go for it,
22:31who stop buying IBM
22:33again and again.
22:36Everybody is talking about deep tech,
22:38everybody is crying at home,
22:40oh, Europe,
22:41we fall apart,
22:42whatever,
22:43but fight for it.
22:46We got it.
22:47Thank you so much
22:48for making that point,
22:49Jan.
22:49This is your applause.
22:50Come on,
22:51let's get some
22:53clarity
22:54and call to action
22:55on the table.
22:57I would love to talk a little bit
22:59because obviously
23:00we had the massive outcry
23:01last week
23:02with Anthropik
23:04having to shut down,
23:05shut off Fable 5,
23:07Mythos 5.
23:08So let us discuss
23:10the topic of European digital sovereignty
23:12for a little bit.
23:13There has been
23:14a big
23:15and I think
23:15very successful
23:16summit taking place.
23:18It was co-hosted
23:18by France
23:19and Germany
23:20in November
23:20on the very topic.
23:21what does that mean
23:23in the era of AI
23:27really
23:28when we're talking
23:29European sovereignty?
23:31Deepa,
23:31get us some of your thoughts.
23:33Yeah,
23:33and I think
23:34it's important
23:35that we now can see
23:37because of the evidence
23:38of last week
23:39that now everybody
23:40sees that
23:42deep tech,
23:43AI
23:43is kind of
23:44a critical infrastructure
23:46like energy,
23:47supply
23:47or defense
23:49because I don't think
23:50the mindset was there
23:51some years
23:52or even some weeks ago
23:54and that was a
23:56kind of a drastic moment
23:58to see that.
23:59But on the other hand
24:01it's kind of
24:01the first reflex
24:04and that is also
24:05what Carsten Wildberger
24:06said previously
24:07that everybody thinks
24:09about sovereignty
24:10is something about isolation
24:11but it's not.
24:12It's just about
24:14kind of managing the risk
24:16and using
24:17kind of trustworthiness
24:19and compliance
24:21and integrity
24:22as a competitive advantage
24:23and really
24:24see how to
24:27access to
24:29either compute
24:30or data models
24:31and kind of manage
24:32the risk
24:32and maintain
24:34the competitive mode
24:36on that end
24:37from a local level.
24:39And maybe SIP did
24:41what Jan was
24:42just mentioning
24:43because you did
24:44sign a big partnership
24:46with Mistral
24:48for instance
24:49in November.
24:50And also
24:50this is kind of
24:51our take
24:53or SAP's take
24:54how to
24:54balance it
24:55so there is
24:56we are kind of
24:57embracing the ecosystem
24:59getting
25:00having the opportunity
25:01and also giving
25:02our customers
25:02the opportunity
25:03to bring on
25:04whatever model
25:05whatever
25:08company
25:08or something
25:09they want to work with
25:10whatever
25:10basic technology
25:12but on the other hand
25:13we are delivering
25:14standards
25:15how to
25:16rather scale.
25:17Very interesting.
25:19What does that mean
25:20to you
25:20Helen
25:21especially in your field
25:22when we are talking
25:23sovereignty
25:24given the geopolitical
25:26implications
25:27that your field
25:28really always
25:29comes with?
25:30Yeah.
25:31So I mean
25:32we all know
25:32that space
25:33has become
25:34absolutely key
25:35to defend ourselves
25:37and so
25:38sovereignty
25:38actually
25:39I like
25:40the word
25:41autonomy
25:42autonomy
25:43means
25:43we have
25:44in Europe
25:44the needed
25:45capabilities
25:46to defend
25:47ourselves
25:47right
25:48to protect
25:48our values
25:49which is about
25:50democracy
25:50which is about
25:51enlightenment
25:52so science
25:53is more important
25:54than propaganda
25:54for example
25:56and which is about
25:57working together
25:58and the first thing
26:00we need
26:00regarding space
26:01of course
26:02is access to space
26:03and here
26:04I really want
26:04to insist
26:05because like
26:05we can have
26:06like plenty
26:06of satellites
26:07the satellites
26:07are useful
26:08because of course
26:09with Earth
26:10observation satellites
26:11you can understand
26:12you know
26:12what the other
26:13countries are doing
26:14and with communication
26:15satellites
26:15you basically
26:16you communicate
26:16with your people
26:17on ground
26:18the aircraft
26:19the drones
26:19etc
26:19and with
26:20positioning satellites
26:22I mean
26:23it's absolutely
26:23needed for
26:24to a certain extent
26:25now for drones
26:26but access to space
26:28is really the enabling
26:29of all of that
26:31and we need
26:32not only access
26:33to space
26:33but we need
26:34affordable access
26:35to space
26:36if we think
26:37about a global
26:38champion
26:39with European routes
26:41one name
26:41comes to my mind
26:42it's Airbus
26:44and Airbus
26:45is not producing
26:45one Airbus aircraft
26:47ten times the cost
26:49of one Boeing aircraft
26:50for the same performance
26:53but for some reason
26:54we are accepting that
26:56in the space sector
26:57and that's why
26:58we decided
26:59to change
26:59that statu quo
27:00and to come now
27:02with you know
27:03first step of course
27:03seize the engine
27:04and then hopefully
27:05afterwards a big rocket
27:06but we need in Europe
27:07not only to say
27:08hey we are building
27:09for Europe
27:11it's very important
27:12to provide
27:13to our governments
27:14to provide
27:14to our defense
27:16to our troops
27:17to the people
27:18who basically
27:19fight on the ground
27:19to protect our values
27:21to provide them
27:21with capacities
27:22which are
27:23not only the best
27:24from a technical
27:25point of view
27:25but the best
27:27from a price
27:29slash competence
27:31and performance
27:32point of view
27:33and we are not
27:33there yet
27:35and that's why
27:36I think what Germany
27:36is doing
27:37and also France
27:38has started
27:39to do it more
27:40and more
27:40is to open
27:41the competition
27:41between historic
27:43players
27:44and start-ups
27:45I'm not saying
27:46start-ups are better
27:47than historic players
27:48I'm not saying
27:48historic players
27:49are better than start-ups
27:50they both have
27:50pros and cons
27:51but the simple fact
27:52of doing what
27:53the United States
27:53have done
27:54since more than
27:5515 years
27:55to open that competition
27:58this is very healthy
28:00and this is really
28:01a new trend
28:02that we are seeing now
28:03and one euro
28:05of contract
28:06given by the government
28:07to a start-up
28:07unlocks 5 to 10 euro
28:09of investment
28:11enabling that growth
28:12and enabling that
28:13started to become
28:14a challenger
28:15and to grow
28:16so new competencies
28:17and this is
28:18what we need to do
28:19more and more
28:19here in Europe
28:20for the best
28:21of the historic players
28:22and I'm a very proud
28:23child of Airbus
28:24and Ariane
28:25and also for the best
28:26of the start-up
28:26ecosystem
28:27this is reinforcing
28:28each another
28:29and I really want
28:30to shed also
28:31some light on
28:32as you just said
28:33affordable access
28:34to space
28:35that is one
28:35what we really need
28:36but also for all
28:37the founders
28:38here in the room
28:39what kind of
28:40what an amazing
28:41opportunity
28:42this will offer
28:43once there is
28:44affordable access
28:46to space
28:46what kind of
28:47business models
28:48we can come up
28:50with
28:50that you
28:51yeah you can
28:53just that can
28:53fuel your fantasy
28:55and bring new
28:56topics on
28:57that is a huge
28:58opportunity
28:59I think
28:59it's all about
29:00an ecosystem
29:01play
29:01as we've just
29:02talked about
29:03decentralized
29:04tech ecosystems
29:06and tech hubs
29:07that needs to align
29:08but on the other
29:09hand it's kind of
29:10even if there is
29:11a new basic
29:12technology
29:12like AI
29:13like kind of
29:14topics like
29:15space
29:16that opens up
29:17huge opportunities
29:18for either
29:19suppliers
29:20there are kind of
29:22regulator topics
29:23there might be
29:24lawyers
29:24be specialized
29:25in topics
29:27that regulate
29:29business models
29:30you cannot even
29:31think of
29:32right now
29:33so I think
29:34also this
29:34shedding a light
29:35on whatever
29:36comes up
29:37is a huge
29:38opportunity
29:38not only
29:39from a
29:40value
29:41and integrity
29:42perspective
29:42for Europe
29:45but it's also
29:46a huge potential
29:47for economic growth
29:48which also
29:49is kind of
29:50a foundation
29:51to protect
29:52our values
29:53we have to
29:54come to an end
29:55but I think
29:55very very important
29:57points that were
29:58raised here
29:58at the very end
29:59and I think
29:59Helene this is
30:00a fantastic
30:01example of what
30:02you are showing
30:02with your company
30:03that kind of
30:05speaks to the
30:05mindset topic
30:06Sebastian
30:06that you were
30:07mentioning before
30:08it's not that
30:09we are just
30:10competing in the
30:11race
30:11I think to
30:12give a European
30:14stamp
30:14our own take
30:16on building
30:17smarter solution
30:18not you know
30:20burning cash
30:20like open AI
30:21is at the
30:22moment
30:22for example
30:23the interoperability
30:24that you have
30:26you know
30:26a launcher
30:27agnostic system
30:28that is something
30:29that makes it
30:29a lot smarter
30:30than maybe
30:31you know
30:31what the big
30:32corporates have
30:33built over the
30:34years
30:34and if we think
30:35in what is
30:36that smartness
30:39USP
30:39that we can
30:40bring to the
30:40table
30:41I think
30:42that combined
30:44with the European
30:44values that we
30:46have
30:46this is really
30:46going to move
30:47the needle
30:47for us
30:48just not just
30:49competing with
30:50a lot of
30:50cash
30:51you know
30:51in races
30:52that may
30:53not ever
30:54be won
30:55this would be
30:56I don't know
30:56Sebastian
30:57if you could
30:57comment on that
30:58we have to
30:59come to
31:00quickly
31:01we have to
31:01choose our
31:02battles
31:03wisely
31:03I mean
31:04right now
31:04we're following
31:05we try to
31:05oh we missed
31:06out here
31:07we missed
31:07out that
31:07we need
31:08to identify
31:09what we want
31:10to do
31:10where we want
31:11to go
31:11and then
31:12focus on it
31:13and become
31:14the best
31:15in that field
31:16and I think
31:17this is the most
31:18important
31:18and that's
31:19actually about
31:20sovereignty as well
31:21we lost that
31:23for a long time
31:23we have to
31:24acknowledge
31:24that we lived
31:25in a globalized
31:26world
31:26there was
31:27on trust
31:27but a lot
31:28of trust
31:28relationships
31:29are not there
31:30anymore
31:30so now
31:30we are a little
31:31bit in panic
31:32oh my god
31:33where do we
31:33get the chips
31:34where do we
31:34get the raw
31:35material
31:35and so forth
31:36oh how do
31:36we get
31:37sovereignty
31:37well
31:38not so easy
31:40right now
31:40but in the future
31:41yes
31:42and it's just
31:42starting
31:43AI is coming
31:44the world
31:44will be turned
31:45upside down
31:46in two years
31:47maybe
31:47Antropic
31:48is not
31:50working anymore
31:50because there's
31:51a new algorithm
31:52coming around
31:52this is all
31:53possible
31:53so it's all
31:54about just
31:55picking your
31:55battles
31:56and focusing
31:57in and just
31:57growing the
31:58business from
31:58there
31:58and by the
31:59way
32:00for example
32:01Fraunhofer
32:01Gesellschaft
32:02has already
32:03built their
32:03own LLM
32:04it's trained
32:05in 24
32:05European languages
32:06but people
32:07don't know
32:08about it
32:08so I'm like
32:08this is such
32:09a smart
32:09much smaller
32:11but better
32:11trained solution
32:13you know
32:13so let's
32:14get the
32:14word out
32:15we invest
32:16in a lot
32:16of AI
32:17even large
32:17language models
32:18and we're
32:19doing due
32:19diligence
32:19and I said
32:20yeah but
32:20you know
32:20entropic
32:21is better
32:22and the
32:22scientist
32:23says yes
32:23but we have
32:24this and
32:24this
32:25we have to
32:26believe in
32:26ourselves
32:27there's something
32:27more coming
32:28and that's
32:28most important
32:29let the
32:30founders
32:30found and
32:31start and
32:32support them
32:32but the
32:33whole society
32:34every company
32:35needs to give
32:35them contracts
32:36the politics
32:37needs to
32:37celebrate
32:38them
32:38celebrate
32:38entrepreneurship
32:39I mean
32:40it's a race
32:41it's a race
32:41for the future
32:42and a race
32:43for our children
32:44that has been
32:45just started
32:45and it's
32:47fascinating
32:48to be in
32:49that time
32:49you know
32:50but we have
32:51to understand
32:51that we are
32:52in this race
32:53and not just
32:53looking oh
32:54what's happening
32:55around us
32:55I think you
32:56just started
32:56the round
32:57of closing
32:57words
32:58so Jan
32:59because this
33:00was like
33:00the call
33:01to action
33:01I feel like
33:02from Sebastian
33:02what would
33:03be your
33:03closing word
33:04that one
33:05thing
33:05that we
33:06should really
33:06leave this
33:07stage with
33:08for our
33:08audience
33:10well
33:10now I would
33:11love to
33:12start talking
33:13about quantum
33:14computing
33:14and explain
33:15to everybody
33:16how that
33:16works
33:17and what
33:17that will
33:18bring to
33:19us
33:19and so on
33:20but I think
33:20it's something
33:21much much
33:21bigger
33:22I think
33:22it's not
33:23about industry
33:24politics anymore
33:25I think it's
33:26about technology
33:27politics
33:28and I think
33:29technology is
33:30the new
33:30currency we
33:31have
33:31there are
33:32already
33:32countries
33:33which don't
33:34receive the
33:35fastest chips
33:36today
33:37right
33:37and when
33:38we now
33:38talk about
33:39sovereignty
33:40and for me
33:41sovereignty
33:41is to be
33:42able to
33:43survive
33:43without any
33:44help
33:44right
33:45and I
33:46think we
33:47as Europe
33:47and every
33:48country
33:49has its
33:50own
33:51problems
33:51usually
33:52it's
33:52old
33:53economy
33:54far right
33:55politics
33:56and so on
33:57right
33:57but we
33:58somehow need
33:59to bring
33:59that together
34:00because that's
34:01the only
34:01possibility
34:02to survive
34:03and to
34:04build this
34:06this small
34:07plant of
34:09sovereignty
34:09and do
34:10it
34:12yeah
34:12I think
34:13do it
34:14is the
34:14main topic
34:14because we
34:15have everything
34:16thank you
34:16very quickly
34:17Helen and
34:18then Deepa
34:18as we have
34:19to make
34:20room for
34:20actually
34:21Helen you
34:21could almost
34:21stay put
34:22here on
34:23this stage
34:23hey
34:25it's a
34:26NASA
34:26astronaut
34:27afterwards
34:28and Jeff
34:29Bessos
34:30following us
34:31here on
34:31this topic
34:32with the
34:33spaceship
34:35so perhaps
34:37three very
34:38quick calls
34:39to action
34:39two are
34:40important for
34:41the whole
34:41ecosystem
34:42the first
34:43one is we
34:43really need
34:44to work
34:44together
34:45and it's
34:46true for
34:46politicians
34:46it's true
34:47for entrepreneurs
34:48we are at
34:49a time
34:50because of
34:51the wars
34:51at our
34:52frontier
34:52where this
34:54is the
34:54moment to
34:54prove to
34:55our
34:55children
34:55and our
34:56citizens
34:56what
34:57Europe
34:57is
34:57about
34:59and if
35:00we work
35:01only
35:02with this
35:03nationalism
35:03spirit
35:04we already
35:05experience
35:05twice in
35:06Europe
35:07the horrors
35:08that this
35:09will bring
35:10so let's
35:11please work
35:12together
35:12and this
35:13is not
35:13only true
35:14for
35:14politicians
35:14this is
35:15true for
35:15every
35:15entrepreneur
35:16every
35:16CEO
35:17I had
35:18the choice
35:18to build
35:19a French
35:19company
35:20or German
35:20company
35:20I decided
35:21to build
35:22a European
35:22company
35:22it is
35:23while sharing
35:24dual use
35:25technologies
35:25together
35:26across
35:26countries
35:27that we
35:28will
35:29demonstrate
35:29to our
35:30children
35:30and the
35:31European
35:31citizens
35:32what Europe
35:32is about
35:33we need
35:33to get
35:33off stage
35:34yeah
35:34and I
35:35will
35:36just close
35:37it out
35:37it's all
35:37about the
35:38ecosystem
35:38just to
35:39summarize
35:39it
35:41fantastic
35:41thank you
35:42so much
35:42to all
35:42of us
35:43this is
35:43your applause
35:46thank you
35:46for having
35:47us
35:47we wish
35:48you a
35:48fantastic
35:49day
35:49bye
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