Today we’re pleased to unveil our Pioneers500 Report, a limited publication exclusive to Pioneers’18 visitors, co-authored by PwC, our key partner to the Pioneers500 program, and our consultancy arm Pioneers Discover. Visitors to Pioneers’18 in Vienna on May 24th-25th will receive a copy and gain valuable insights on not only the Pioneers500 startups who’ll be at the Hofburg, but
on startup-corporate collaboration as a whole. There’s also exciting news from last year’s winning Pioneers500 startup and for those pitching this year aiming to head to Silicon Valley…
Central to the Pioneers500 Report will be the issue of Open Innovation and how this can best be achieved by working with the kinds of quality startups such as those we’ve chosen to feature at Pioneers’18 under our Pioneers500 program.
The section authored by Pioneers Discover will break down startup-corporate collaboration into different possible formats, explore the factors critical to success and look at best practice. To illustrate this we’ll draw on examples such as the startup collaboration projects we’ve done with international corporations across a wide range of industries.
“Open Innovation approaches offer a great chance for corporates and startups to strengthen their innovation power on the market,” says Head of Pioneers Discover Anton Schilling. “They have strong complementary assets they should make use of, as the projects we have worked on in the past have shown.”
The report will also feature first-hand insights from PwC’s experience in the innovation arena: In PwC’s Experience Centers with sites in more than 20 locations worldwide a community of makers from around the world help clients with the development of innovative and digital solutions through user centricity and a focus on experience.
“Digital transformation is about people. Technology is changing the way people stay in touch, and organisations will have to respond to these changes. Our Experience Center allows companies to experience what an organisational change will mean for their customers, buyers, or employees”, says PwC’s Digital Leader Gerald Dipplinger (above).
Naturally it will also be the best possible source of information on the Pioneers500 startups themselves: look out for the infographics and statistics illustrating where these innovators come from, what they do and other key measurables.
There’ll be deeper individual introductions to the Top 50 startups, which are those chosen for the chance to pitch on stage during Pioneers’18. It’s the perfect way to get to know those whom you’ll see pitching their hearts out for the Pioneers Challenge Award, which last year went to Austrian startup Stromkind. The water drone gurus, who won a networking trip to Silicon Valley as part of their prize, are also profiled in the report.
The printed report, will be available in strategic locations around the Hofburg, including the PwC Lounge, where one of our longest-standing partner will offer a glimpse into its BXT approach to developing innovative digital solutions. You can also pick one up at the Media Lounge or the Speakers Lounge and in various other key meeting areas.
Returning to Stromkind, we’re pleased to share that our winning Pioneers500 startup from last year has just announced further success in the shape of the Joint Development Agreement they’ve signed with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), for developing autonomous electric technology solutions. The deal signed in Beijing (above) is another sign that our Pioneers Challenge Award judges were right about the relevance of autonomous technology for sea and ocean applications – and an indication of the doors that can open as a result of glory at our flagship event.
“Winning the Pioneers Challenge Award was a strong signal to our corporate partners,creating trust in Stromkind’s team and technology, says Hans Waldherr, Partner at Stromkind. “Without this it wouldn’t have been possible for us to partner with such corporate giants in the maritime and autonomous segments on a global scale in such a short time.Pioneers was also particularly helpful for us to talk with US investors and corporations. We’ve already learned a lot from this and will be investigating a US strategy.
“In 2018 we’ll keep investing in innovation and growing our team and customer base. In addition to our headquarters in Austria, later this year we’re opening of a branch office in the Mechatronics Cluster of Linköping, Sweden.”
And finally, we’re gladly announce that this year’s winning startup will also have the chance to take advantage of such a Silicon Valley networking trip with two team members. Furthermore, we are topping the prize and heading East: the Pioneer of The Year will also be offered a trip to the Techsauce Global Summit 2018 in Bangkok, organized by Techsauce, our media partner and leading source of tech and business news in Southeast Asia. This includes flights and accommodation for one person, plus a booth and pitching slot at the event.
How would your company like to meet our selected Pioneers500 startups in person? Buy tickets for Pioneers’18 here.
