On the Road to the Future: Our Start-up Cooperations of Expo 10
How can complex machines be made more comprehensible? How can food waste be prevented? And how can virtual realities become more realistic? Answers to these questions are provided by the three start-ups with which Porsche is collaborating as part of Startup Autobahn. Here we present the results of the collaborations.
Startup Autobahn is the largest European open innovation platform. It was founded in 2016 with the motivation to connect innovative startups with the topic of mobility. It combines the creative impetus of start-ups with the realization power of large corporations. In order to transform the most promising ideas into projects, the young founders at Startup Autobahn go through several phases within six months: from the first meeting to speed dating to a firm partnership for the most promising 30 startups. These then have the opportunity to implement their ideas in a 100-day pilot project with a company. The prototypes and concepts realized during this time are presented twice a year at Expo Day.
Porsche has been a cooperation partner of the innovation platform since 2017. For this year’s fifth anniversary of Startup Autobahn, Porsche presented three projects at Expo Day 10 that excellently reflect the diversity of possible applications for new technologies.
“The cooperation with Startup Autobahn is pretty strong and we’re happy members of the Global Innovators Platform.” Anja Mertens
NXRT: Virtual test drives without the risk of accidents
For example, the Austrian startup NXRT deals with augmented realities (XR) in the field of mixed reality. While vehicle simulators are usually very cost and resource-intensive, NXRT uses real vehicles as simulators. This makes test drives in real vehicles possible without the risk of accidents, and novel offerings in the field of autonomous driving can be safely tested.
“Porsche has been incredibly open and super supportive in our collaboration. They really pushed us to bring a good solution to market,” says Lukas Stranger, CEO and co-founder of the startup. And Johanna Stöber, who oversees the project at Porsche AG, is also convinced of the result: “With mixed reality and NXRT’s solution, we found a good solution for this use case.”
Delicious Data: Canteen without waste
An AI platform for process optimization in the food sector is offered by the Munich-based start-up Delicious Data. Through a machine learning algorithm, the optimal demand quantity for food can be calculated, significantly reducing overproduction and food waste. Automations and clear dashboards make planning comprehensible and easy to understand.
The solution is used, for example, in canteens, bakeries and restaurants. The ability to plan meal numbers daily increases the sustainability of companies and leads to savings and quality improvements. Porsche has piloted the AI solution and is now gradually rolling it out.
“Working with Porsche is super exciting for us as a young company,” reports Simon Einwich, who works as a senior account executive at Delicious Data. “Once because of the industry context, but of course also working with such a great team that moves the project forward together.”
Spread: Making complexity comprehensible
Porsche’s third cooperation partner is the Berlin-based startup Spread. With the help of AI, the software graphically breaks down complex machines or engines into individual parts and shows how they are connected in 3D animated visuals. These digital twins help make relationships more comprehensible and solve problems faster. These models are just as helpful for engineers as they are for technical authors.
SevenD shows Augmented Reality Wizard
The all-electric Porsche Taycan served as the test object, which also pleased Mark Siller from SevenD: “The Porsche Taycan is the electric car that everyone wants right now, and we’re lucky to be able to develop the proof-of-concept together with Porsche on this vehicle. That’s been incredibly fun.”
Whether it’s mixed reality, process optimization or 3D animation. The projects of Expo Day 10 show that Stuttgart as a startup location is back. Once again, this year, Startup Autobahn proves how valuable the cooperation of established companies and young start-ups is.
We are incredibly grateful for the many impulses of the past months and look forward to further cooperation. The next Expo Day is sure to come.
About this publication: Where innovation meets tradition. There’s more to Porsche than sports cars — we’re tackling new challenges, develop digital products, and think digital with a focus on the customer. On our Medium blog, we tell these stories. It’s about our #nextvisions, smart technologies, and the people that drive our digital journey. Please follow us on Twitter (Porsche Digital, Next Visions), Instagram (Porsche Digital, Next Visions, Porsche Newsroom), and LinkedIn (Porsche AG, Porsche Digital) for more.
