JOIN Portfolio Day: An Exciting Look Ahead for the Neue Industry
As we plunge further into 2019, we’re seeing increasingly rapid growth in European investments and industrial innovation. The fibers of the Neue Industry are taking shape in production, manufacturing, robotics and all processes that support these industries behind the scenes.
The 2019 JOIN Capital Portfolio Day was a special showcase and celebration of these exciting new developments. On March 29 at Factory Berlin, we heard presentations from our existing, growing Portfolio companies and brand new members of the JOIN family — as well as a few special guests including Joe Schorge of Isomer Capital.
Here are a few key takeaways that we learned (and reaffirmed) on Portfolio Day.
Smart buildings and factories are quietly transforming European industry while expanding globally. From Proxyclick’s large scale check-in operations at the NY Navy Yard to Prodsmart’s U.S. presence, smart building and factory management has become a truly global market. Demand for practical, real-time Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and integrated building systems are skyrocketing, as the world wakes up to exceptional user experiences that aim to simplify complex processes.
When it comes to the latter, German Bionic’s exoskeletons are a physical product to watch; the company is already seizing its niche in Europe with a mission to improve the lives of factory workers. It is also establishing a successful presence in Asia, which is a testament to the necessity of building cross-continental relationship on industrial frontiers.
AI-driven tools are mapping, restructuring and optimizing vital processes. Going beyond smart experiences and reaching maximum human potential, our portfolio companies also excel in AI-driven planning and optimization. Flexciton makes this mark in production, with advanced manufacturing scheduling technology that maps out processes and maximizes production. Codacy does it across development teams through automated code review. beWanted does it in hiring and recruitment, allowing companies to reach out to qualified candidates instead of the other way around.
The re-imagination and rebuilding of essential toolkits for industry is what allows these companies to capture their respective markets, with sights set on next-stage outcomes.
Access to customers is key. You might build a world-changing tool, but for it to make a real impact, it must land in the hands of those who need it most. Our presenting companies were asked to formulate a request (or an “Ask”) to the audience, such as “Can you introduce us to sales managers for X?” or “Do you know decision-makers in companies who would benefit from our approach?”
Because one of our primary missions as a VC is to connect startups with ideal customers — both in the German Mittelstand and across Europe — our portfolio companies know that they can innovate on a truly European level and adapt to ever-changing markets.
The future is quantum, and it’s beginning now. Dirk Wittkopp, MD of IBM Research Germany, dove into the fascinating realm of quantum computing and a follow-up discussion on real world applications of the technology. Used to solve and model complex problems that classical computers can barely touch, quantum computing works with quantum bits, or ‘qubits’, that can exist in more than one state at a time. The functionality of quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize areas such as supply chain and logistics, medicine and materials, financial services, AI and more.
What quantum computing also tells us, however, is that the landscape of industry and production will look wholly different in 5 to 10 years. We must visualize long-term to both understand and capitalize on the potential reach of current investments.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this event such a success for us and rest of the European enterprise investments ecosystem.
For more information on JOIN Capital portfolio companies or our investment thesis, please visit join.capital or drop us an email: hello@join.capital.
