HEC Paris at Slush’d Heilbronn: Paving the Way for European Innovation with One Shared Vision

On October 24, 2024, Slush’d Heilbronn brought together some of the brightest minds in the startup ecosystem. Organized by Campus Founders and supported by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, the event gathered a global audience of innovative startups, investors, corporates, and aspiring entrepreneurs. With over 300 startups, 1,000 attendees, and 150 corporations, Slush’d Heilbronn celebrated the spirit of innovation and a shared vision for a collaborative future. Under the theme One Shared Vision, the event highlighted the importance of uniting ecosystems and connecting the dots across borders.

Representing France’s commitment to entrepreneurial excellence, the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute showcased four dynamic startups from its DeepTech and Incubation & Acceleration centers. These ventures, part of HEC’s Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and Incubator HEC Paris programs, underscored HEC’s role in advancing impactful solutions across sectors.

HEC Paris Startups: Driving Impact and Innovation

The HEC Paris delegation introduced innovations from startups at the forefront of sustainability, digital assets, advanced computing, and retail technology:

• Neurobus (CDL Next Generation Computing): With a vision to revolutionize AI for space exploration, Neurobus develops neuromorphic computing systems inspired by the human brain, making spacecraft operations more power-efficient and reliable. Partnerships with ESA, Intel, and Brainchip underscore their path toward transformative solutions.
   
• Pi-xcels (Kised Program): This retail-tech innovator offers a seamless e-receipt system via NFC, capturing in-store data without apps or QR codes. Pi-xcels bridges the gap between digital and in-store experiences, enabling retailers to gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
   
• Alteva (CDL Climate): Using ultralight batteries derived from sustainable materials, Alteva addresses emissions in high-impact sectors like aviation and heavy-duty vehicles. Their technology, developed in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center, offers scalable solutions for decarbonizing global transportation.
   
• V-Art (Meta AI Startup Program): Specializing in digital asset monetization, V-Art empowers brands to unlock value from digital portfolios through blockchain. The platform, backed by key investors, targets a $7 trillion market for digital assets, with applications in gaming, media, and brand IP.

Forging Partnerships and Building a Collaborative Ecosystem

Located prominently at the hall entrance, the HEC Paris booth attracted strong interest from attendees, including corporate leaders and students. Notably, potential partnerships with Volkswagen and Audi emerged, highlighting opportunities for future collaborations in tech and sustainability. Dr. Marius Huber, Project Manager for Science at the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, expressed the strategic value of HEC’s presence:
 

“The creation of an innovation triangle between Berlin, Paris, and Heilbronn shows our commitment to bridging ecosystems across Europe. Together, we’re building a collaborative network that will amplify impact.”

The event showcased Heilbronn’s emergence as a European innovation hub, underscored by the IPAI project—the Global Home of Human AI. A transformative endeavor in the region, IPAI is poised to become the most ambitious AI platform in Europe, creating an innovation-fostering ecosystem that unites startups, SMEs, corporates, and research institutions. This initiative will enable these diverse stakeholders to collaborate on groundbreaking AI applications that support the local and European economies, addressing global challenges in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Campus Founders’ One Shared Vision: Connecting the Dots for Collective Impact

Campus Founders CEO Oliver Hanisch delivered a powerful opening speech emphasizing the Slush’d Heilbronn theme, One Shared Vision. This vision, he explained, goes beyond individual achievements to foster an interconnected ecosystem that spans local, national, and European levels. “It takes an ecosystem to raise a startup,” Hanisch noted, “and Slush’d Heilbronn is where all stakeholders—founders, corporates, investors, and academic institutions—come together. It’s a space for meaningful connections and cross-border collaboration that strengthens our collective vision for a thriving European startup landscape.”

Adding to this perspective, Johannes Schnabel, Director of Programs at Campus Founders, shared that Slush’d Heilbronn is designed as a unique environment where founders can connect not only with investors and mentors but also with potential customers and early adopters from the region’s “Mittelstand” companies. “These connections are invaluable for young startups, offering them the early support and feedback they need to refine their products and scale up,” said Schnabel. He highlighted that events like Slush’d serve as “serendipity generators,” creating unexpected opportunities for collaboration that strengthen the ecosystem as a whole.

Building Toward the Future: The Role of IPAI in Shaping AI Innovation

IPAI, Heilbronn’s ambitious Global Home of Human AI project, embodies the spirit of One Shared Vision. Set to become a central platform for applied AI in Europe, IPAI will foster synergy-driven collaboration by bringing together essential resources in a unique, innovation-promoting ecosystem. Supporting startups, SMEs, corporates, research, and public institutions, IPAI aims to redefine AI, ensuring that Europe remains competitive in the global AI landscape.

This vision was echoed by Thomas Schiml, Senior Director at Intel Ignite and mentor for CDL Paris and Berlin’s Next Generation Computing Stream. Reflecting on his experience at Slush’d Heilbronn, Schiml shared, “After decades in the corporate world, I’m inspired by the fresh ideas and energy within this ecosystem. Events like Slush’d allow me to connect with startups at the forefront of technological advancement, especially those in deep tech and semiconductors, and to explore potential collaborations.” His focus on cultivating new partnerships underscores the importance of Slush’d as a platform for bridging industry and innovation, particularly in areas with high growth potential like AI and computing.
 

A Thriving Ecosystem: Slush’d Heilbronn’s Lasting Impact on HEC Startups

The event provided HEC Paris startups with invaluable visibility and opportunities for growth. As Prof. Dr. Christian Busch noted in his keynote on “connecting the dots,” serendipitous moments and unexpected connections at events like Slush’d can catalyze lasting success. The event’s outcomes were especially evident for startups like Neurobus, which secured meetings with Audi’s experimental team, and V-Art, which attracted interest from investors eager to support its blockchain-based platform.

HEC Paris’s participation in Slush’d Heilbronn exemplifies the power of a shared vision. By fostering connections, empowering startups, and integrating into a broader European innovation network, HEC Paris and its partners are building an ecosystem that bridges borders, nurtures talent, and drives progress for a sustainable, tech-enabled future.