First Portfolio Day of Montan-Ventures-Saar – A Network Grows Together

Around 150 participants took part in the initiative. The start-ups and funds from the Montan-Ventures-Saar portfolio introduced themselves to the participants with a short pitch and invited the guests to continue the dialogue at the information stands. Many interesting discussions then developed between the exhibitors and guests from the nationwide start-up scene as well as representatives of the long-established companies Dillinger and Saarstahl. Exhibitors included start-ups and funds from the Montan-Ventures-Saar portfolio together with network partners. Projects from the Montan-Innovation-Lab-Saar and from Dillinger’s Innovation Management and Research & Development departments were also presented.

Dr. Michaela Ewen, Managing Director of Montan-Ventures-Saar, explained the concept behind Portfolio Day: “The idea is to bring people together as well as to create transparency and short paths between the start-ups, our partners, and the Saarland steel industry. Doing this means, we can now coalesce and begin shaping the future together with a strong network.”

Reinhard Störmer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Montan-Stiftung-Saar, is pleased with the high interest shown in the first Portfolio Day. “We want to use Portfolio Day to bring young people and creative business ideas together as well as to systematically continue pursuing the InnovationsCluster 4.0 strategy. Innovations are the basis for an economically successful future in Saarland.”

Joachim Braun, Member of the Board of Trustees of Montan-Stiftung-Saar, adds: “The day of networking provided all participants with a good chance to interact and created an opportunity for mutual support within the network. We are especially looking forward to future projects and getting things setting up in the years to come.”

Among the exhibitors was DeVeTec, a Saarland-based company that supplies power plants that produce electricity and compressed air from waste heat. Another start-up from the Montan-Ventures-Saar portfolio is the Belgian company Zensor. Zensor offers “predictive maintenance” – a proactive maintenance system for technical equipment and infrastructure. The company thus offers a way to predict the service life of equipment. The systems are used in the offshore wind sector, among others.

The program was rounded out with inspiring keynote speakers: Jonathan Weber, Managing Director of SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar, presented the transformation path of the Saarland steel industry. He emphasized: "The transformation to carbon-neutral steel production offers excellent conditions for modern solutions.” Prof. Mana Mojadadr, htw saar, analyzed the term “unicorn valuations.” She showed how valuations can be determined for start-ups, especially in the early stages. Jochen Steigner, founder of Steigwind and semvox, shared his experiences with founding a start-up and offered insights into the innovation landscape in Saarland.

Montan-Ventures-Saar, as part of the Montan-Stiftung-Saar, also wants to contribute to the sustainable design of our future with the networking day. In this context, the Montan-Stiftung-Saar supports the projects “Create Forests – Climate Protection and Habitat for Animals” (Erschaffe Wälder – Klimaschutz und Lebensraum für Tiere) of the start-up Click a Tree, as well as the reforestation of a part of the state forest in Warndt with the project “Forest Aid Saarland – Active for the Forest of Tomorrow” (Waldhilfe Saarland – Aktiv für den Wald von Morgen). For each person present, the foundation provided an amount for each of the two projects, thus fulfilling its purposes as a foundation for environmental protection and sustainability.