If you want to become self-employed with an innovative business idea or want to further develop your company foundation, you should not only bring knowledge from the field of economics and company foundations, but also in particular technological know-how put. Once the technologies have been tested and the business model proves to be successful, there is little standing in the way of advancement. A recent study provides information about which future technologies start-ups should keep an eye on. The Economic Competence Center of KfW (KfW Research) together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Innovation and Systems Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe identified the most important future technologies for Germany and determined that there is still a lot of catching up to do with one technology.
Why information technologies are a particular challenge for start-ups
Technology start-ups bring a breath of fresh air to the German economy and established corporations also benefit from their new business ideas. Although Germany is well positioned when it comes to future technologies such as motor vehicle and production technologies, there are still information technologies (IT). catching up to do.
Information technologies are the generic term for all technologies that come into contact with electronic data processing. IT includes network applications, database applications, office communication applications as well as the classic activities of software engineering. These technologies are becoming increasingly important because they have a high value creation potential feature. The reason for this is that IT is already important for other sectors of the economy such as motor vehicles, mechanical engineering or chemicals. A special feature of these technologies is that they are closely linked. Therefore, start-ups should bear in mind that a niche strategy, ie a concentration on individual IT, does not promise much success. It therefore makes more sense to build up IT skills as a whole in order to master digitization.
Recommendations for action for start-ups and the economy
The authors of the study point out that it does not seem realistic to catch up internationally in the development of these technologies in just a few years through more intensive research and development. Instead, they give specific recommendations for action for start-ups and the economy to strengthen information technologies. First of all, it is important to pay special attention to the structure of Competences in the application of IT – especially in production technology. In order to achieve this, certain factors such as B. the development of appropriate competencies in the company is important.
It is also essential to focus on the expansion the appropriate education through e.g. B. to concentrate investment in education and training in order to strengthen and further develop IT. In addition, the use of IT in day-to-day operations through “learning by doing and using” can contribute to building up know-how in companies. Furthermore, information technologies must be integrated. This requires the founding of companies in the area of software development and implementation that can develop and advise on special solutions. The promotion of corresponding start-ups can be useful here.
Anyone planning to start a business requires a certain amount of capital. It is difficult, especially for young start-ups, to raise large sums of money for founding and developing a new company. Start-up loans can be the solution here. Small and medium-sized companies (according to the SME definition) that are either newly founded or have been on the market for a maximum of five years can apply for this. In order for the application to be successful, business start-up advice or management advice should be used. Depending on the situation, funding can also be applied for (tip: funding check).
The full study can be downloaded as a PDF document (external link) from the KfW website.