Hensoldt, a Germany-based global defense and security applications company, is looking to help develop European aerospace and defense startups through a collaborative agreement with TUM Venture Labs. TUM Venture Labs is a joint effort of the Technical University of Munich and its affiliate entrepreneurship center, UnternehmerTUM.
As a partner, Hensoldt said it intends to provide aerospace and defense industry perspectives in the startup hub’s development programs. Both partners will also participate in regular committee and working group exchanges to generate research and joint investment interest in promising projects from the labs.
Investment Promotion for New Ideas
Christian Schmidt, Hensoldt’s chief strategy officer, acknowledged that his company derives innovative strength not only from its own efforts.
“By integrating ourselves into a powerful network of research institutions and initiatives, we enable a dialog about exciting future technologies and innovative ideas,” he said. “At the same time, we are networking with a large number of founders with whom we will explore potential for future cooperation, including increased investment in their startups.”
Startup Incubators
TUM Venture Labs oversees a total of 12 labs, each with a particular focus on incubating startups, which Hensoldt considers as platforms for reinforcing Munich’s stature as a European technology hotspot. The company also sees its TUM Venture Labs partnership as contributing to the Technical University of Munich’s goal of creating a European defense tech hub.
Florian Dotzer, TUM Venture Labs’ managing director, called Hensoldt “an invaluable asset” at growing entrepreneurship in the aerospace and defense sectors. “In view of current geopolitical developments, we need to increasingly educate our startups on what it means to serve security and defense markets with their products,” he said.