From innovations to practical solutions

Inspiration from family businesses, academia and the start-up scene

The key question is where new technologies create tangible value. That was precisely the focus of the TECHFORUM in Munich. Where does technology help to improve existing business models, produce more efficiently and open up new areas of business?

Panel discussion with Prof. Dr Hanna Hottenrott (Technical University of Munich, ZEW), Markus Tischer (Krones AG), Sabine Herold (DELO Industrial Adhesives) and Christian Mohr (UnternehmerTUM) (from left to right)
Stefan Heidbreder, Managing Director of the Foundation for Family Businesses
A presentation by Dr Andreas Widl (Samson AG) on transformation in industrial practice
Business discussion with Marcus Dietmann (42watt) and Felix Weber (OBI Group)
Christoph Werner (dm-drogerie markt) in a business conversation with Stefan Heidbreder

Munich, 9 October 2026. On 8 and 9 October, around 200 shareholders from family businesses gathered at the Munich Urban Colab alongside representatives from the academic world and the start-up scene. The TECHFORUM is a joint initiative of the Foundation for Family Businesses and UnternehmerTUM.

One key focus was artificial intelligence: how can it become a driver of innovation in family businesses? What role does it play in industrial transformation and innovation management?

Collaborations between family businesses and start-ups centred on autonomous systems and robotics, smart solutions for buildings and spaces, and more resilient supply chains.

Insights, discussions with entrepreneurs and Tech Practice sessions – the focus was always on practical implementation: What is already working? Where can processes be improved? The TECHFORUM provided insights and answers.

New technologies and innovations alone do not create business value. Nor do they ever emerge in isolation. It is crucial to learn from the experiences of others and to continually develop ideas into practical solutions and business models.

Stefan Heidbreder, Managing Director of the Foundation for Family Businesses

The Foundation for Family Businesses is collaborating with UnternehmerTUM on the TECHFORUM event series in Munich. Susanne Klatten, founder of UnternehmerTUM, and Stefan Heidbreder, managing director of the Foundation for Family Businesses, jointly launched the event. The aim is to bring together the next generation of larger German family businesses with start-ups so that they can learn from one another and develop new ideas together.

Date
9.10.2026, Munich

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