Minister Habeck meets the new members of the Young Digital Economy Advisory Board

The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck met with the Young Digital Economy Advisory Board, which today convened in its new constellation for the first time. Various important questions relating to the digital transformation were debated and discussed.

Federal Minister Habeck said, “The Young Digital Economy Advisory Board is an important link in the German startup scene. Given the current situation, engaging in intensive dialogue with its stakeholders is more important than ever.

“We have set ourselves ambitious tasks in the Startup strategy of the Federal Government (PDF, 3 MB). The strategy aims to strengthen and fund young innovative companies which are aiming to expand. For example, startups are to receive unbureaucratic and quick access to funding and financing. I very much appreciate the members of the Advisory Board lending support with their expertise and experience. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new members of the Board.”

The Young Digital Economy Advisory Board counsels the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on topical issues in the areas of digital transformation and startups. The focus is on the development and potential of the young digital economy and new digital technologies in Germany. It aims to facilitate a more direct and practical dialogue between the young German digital and startup scene and policymakers.

The chairs of the Advisory Board Ulrike Hinrichs and Katharina Jünger said, “We’ve never faced greater challenges in our economy and society than we do today: the current crises, climate change and the digital revolution are setting a tremendous pace for transformation. Our board would like to set out ways in which we in Germany can stay connected and play a part in international markets. Our companies stand for solving these problems. We’d like to thank Federal Minister Habeck for this opportunity.”

At its meeting today, the Advisory Board intends to cover current issues, such as employee shareholdings and an EU Regulation on Artificial Intelligence. With regard to employee shareholdings, the key question is how these can be made more practical to increase the attractiveness of startups as employers and make the search for qualified professionals easier.

In the coming months, the Advisory Board will examine the question of how the potential of digitalisation can used more effectively to achieve sustainability. Digital technologies can reduce the CO2 emissions produced by the economy and thus make an important contribution to decarbonisation.

The members of the Young Digital Economy Advisory Board include company founders, young IT entrepreneurs from the startup scene, representatives of established information communication technology (ICT) companies and investors. On 1 August 2022, Federal Minister Habeck appointed ten new members to the board:

• Anna Alex, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer, Planetly GmbH
• Johanna Baare, COO and Co-Founder, traceless materials GmbH
• Sebastian Böhmer, Founding Partner, First Momentum Venture Management GmbH
• Tina Dreimann, Founder and Managing Director, better ventures
• Kirstin Hegner, Managing Director, Digital Hub Mobility, UnternehmerTUM GmbH
• Christian Hövelhaus, Founder and CEO, ESFORIN SE
• Magdalena Oehl, Founder, TalentRocket
• Hanno Renner, Co-Founder and CEO, Personio SE
• Nikolas Samios, Managing Partner, PROPTECH1
• Karim Tarraf, CEO and Co-Founder, Hawa Dawa GmbH

The vice-chairpersons are Hanno Renner and Nikolas Samios.