Ni hao,
This week I was in Shanghai for my new company’s Asia Innovation Day. On the plane I had time for some podcasts about innovation, especially innovation in China.
Nugget #1 is a new episode of Bastian Wilkat’s podcast “The Flaneur”. It is a summary of the book “Startup DNA” by Frank Thelen, known from the TV show “Höhle der Löwen”, which is the German version of Shark Tank. You will not only learn what the book is about and for whom it is interesting. Bastian even did a short interview with Frank Thelen. So you get to know how Frank Thelen decides in which startups he invests. Especially interesting for me are his comments on the topic of corporate innovation. For more startup DNA in larger companies, he recommends starting small and rethinking existing processes. This reminds me strongly of the article by Maike Küpner, which I placed in Treasure 54. Frank Thelen sees disruptive innovation only in real start-ups. What is the right symbiosis between an established company and a start-up? Does it even fit together? I would be very happy about your opinion and exchange in the comments or via one of my channels.
E47: Frank Thelen on revolutionary ideas, deep tech and corporate innovation (15 min, audio, German)
Ada is a new format of Wirtschaftswoche that deals with the questions of tomorrow’s world. The magazine wants to be a companion into the future. It is complemented by a podcast – Nugget #2 for this week. In Episode 02/01 Miriam Meckel and Léa Steinacker report on their journey through China. The result is the perfect introduction to the topic of innovation in China. Thanks to WeChat and Alibaba, the global players of the Chinese platform economy are slowly gaining recognition in Germany as well. One quickly understands why Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT) have become an indispensable part of life in China. The artificial intelligence activities are also extremely exciting. A different approach to the topic of data protection, state funding and interests ensure that China progresses in big steps. Certainly one must critically question the use of this technology in some areas and take fears seriously. However, AI will become one of the key technologies of the coming years. Especially interesting for me is the last part of the podcast on the future of mobility. In Germany, people are discussing the conversion of diesel and ranges of electric mobility. While they talk, Chinese companies and start-ups are going full speed ahead. Politics also plays into the cards here. By 2025, 20% of all vehicles should be electric. The bus fleet in Shenzhen is already 100% electric today.
ada | 02/01 | Made in China (30 min, Audio, German)
If you like numbers and facts, Nugget #3 is the right thing for you. The Global Innovation Index is a ranking of most countries in the world. Here, Germany ranks ok on #9. But the report also contains some background information. China is also interesting. From 2017 to 2018, China has improved from #25 to 17. This puts China in 1st place among middle-income countries. If China continues like this, it will soon advance into the top 10. In the further course of the report there is one or the other exciting data point on China.
GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2018 (429 pages, text, English)