Interview September 14th, 2023 Telekom TechBoost - Interview with Matthias Schievelbusch and Tobias Lakämper

Rubina Hatziparassidis

Since 2019, SCALUE has been part of the Telekom TECHBOOST program, and on September 20th and 21st, we from SCALUE have the honor to represent our product at the TELEKOM Digital X . As part of this, we took the opportunity to ask Mr. Matthias Schievelbusch (Head of Startup Partnerships) and Tobias Lakaemper (Partner Manager for SCALUE) a few questions in advance. In this interview, you will learn how Telekom TECHBOOST provides added value for business customers and why you shouldn't miss the Digital X.

**What is the purpose and function of the Telekom TECHBOOST program? Why was the initiative launched and can only Telekom business customers participate in this format exclusively?**

Matthias Schievelbusch:
The TechBoost program offers startups with B2B business models various opportunities through an official partnership with Telekom. Foremost among these is the attempt to offer startups an additional, reactive sales channel. Furthermore, an official partnership with Telekom often provides startups with a marketing boost. The OpenTelekomCloud also plays a role. Startups with very sensitive data can rely here on a German infrastructure from us as a German provider.

From the customer side, it is correct that the program exclusively addresses business customers. We primarily focus on the larger middle-market and enterprise segments, but our startups also offer intriguing solutions for SMEs.

Contact Information
Matthias Schievelbusch | Vice President Startup Cooperations & TechBoost at Telekom Deutschland GmbH
LinkedIn Profile of Matthias Schievelbusch

How does Telekom TECHBOOST differentiate itself from other startup programs, and how many startups participate in this program?

Tobias Lakämper:
We offer customer access – both theme-neutral and tailored specifically to the needs of business customers. There is no corporate startup program that offers such direct access to its own customers, , with the partial exception of SAP. Currently, our ecosystem is over 850 startups strong.

Can you recall a project that was particularly successful?

Tobias Lakämper:
Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the company's name. In one project, we helped a shopping mall operator to better understand its own property with the help of a visitor flow analysis. This had an impact on various purchasing decisions as well as on CFOs in terms of planning and business case calculation for the center. This illustrates the significant impact a "small" proof of concept (PoC) with the latest technology from startups can have.
By the way: the customer had defined his "pain point" with us in advance and shared it with our ecosystem via our matchmaking platform TechBoost Connect. So he found the right solution for his challenge very quickly.

Contact Information
Tobias Lakämper | Partnermanager Startups TechBoost
+49 151 513 937 78
tobias.lakaemper@telekom.de
LinkedIn Profil Tobias Lakämper
More about TechBoost

Let's turn to the event: Telekom organizes the Digital X format. What awaits visitors and why must CEOs, CFOs and procurement managers not miss the event?

Matthias Schievelbusch:
Digital X aspires to be THE European digitalization initiative. What does this mean? Many of the major players in digitalization will also be present with decision-makers on-site, making the event a platform for exchange at the management level. Additionally, the event concept is unique. Born out of the necessity of the pandemic, it's now the core of the event: over 250 individual locations. We showcase digitalization where it happens – in local cafes, stores around the corner, warehouses, or production halls.

Are certain speakers particularly relevant for our readers?

Tobias Lakämper:
Here, we'd like to draw attention to our "Future Stage" in the „Stadtgarten“. The main stage acts can be found on the official website. Like in previous years, e want to create a close atmosphere with speakers who address the medium-sized business sector. Among others, we will have: Business philosopher Anders Indset, who will talk about the opportunities and risks of AI and focus on the individual. Michael Fritz from Viva con Aqua, who is passionate about sustainability. I'm particularly excited about Fränzi Kühne, Germany's youngest supervisory board member and CDO of edding - who does pretty much everything differently for a change.

Would you like to learn more about how SCALUE's solution can help optimize your procurement?

Schedule a free demo now!

What are the specific benefits of attending the event in terms of business optimization, cost savings and competitive advantages for our readers and their companies?

Matthias Schievelbusch:
The biggest advantage is that the event serves as a guide for innovating thoughtfully. There is certainly no lack of suitable solutions and partners. This is also shown by the range of partners exhibiting at the event. But which innovations are the right ones for my company in the face of all this oversupply? The event offers deep dives and workshops to explore this question. Business optimization, cost savings, and competitive

For those companies interested in learning more about the digitization and innovation services, who can they reach out to?

Tobias Lakämper:
They are welcome to contact me personally or our TechBoost team at techboost@telekom.de. We also offer interested companies at Digital X a personal guide to the startup area in the Stadtgarten. Condition: You tell us about your requirements. This service is core to what we do away from the event. We are happy about every interested company.

How SCALUE can help you? Schedule a free demo now!

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