Mission Accomplished

Big and sustainable plans, new impulses, and a relaxed atmosphere – this is how the events The Mission Food and The Mission Summit can be summarized. Futury, the Frankfurt School’s startup ecosystem, together with Handelsblatt, invited participants to these events. More than 300 attendees gathered in Munich on August 29 to present and discuss new solutions for a sustainable future.

“Innovation and entrepreneurial courage are essential to shaping a sustainable future and creating opportunities for Germany as a business location. With The Mission initiative, Futury drives innovation and connects companies across entire value chains with founders to work on sustainable solutions.”
Melissa Ott, Managing Director of Futury

At The Mission Food, five startups from the food industry pitched their ideas live to companies, experts, and stakeholders. A networking session followed, offering the opportunity to lay the foundation for potential collaborations. The program was complemented by keynote speeches from Dr. Sonja Stuchtey, founder of The Landbanking Group, and Kathrin Willhardt, Managing Director of Transgourmet Germany—both partners within The Mission ecosystem.

The highlight of the day was The Mission Summit. Futury’s two managing directors, Melissa Ott and Charlie Müller, engaged in discussions with participants of two expert panels. The first panel, titled “Déjà vu after 25 years – Germany once again the sick man of Europe? What (innovation) agenda do we need now?”, featured Professor Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, CEO of UnternehmerTUM; Aleksandra A.-Hesselroth, business angel and investor; and Walter Sinn, Managing Partner of Bain & Company Germany.

The second panel, under the theme “Germany as a hub of innovation – the ideas and people behind our innovative strength”, showcased three successful founders presenting their transformative solutions: Dr. Sara Marquart from Planet A Foods, Professor Dr. Florian Turk from Microwave Solutions, and David Schön from VePa – Vertical Parking.

Since 2019, Futury’s The Mission initiative has brought together more than 100 companies from industries such as construction and real estate, packaging and waste management, the food industry, and cybersecurity to give new ideas a chance. Around 90 startups have already emerged from the initiative and are transforming their respective industries.