From Idea to Impact - Bringing a Startup Culture into Legacy Automakers

Legacy automakers excel at precision manufacturing and global scale but often struggle to translate bold ideas into actionable products within tight quarterly cycles. Spin-outs, venture studios and agile “tiger teams” promise start-up-like speed, yet internal resistance - hierarchies, risk aversion and compliance pressures - often erodes momentum. Genuine transformation needs fresh incentives, a willingness to accept intelligent failure – and sometimes the courage to venture beyond a company’s current markets.

Carmen Schmidt, Chief Business Officer, Volkswagen Group AI Lab (Co-Moderator)
Prof. Dietmar Grichnik, Vice President for Innovation & Quality, University St. Gallen
Daniel Fazelzad, Vice President Digital Advertising, Deutsche Telekom

Ruth Heuss, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company