A good atmosphere, many guests and a lively speed dating – the New Year’s Reception of the ZFHN Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn formed an atmospheric start for the coming year 2019. ZFHN CEO Thomas R. Villinger welcomed about 150 visitors in the WTZ Tower – from the region, from all over Germany, but also numerous international business partners. “I am very pleased about the great response to our invitation. This is a great motivation for us ,” said Thomas R. Villinger at the beginning of the event. He announced further investments by ZFHN for 2019.

Matthias Renz, co-moderator and venture capital expert, arrived from the snow-covered Upper Bavaria and was delighted with the noticeable mood of optimism in Heilbronn thanks to the upcoming BUGA and the opening of experimenta: “It’s almost spring here”. In a speed dating session, Renz then interviewed founders from the ZFHN portfolio about their prospects for the future and the assessment of upcoming trends.

An Edding pencil carries a person

Patrick Fröse represents the latest investment MetisMotion. The company develops ultra-light and ultra-fast actuators for aviation, automotive and safety applications. With a compact actuator the size of an Edding pen, a full-grown person can be moved easily. Fröse was very positive about the prospects for its technological solutions, as manufacturers need light and fast components.

The first billion in sales firmly in sight

Harel Boren from INSPEKTO also took a very positive view of the future. “We are aiming for one billion euros in sales. I just don’t know how many years this will take – whether in five or ten,” the CEO announced in an interview with Tom Villinger. The AI-supported quality control for industrial series production from INSPEKTO has been very well received by customers since its market launch at the end of last year. Boren also praises the extremely good cooperation between the Israeli development team and the medium-sized companies in the region. He appreciates the good connections to Heilbronn and the proximity to the most important industrial companies.

Growth in the USA

Growth is also the program of Martin Blüggel, CEO of Protagen Protein Services (PPS). In the near future, the company plans to expand into the USA, one of the largest markets for the analysis of protein-based drugs. Thanks to the high demand, the team was expanded and now employs more than 100 people.

The evening ended comfortably to the jazzy sounds of the band Jazzeel.