Digitalisation and Innovation

Read the interview with Heliatek-CEO Guido van Tartwijk

Coach gives children online lessons on the computer

TUMO Center in Berlin

Entrepreneurial couple Sam and Silva Simonian wanted to promote digital education for young people in Armenia. The concept is now expanding; there are TUMO Centers in Paris and Beirut as well – and thanks to the KfW's initiative, in Berlin and soon also in Mannheim, Essen and Frankfurt.

Read story

A person films people in a square with a smartphone

Managing projects remotely

Maintaining the ability to act despite the pandemic, including in fragile contexts – Remote Management, Monitoring and Verification (RMMV) makes it possible to manage projects from a distance. It gives donors a better overview and increases target group participation, but it also carries new risks.

Read article

From niche provider to global player

Berlin-based fintech company Mambu bet early on cloud solutions for financial services providers. Today it is valued at 1.7 billion euros.

Read article

Two man attaching solarfilms onto a wall

"On virtually any surface"

Heliatek CEO Guido van Tartwijk on his organic solar films, the solar market of the future and the most important decision in the company's history.

Read article

Read article about start-up LuxChemtech

A man looks out of his rooftop window onto his photovoltaic modules.

Solar energy on demand

Sonnen GmbH has developed a storage system so that solar power can be used even after sunset. Homeowners can use an app to control when and to where the electricity should flow from their photovoltaic systems.

Read article

Wolfram Palitzsch and Dr. Ingo Röver (from left), founders of LuxChemtech, pose with a silicon block and a solar panel

High-tech recycling

The manufacture of photovoltaic modules requires pure silicon. But it is scarce and costly. LuxChemtech has developed technologies to recycle silicon and other semiconductor materials and return them to the manufacturing cycle.

Read article

Read story

Building with flat roof. On the wooden wall it says

The world's greenest battery

Northvolt wants to become Europe's leading battery manufacturer - with the help of KfW IPEX-Bank, which is co-financing the expansion of its cell production. On 25 March 2024, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and KfW CEO Stefan Wintels broke ground for the new GigaFactory in Heide/Schleswig-Holstein.

Read article

Felix Birkenmeier, the third generation of the Birkenmeier family to run the company

Flora and fauna for cities

The Baden-based company, Birkenmeier, wants to use a simple trick to provide more nature in cities: The natural landscape is not being created horizontally on the ground or on roof-tops; it is being created vertically – on the walls of buildings.

Read article

Reaching for the stars

Munich-based rocket building company Isar Aerospace is expected to launch satellites into Earth orbit from 2023.

Read article

man with mobile mapping system in a warehouse with boats.

Google Maps for buildings

The Munich-based company NavVis creates digital copies of buildings.

Read article

The three Sympatient founders Christian Angern, Julian Angern and Benedikt Reinke

Facing fear with virtual reality

The company Sympatient has transferred therapy content for people with anxiety disorder to an app and uses virtual reality for practice scenarios. The Hamburg-based healthcare start-up won the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award for this idea.

Read article

drones are equipped with additional technology

Inventory drone on test

The Hesse-based start-up doks. innovation aims to future-proof corporate goods logistics with the help of drones. The coronavirus crisis hit the new company as it was preparing for its market launch.

Read article

Blockchain against counterfeiting

The start-up Authentic.Network has developed a digital seal that makes malaria drugs identifiable, forgery-proof and traceable.

Read article

Kamedi GmbH in Karlsruhe. heat it - a mosquito bite healer via smartphone.

Smart against insect bites

Unfortunately, itchy insect bites are as much a part of summer as flowers, ice cream and sandals. A group of students from Karlsruhe, Germany have developed a stick that connects to a smartphone and uses heat to combat itching and pain.

Read article

Electricity is everywhere

Recharging at the nearest street lamp. The Berlin-based company Ubitricity offers an efficient solution for charging electric vehicles.

Read article

To the article

Defending against invisible attackers

Industry 4.0 is the future. But digital networking also creates risks. Rhebo GmbH has developed a product that monitors digital systems in industrial environments and identifies, reports and documents anomalies.

Read article

Brave new world of ports

Operations are almost fully automated at Melbourne's port terminal. Port digitalisation is revolutionising shipping logistics. KfW IPEX-Bank is one of seven international banks that believe this is where the future lies.

Read article

New medical technology proves its value

Robot technology for mobilising intensive care patients, digital consultation hours, artificial intelligence for disinfection control - innovative technologies help the medical sector in the fight against the corona pandemic. KfW Stories presents four companies.

Read article

“Technology has to serve the customer“

For 68 years, shoppers browsed through the Otto catalogue. For a year now, they can place their orders online only. This means that the Otto Group suddenly finds itself competing with global giants like Amazon. Sebastian Klauke is managing this digital transformation.

Read article

Safe and cashless payments

With M-BIRR, Ethiopians can now transfer money using their mobile phones without having a traditional bank account or Internet access.

Read article

Die Firma Sonotec aus Halle fertigt Spezialgeräte für Ultraschalltechnik an.

Ultrasounds for everything

SONOTEC is a German firm that manufactures special devices for ultrasound applications. Innovation has been a fixture in its day-to-day operations for almost 30 years. We take a closer look at this cradle of invention.

Read article

Clean water at fair prices

Frank Jacobs and his team at Cologne company mft developed an innovative water treatment plant for a Columbian village in La Guajira.

Read article

The perfect fit

Whether you’ve got a narrow face or a bigger nose, finding a pair of glasses that fits perfectly is now possible thanks to the company You Mawo. Glasses are made-to-measure using 3D scanning and printing technology developed by the company itself.

Read article

Software for the traffic of tomorrow

Wunder Mobility is driving the issue of shared mobility worldwide with a broad range of technologies. The smart software of the Hamburg start-up is the backbone of many providers of car sharing, car rental or shuttle services.

Read article

To the article

Custom-made furniture

Not a good fit? That's impossible. With the online program form.bar, everyone can create their own furniture and have it made by a local carpenter. And it works – even despite the price war in the furniture industry. A portrait of the Okinlab start-up.

Read article