Start-up accelerator presents investors and management
Hamburg. Hamburg’s new start-up accelerator for the logistics industry, the Next Logistics Accelerator (NLA), is ready for operation. The NLA will provide founding teams from around the world with active support in the development of their business models and preparation for the next stage of growth. At the same time, the accelerator will arrange important industry contacts for these teams. Fiege supports the accelerator as investor.
Hamburg’s Senator of Commerce Frank Horch is enthusiastic: “The practical benefits for all parties are plain to see. Business ideas with high market potential are provided with support and given the chance to change the industry. In addition to financial support, the accelerator is also offering newly established companies access to an extensive network. There will be close collaboration with founders to implement digital innovations as quickly as possible. This means high added value for Hamburg as a city.”
Fiege and partners help start ups to accelerate
Renowned Hamburg companies have come together as investors in the NLA. The initiators and founding shareholders Haspa, Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, and New Times Ventures are joined by the investors, such as Fiege, Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, Helm, HHLA, Jungheinrich, Körber, and Rhenus. “The interest within Hamburg’s industry was enormous. The NLA fund was substantially oversubscribed,” Haspa’s chief representative Andreas Mansfeld enthuses. “Now we have an excellent core group which represents a wide range of the logistics industry.”
At the management level, two top-class professionals have been appointed. Philipp Schröder has made a name for himself internationally as a venture capital expert and has invested in more than 35 start-ups himself. Miriam Kröger has extensive management experience in the fields of logistics, e-commerce, and digitalization, primarily with Kuehne + Nagel, the NOL Group, and the Otto Group. Both of them are joining the NLA as managing partners and are thus committed to the mission as shareholders as well. “Our aim is to make the NLA the most interesting accelerator in the logistics industry in Europe and climb to the Top 3 worldwide,” states Miriam Kröger.
Start ups within the so-called WIOTTA market segment
The program will accept start-ups within the so-called WIOTTA market segments. This encompasses a wide spectrum of technology and business: warehousing, Internet of Things, transportation, mobility, supply chain management, predictive analytics, big data, blockchain, 3-D printing, robotics, autonomous vehicles, drone technology, last mile delivery, smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). “With our program, we have created a valuable product for logistics start-ups,” says Philipp Schröder. “The word is getting around. More than 100 applications have already been submitted for the first session.” The first ‘batch’ should get started soon.
At the accelerator, work involves analyzing business models, constructing marketable offers, and developing financing strategies. The investors and other hand-picked partner companies prepare realistic test environments as needed, and more than 100 mentors are available as experts. “Between them, Logistik-Initiative and Haspa have direct links to more than 12,000 logistics companies in Hamburg,” according to LIHH chairman Professor Dr. Peer Witten. “We will use these contacts to give the start-ups optimal support. The NLA will be a decisive step towards bringing Hamburg forward as an innovative logistics region.”
NLA as an outsourced development department
For the investors and partner companies, the NLA can also take on the role of an outsourced development department. The applications and active market observation offer an overview of global start-up activities which can be used specifically for internal development work. At the end of the program, individual teams or entire business models can then be connected with the existing business.
