"Mechanical engineering startups face higher risks than their counterparts in IT. Years of development work and high capital investment costs come with the territory," Köckler noted. "This new display sector provided young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to forge new contacts with potential investors, customers and partners."

Young enterprises have a knack for spotting the specific needs of industry and developing smart solutions to meet them. But to be successful, they need much more than just a bright idea, a computer and programming skills. They also need to have a clear strategy, detailed market knowledge and a reliable supply chain. Fostering these critical success factors is one of the key objectives of the "Young Tech Enterprises" showcase, which premiered at this year’s HANNOVER MESSE from 25 to 29 April in Hannover, Germany.

"And these are qualities that startups tend to have in abundance. At the same time, we recognize that most young companies also need support when it comes to the management, financing and strategic development of their business. Which is why we established the Young Tech Enterprises platform."

On each day of HANNOVER MESSE, the Young Tech Enterprises Forum featured a captivating program of lectures on a wide range of topics, including "Entrepreneurship in companies," "University spin-offs," "Crowd funding for tech start-ups," "Access to risk capital via Germany’s High-Tech Gründerfonds," and "What can startups learn from SMEs and vice versa?" The forum was complemented by a lineup of exhibits by startups and supporting organizations, such as Fraunhofer Venture and Gründungsbüro Rheinland-Pfalz, and workshops on topical subjects, such as "B2B market entry strategies for product-focused startups" and "Industry 4.0 startups".