The VDA Future Tech Day 2025 will once again bring together startups, established companies, industry, and investors in Berlin. The Future Tech Day offers automotive SMEs and startups a platform to develop joint strategies for the challenges of our time. The goal is to create rapid access, forge strategic partnerships, and strengthen long-term collaboration. In addition to numerous keynotes, panels, and masterclasses, the event will therefore focus primarily on networking opportunities such as speed dating sessions with participants and investors.

"The Future Tech Day offers a platform for new and established players with great opportunities for both sides: Startups meet not only representatives from OEMs and major suppliers, but above all, medium-sized companies in the automotive industry. The VDA Future Tech Day impressively demonstrates how ideas, together with the right partners, can be transformed into concrete solutions that accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility," VDA President Hildegard Müller said in her opening speech.

Startups as catalysts, technology partners and accelerators of transformation

The importance of the German automotive industry was also emphasized by Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, in her keynote address: "Germany plays a key role in the automotive industry. The transformation is crucial for the success of the entire European automotive industry—and we are ready to actively support this change."

"The German automotive industry is undergoing one of the biggest transformation phases in its history. Startups are therefore an important driving force, technology partner, and accelerator of this transformation. They represent the vibrancy, courage, and mentality that we in Germany need now more than ever in light of the numerous challenges we face.
We want all these qualities from politicians as well – this urgently requires a genuine shift in mindset. And it requires comprehensive and bold reforms that ensure our country returns to the forefront. This means: lower energy prices, reduced taxes and levies, faster permitting processes, a significant reduction in bureaucracy, open markets instead of protectionism, and technological openness instead of restrictions—the list of necessary measures to improve international competitiveness is already well-known," Müller emphasized. "We must act decisively now so that we can enable more economic success stories and ignite a new sense of confidence and optimism," VDA President Hildegard Müller continued.

In his keynote address, Thomas Jarzombek, MP and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization, emphasized the importance of industrial digitalization: "The digitalization of German industry will only succeed if startups and established companies combine their strengths. Startups provide agility and technological innovation, while medium-sized businesses and established industries possess market knowledge and scalability. This combination ensures Germany's competitiveness in the global market."

For the eighth time, the VDA Future Tech Day provides a framework for collaborations on equal footing. It offers medium-sized companies in the automotive industry the opportunity to integrate startup innovations into their business models, thereby creating new approaches to sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of the companies and Germany as a business location.

Another highlight of the event is the Mobility Innovation Award, which will be presented at the end of the event to one of seven particularly innovative startups. The nominees are COMPREDICT, SPARETECH, Vaionic Technologies, ONEKEY, 36ZERO Vision, Veecle, and Tacto.

The VDA Future Tech Day is made possible with the kind support of our partners 27pilots, A11, Ambivation, Veecle and Pulsetrain.