People tend to associate "sustainability" with environmental issues, renewable energies or the protection of nature. How does cybersecurity fit into the portfolio of the Sustainable & Invest GmbH sustainability fund?
Memminger: Sustainable & Invest is a sustainability-oriented investor who prefers to invest in companies that, in addition to generating a financial return, also aim to solve a social/societal problem or bring about positive change in the region in which they operate. In society, sustainability in the narrow sense is associated with the challenges of our time, such as global warming, environmental disasters, resource scarcity or migration. In most cases, the support of IT systems is called upon to tackle all these problems. Let me give you an example. In the future, the use of AI will make it possible to analyze patient data more quickly, robotics will relieve fatigued doctors of time-consuming interventions, and perform service tasks for which there is a shortage of personnel. With all these revolutionary developments, IT security must take center stage; after all, human lives are at stake. Cyber attacks are ubiquitous today. The threats are particularly great where critical infrastructures are increasingly interconnected with technologies. A sustainable economy can therefore only emerge on the basis of secure and trustworthy IT systems, concerning which there is a great need to catch up in Germany.
Max Wolf, why should investors invest in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence right now?
Max Wolf: Investors should be investing more in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) right now because these two areas are of crucial importance for the economy and for society as a whole in today's world. In this context, we like to speak of "horizontals", i.e. topics that have enormous relevance across industries. Our growing dependence on information technologies is also causing the threat levels to rise. At the same time, new regulatory requirements and constant competitive pressure are ensuring that companies see strategic value in the use of intelligent and autonomous systems. So there is still much need for innovation here, and also a lot of money to be made – our startups have recognized this. Overall, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence offer attractive investment opportunities because they are the drivers of security and efficiency in an increasingly digital world. Those who invest in these areas not only help protect data, infrastructures and thus our society, but they can also benefit from the opportunities that these technologies and transformation processes offer.
How does Sustainable & Invest support startups in achieving their goals?
Memminger: We see ourselves more as co-entrepreneurs than as pure investors, and we see our great benefit in helping founders and startups to focus on their core business. We are happy to support them with everything that concerns the founding of their company, help them to acquire suitable personnel, organize their accounting, find investors and establish contact with potential customers and cooperation partners. As their companies grow, we help to put together a suitable advisory board and actively coach the team, especially with regard to the development of a targeted product and marketing strategy. In sum, we try to do everything we can to ensure that the startup can focus on its core competencies and has ideal conditions to develop a product that meets market needs.
