Created with science, care, and insights for you
April 16, 2020
The Time is Now: Toward a Common Digital Future
Were Businesses Prepared? Understanding the Need for Digitalization The COVID-19 outbreak is becoming a global stress test for businesses and as the number of infections continues to rise across the world, so are questions about global recovery and economic growth. The outbreak has highlighted.
March 30, 2020
The Blockchain Hype Cycle: A Natural Evolution
Blockchain is the most simultaneously hyped, maligned, and misunderstood of all the recent technology buzzwords.
March 16, 2020
Mission Critical: metr Develops Smart Building Applications with IoT
It’s often said that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. This is especially true when it comes to energy and resource consumption in both residential and commercial properties.
February 12, 2020
Why Germany’s Mittelstand Model Will Improve Your Odds of Success
Lessons from World-Class Business Champions Germany’s Mittelstand is considered to be the backbone of the German economy. Mittelstand companies are small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs) with annual revenues of up to €50 million and a maximum of 499 employees¹. These businesses, along with startups,.
February 6, 2020
Industrial IoT: 12 Use Cases Accelerating Success
Transforming the Manufacturing Sector with IIoT Although IoT and Industrial IoT share common technologies that work together as part of a cohesive system (sensors, connectivity, and data analytics), the difference comes in their general usages. IoT use cases generally focus on consumer convenience.
February 4, 2020
How to Create Business Value with the Internet of Things (IoT)
Innovation Opportunities Corporates Can't Ignore As an extension of the Internet, IoT is the driving force behind digital transformation in business. Many established B2B markets have already started to realize the scale of opportunities presented by the technology, but we believe this innovation.
January 23, 2020
Pioneers of the Machine Economy
Harald Zapp, CEO of the Company Builder Next Big Thing AG (NBT), puts Europe’s innovation abilities to the test. He proposes a solution: co-innovation with tech experts to realize innovation that leaps ahead of the competition.
Can Data Help Save the World?
IoT is Powering the Circular Economy With the current population figure at 7.7 billion people, humans are draining the Earth of its resources which is putting immense pressure on the natural environment¹. How can data impact this scenario?
January 20, 2020
AUXOLAR Aims to Democratize Returns on Renewable Energy
Across Europe, we see a combination of electricity costs rising, a demand for more sustainable ways to meet electricity needs, and a lack of energy-efficient buildings. This scenario sets the challenge for innovative players to emerge.
January 8, 2020
The Use Cases Driving IoT Adoption
IoT is Everywhere According to Cisco, 500 billion devices are expected to be connected to the Internet by 2030¹. Furthermore, in that same year, there will be at least 15 connected devices to each individual². In this post, we examine IoT's rapid expansion and how you can benefit.
December 22, 2019
Four Types of Innovation in Business
Facing the Risk of Disruption with Innovative Techniques The business landscape is evolving in unprecedented ways as a direct result of emerging technologies. However, these new technologies often require large capital investments and take a long time to develop – typically over 30 years¹..
December 19, 2019
Preparing to Scale a Tech Team? Apply These 6 Startup Lessons
A big part of what makes a startup successful is the ability to scale. Many startups struggle with that challenge, so I’ll address some solutions here from the perspective of growing and leading a technical team.
December 18, 2019
Company Visions That Inspire: 5 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know
Lawrence Peter Berra said it best, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.”
December 16, 2019
Building 6 Ventures in 6 Months: 3 Company-building Insights for Founders
I think of myself as a founder. I have built several companies over the last 12 years, some more successful than others. But each company is always a huge learning experience. I joined Next Big Thing (NBT) - a company builder - because I was interested in learning more about the model..
December 12, 2019
A Construction Business Blueprint: 4 Tips from a Venture Developer
When I first joined Next Big Thing AG (NBT) eight months ago as a venture development intern, I never dreamed I’d join a Venture Development team that would bring a new company to life so quickly and gain valuable first-hand experience! Now I’m reflecting back in order to share with the community.
December 9, 2019
Why Protect Your Tech? Insights from Deflect Founder, Kevin Voellmer
As IoT is now more widely adopted, cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly critical topic to address for products and systems. We sat down with Kevin Voellmer, Founder of our newest venture Deflect, to get insights into what's fueling this venture and why cybersecurity should be a part of any.
December 5, 2019
Founding Stories: A Cybersecurity Venture to Out-hack the Hackers
Power grids keep the juice flowing through our urban infrastructure, ensuring society’s logistics run smoothly and safely. In many highly-developed countries at least, we expect this level of functionality. But the reality is that we, along with this luxury we’ve come to assume, are vulnerable..
December 3, 2019
The Impact of IoT in Business
Assessing the Challenges and Opportunities of IoT Solutions The business landscape is becoming increasingly complex to navigate as a direct result of intensifying competitive pressures. Even successful and established businesses must reinvent themselves or, ultimately, face the risk of disruption.
November 27, 2019
Founding Stories: ConcR to Connect the Construction Industry
You likely crossed a bridge on your way to work today. You definitely rode, drove, scooted or walked along sidewalks made of concrete, or entered a building that you presumed to be built on a stable foundation. We tend to take these types of infrastructure for granted, but should we?
November 26, 2019
Sensors in concrete: Next Big Thing AG founds venture for the construction industry of the future
Company Builder drives digitalization of construction industry with ConcR. ConcR combines sensors in one app with real-time data to create an IoT application for the construction industry of the future. Intelligent solution enables cost reduction as well as higher process efficiency and material.
November 21, 2019
Secure IoT: Next Big Thing AG founds venture for scalable cyber security solutions
With Deflect, the company builder now offers full service on the security of IoT applications. Deflect improves data security of IoT solutions with the help of NBT’s expertise during the design of the application. The company builder thus creates the basis for trustworthy data to improve the value.
November 11, 2019
4 Agents of Change to Accelerate the Green Transition
Think back to last summer, July 2018: Bayer acquires Monsanto to create the global leader in seeds and pesticides. Behind the scenes of this $66 billion deal, lobbyists cash in on 1% of the total transaction value. Long-standing pressure on the German competition authority pays off, awarding them a.
October 25, 2019
How CleanTech Saves the Planet and Disrupts Industries
The recent drive for CleanTech makes perfect sense.
October 21, 2019
How to Foster Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the IoT Space
We’ve said it before and it’s still true: pitching isn’t easy. As a company builder and co-founder of innovative high-tech startups, we understand the challenge. So we create opportunities for people to improve at pitching and move closer to building scalable companies with impact. To support.
October 14, 2019
IoT in care: NBT venture AssistMe successfully concludes Series A financing round of 2 million euros
Pioneering work in precision care: 2 million euros for the preparation of the market launch and the expansion of the team
October 1, 2019
AgTech Innovators Say Be The Change!
What to Look For Next in AgTech: Hear from Innovators in Agriculture The Agriculture Industry is rapidly evolving to meet the needs of a changing planet. At the recent edition of our ‘The World in 2030’ Meetups, we listened to unique perspectives and key advice from four fascinating change-makers.
September 24, 2019
How AgriTech is Revolutionizing an Industry
People in urban areas may hold misconceptions about agriculture, considering it to be somehow old-fashioned, or affiliated with a quaint lifestyle. In reality, the agricultural sector is evolving in dynamic ways that will have a global impact. It pays to take a look at how.
September 19, 2019
HealthTech: Don’t Follow the Rules; Just Change Them
World of 2030 Series: Interview with Dr. Nana Bit-Avragim
September 17, 2019
How to Fuel Hacker Creativity with Burner Wallets
Setting the stage In an recent post, we shared how the ETH Berlin zwei hackathon attracted hundreds of attendees and multiple hack submissions. We saw how DeFi played prominently in developers’ minds as they built successful interfaces and created novel business models on DeFi platforms. In this.
September 10, 2019
CEO Harald Zapp Explores Singapore's Ecosystem
NBT's CEO Harald Zapp recently embarked on an Executive Insight Tour of Singapore. The tour was organized by IMP and involved ten C-Level individuals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The executives on this trip got an insider look at how Singapore has developed a uniquely powerful industry –.
September 5, 2019
Looking Back on ETHBerlinzwei at Factory Berlin
ETHBerlin Zwei Hackathon at Factory Berlin's Görlitzer Park location recently wrapped up and it was a huge success. 730 attendees and 88 hack submissions were vying for the generous rewards and sponsored bounties. One of the big takeaways is that DeFi (Decentralized Finance) is very prominent in a.
September 3, 2019
How will Crypto & Blockchain impact the Future of VC?
What happens when 11 prominent investors gather together to discuss the impact of blockchain and crypto on the investment space? That's just what we wondered when we invited international investors who ranged from traditional to experimental strategies. From San Francisco, Austin, and Europe, we.
August 29, 2019
How to Use IoT to Tackle Challenges in the Construction Industry
The construction industry is subject to a number of threats which also indicates that the industry is a prime candidate for innovation. These threats, or perhaps better seen as challenges, that the industry faces can be best understood once classified as either internal or external risks. According.
August 15, 2019
How to Harness the Machine Economy
The disruptive technology "trifecta" – consisting of the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence – is gradually adopted by organizations to reap operational efficiencies and to develop new products & services, ultimately opening new marketplaces in the Machine Economy. Startups.
August 8, 2019
Envisioning the World in 2030: Tech-enabled Future Services
The future starts right now. It’s up to all of us to shape what that looks like. At Next Big Thing, we want to see a future that is sustainable and truly smart. We want to have a hand in designing how industries work, asking: how can machines best be empowered to act and be securely connected? How.
August 6, 2019
What to Expect at Blockchain Week Berlin
Blockchain Week Berlin is fast approaching this month on August 18-29th. Are you ready? We are getting in gear in a few ways and want to keep you updated on some highlights and opportunities to get involved here at NBT in our home at Factory Berlin.
August 1, 2019
How to Move Blockchain to the Background & Innovation Forward
Widespread use of blockchain technology has faced slow adoption rates in part because the associated learning curve is high. Blockchain is still quite a young technology which means it lacks tools, documentation and best practices. This leads to a high complexity when trying to develop applications.
July 26, 2019
What are the Transformative Benefits of the Machine Economy?
People may be the driving force behind the economy, but the rise of new technologies such as IoT, blockchain and AI, is creating a new category of economic activities that doesn’t require direct human interaction at all: the machine economy.
July 23, 2019
Get the Fundamentals of Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technologies
To cut through the noise surrounding blockchain technologies, we compiled the essential concepts underlying the technology in a collection of snapshots. Dive in to brush up on useful terminology and the fundamentals around the tech.
July 16, 2019
Seven IoT Startups that are Shaking up Industries
We know pitching ideas is hard. That’s why we created a guide for it. And that’s also why we wanted to give founders and early-stage IoT startups the opportunity to pitch to us during our recent TOA Satellite Event, hosted at Factory Berlin’s Görlitzer Park campus. The range of startup solutions.
July 11, 2019
What Does it Take to Co-found with a Company Builder?
Together with our venture development department, we released our new Founders Handbook. It guides entrepreneurs through our offering: from an overview of our venture development lifecycle, to a deep dive into the craft of the company builder model, and much more about the life of an NBT.
July 8, 2019
How Sensry Offers Startups & SMEs IoT Superpowers
Democratizing IoT technology is no small task, but Sensry is in a perfect position to do so. By offering remarkable advantages to other startups and SMEs in the IoT space, Sensry advances new developments and reduces time-to-market. The Dresden-based company is an exciting addition to NBT's venture.
July 4, 2019
How to Overcome Start-Up Pressure?
Founding a startup can be an exhausting journey. Like a roller coaster, being an entrepreneur is a constant back and forth between success and failure, an up and down path to fulfilling one's dream. Pressure becomes omnipresent – sometimes leading to suffering which affects family & friends, too.
July 2, 2019
Blockchain in Insurance
Along with the Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) are forecasted to be the disruptive x-factor of the 21st Century. In this article, we look at how a specific DLT, blockchain, is the perfect fit for insurance-based use cases.
June 25, 2019
How Hardware Startups Get Closer to Product-Market Fit
A significant milestone for any startup company is achieving Product-Market Fit (PMF). But this commonly-used term is often misunderstood. We may have a vague idea of what it is, but do we deeply understand the term? How can we tell when we reach this milestone and how can we work towards it?
June 20, 2019
How Artificial Intelligence Is Driving InsurTech
2018 was a good year for insurers, especially in countries like the U.S., where property and casualty (P&C) doubled net income. However, a key finding of a report from PwC on the insurance sector stated “CEOs continue to report that theirs is one of the most disrupted industries.” With Artificial.
June 13, 2019
6 Ways IoT is Transforming Insurance
You wake up in the middle of the night feeling cold, and reach for your phone to turn up the thermostat. When you drive to work, you use your car’s navigation system to determine the best route. While smart products that make this kind of convenience possible aren’t universal yet, they’re little by.
June 11, 2019
Why is a Company Builder the Right Option for Founders?
The life of a founder is a constant tug-of-war between success and failure. Moments of pressure and struggle often lead to doubt and failure, putting founders in nerve-racking situations. Certain tough tasks remain unavoidable for founders, as we’ve pointed out in a previous article. Now, enter.
June 6, 2019
From Corporate Entrepreneurship to Corporate Partnerships
Regardless of size, scope, or industry, nearly every corporation struggles with generating new business models or products. It is their primary goal as well as their biggest challenge. It is incredibly difficult to drive and motivate an entire organization to adopt a new mindset and approach.
June 4, 2019
Democratizing the Rules of Social Engagement
The US capital is now open to a new wave of democratic ideas. On Saturday June 1st, a big announcement at the intersection of the blockchain and social media space attracted guests from as far away as Germany. Three of the event’s attendees included Harald Zapp, CEO of Next Big Thing AG and of.
May 31, 2019
6 + 1 Early Startup Essentials No Founder Wants To Do (But Has To)
Our Startup Essentials article series kicks-off with a compilation of fundamentals no founder wants to do, but has to. We've compiled these based upon input from our experienced founders and venture developers, who went passed some of the hurdles mentioned throughout this article.
May 28, 2019
5 Crazy Blockchain Startup Ideas that Might Just Work
The crypto frenzy of 2017/18 spiked interest in diverse blockchain-related projects and coincidentally into thousands of successful ICOs. Some of these projects became sustainable, while others had little to sustain them beyond a white paper. To cut through that frenzy, we looked at some projects.
May 22, 2019
The Current State and Impact of Cybersecurity on Insurance
Across the globe, cyber crime costs companies over $600 billion annually. This means that it’s more important than ever for companies to protect themselves from the staggering costs of hacking. Insurance companies are particularly at risk due to the fact that they deal with sensitive customer.
May 17, 2019
5 Crazy IoT Ideas That Might Just Work
With the explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the past few years, more and more companies have been playing with this technology – building new, visionary products that, although in some cases brilliant, in others might seem… well, if not completely crazy, at least somewhat unnecessary.
May 15, 2019
Company Builder is setting the course for the development of a machine economy – from Germany for Europe
The implementation experts of Next Big Thing count on the combination of IoT and blockchain for the innovation epicentre Germany. Blockchain expertise from FinLab complements the NBT portfolio and strengthens the development potential for new business models based on IoT and blockchain. With.
April 30, 2019
Company Builder for IoT and Blockchain Expands Board of Directors
Next Big Thing AG (NBT) is expanding its Executive Board: Jasmin Skenderi as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Christoph Brück as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are now on board. In his role as CTO, Skenderi will continue to drive the further development of IoT and blockchain technologies at NBT..
April 17, 2019
A Look Behind the Curtain: Analysis of a Pitch Deck
Crafting a clear and convincing pitch is hard – something we briefly discussed in our Guide to Pitching Tech Startups. To demonstrate how a pitch deck can look like, this post goes over the pitch deck of one of our ventures, Weeve and analyses their rights and wrongs to look at concrete elements.
April 16, 2019
NBT and BountyBoards go to the Laax Hackathon
NBT along with a team of coders, sensor specialists and blockchain developers went to Laax, Switzerland for a hackathon. Under the umbrella of the project BountyBoards – led by NBT blockchain developer Martin Maurer – the team headed down to the Alps for a weekend of snow and hacking at 2500m.
April 11, 2019
Two CEOs, One Fair: NBT’s Harald Zapp and METR’s Franka Birke go to Hannover Messe
Our CEO Harald Zapp and METR’s CEO Dr. Franka Birke both had speaking slots at the leading industrial trade show in Hannover from April 1st to 5th. This year, the fair was opened by Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier and evolved around all things Industrie 4.0.
April 9, 2019
Next Big Thing AG gains industrial insurer HDI as lead for its Series A
Next Big Thing AG’s experts to open up the growth market IoT and Blockchain for HDI. With HDI in this round of financing, the IoT implementation experts from NBT secure a total investment volume of 12 million euros. NBT’s recipe for success unites specialists, companies and founders for unique.
April 4, 2019
Sensry: Building the IoT Chip of the Future
Next Big Thing AG, GlobalFoundries, and Fraunhofer IIS EAS are building the next generation of secure IoT-chips through the launch of their jointly-founded design and manufacturing company, Sensry.
March 28, 2019
PropTech Innovation: From Smart Buildings to Smart Cities
With the digitalization and automation of the real estate and housing industry, housing management systems can now leave behind the dusty basement boiler room. Our fifth installment of Framing the Industries, looks at how innovations in smart housing systems disrupt the property sector.
March 19, 2019
NBT CEO Harald Zapp Joins German Innovators at SXSW
Along with a delegation from WirtschaftsWoche, our CEO Harald Zapp visited SXSW in Austin, Texas during March 2019. SXSW, or South by Southwest, is a major conference and festival based in the USA intended to celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries and to foster.
March 13, 2019
How to Pitch an IoT Startup: Guide to Perfecting Your Skills
A company builder’s experience-based Guide for entrepreneurs to perfecting your startup pitch. Preparatory questions you can ask yourself, recommendations for best practices, and innovative checklists you can tick off.
March 7, 2019
NBT Joins Amazon Web Services’ Activate Program
Berlin-based company builder, Next Big Thing, supports cross-industry IoT & Blockchain early-stage ventures with access to Amazon’s AWS Activate program.
February 27, 2019
NBT’s PropTech Venture, METR, gains GBG Group as an Investment Partner
NBT's PropTech venture METR GmbH receives investment from the GBG Group, one of the largest housing companies in Germany, to foster IoT innovation in Real Estate.
February 26, 2019
The Power of Imagination where IoT meets Blockchain
NBT AG, Weeve, and JKVC take the stage during Wayra Deutschland’s visit to Factory Berlin The intersection of IoT and blockchain is ripe with possibility. Factory Berlin’s recent IoT and Blockchain brunch explored imaginative use cases and presented startups working in that space to a growing.
February 18, 2019
Anticipating Demographic Change: IoT in Healthcare
The fourth installment of our Framing the Industries series explores how the Internet of Things technologies and machine learning capabilities can fundamentally disrupt and innovate the healthcare sector – benefiting multiple levels, from operational to patient care.
January 17, 2019
Tackling Complexity with Smarter Supply Chains
The third installment of our Framing the Industries series focuses on growing the efficiency of, and maintaining control over, complex supply chains via the Internet of Things & blockchain technologies as well as machine learning capabilities.
January 15, 2019
Tales from Chengdu
How the ‘Belt & Road Initiative’ Attracts German Startups Recent media indicators show how prominently Chinese innovation figures into tech’s future. American tech analytics wunderkind, CB Insights, recently sent out a newsletter pegging China as the most likely ‘next Silicon Valley’. So what's.
December 20, 2018
2018 in Full-Spectrum
The Year-in-Review with NBT and Ventures Want a glimpse of a massively productive year? Look no further. Despite the internationally hectic quality of 2018, we as a tech company builder with cross-industry ventures, focused on solving problems with smart solutions.
December 17, 2018
Kaminabend: Things & Drinks
On December 10th, the de:Hub’s IoT community gathered at Factory Berlin Görlitzer Park to kick off the festive holiday season during a special “Kaminabend: Things & Drinks.”
December 13, 2018
NBT & CODE Embark on a Project Partnership
Europe’s IoT and blockchain tech company builder, Next Big Thing AG, is delighted to announce the kick-off a Project Partnership with CODE University of Applied Sciences, a new university whose bachelor programs are aimed at the central aspects of digital product development.
December 11, 2018
The Cyclical Nature of Industry Disruption
Welcome to the wrap-up in our series exploring blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT), and democratic forms of investment. In this third edition, we highlight the importance of sustainable business models in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
December 6, 2018
Harald Zapp Joins the [next] Panel in San Francisco
Harald Zapp, CEO and Founder of NBT AG, recently spoke at the [next] conference in San Francisco, California on a panel entitled the 'Berlin Startup Scene'. Henning Ravn from Berlin Partner for Business and Technology moderated the panel that included representatives from Next Big Thing, Ada.
November 29, 2018
NBT Ventures AssistMe & Evertrace at DN18
On November 22-23, two ventures from Next Big Thing AG, AssistMe and Evertrace, took the stage at the Data Natives Conference to present their innovative solutions in healthcare and logistics.
November 23, 2018
The Cybersecurity Industry’s Growing Business Opportunity
Grappling with Ethics and Changing Societal Focus. In this second installment of our Framing the Industries series, we are focusing on the topic of cybersecurity which has far-reaching effects on large and small tech players as well as an important ethical impact on our society.
November 16, 2018
China Entrepreneurs Club Visits Berlin Innovators
On November 9, 2018 the China Entrepreneurs Club visited Factory Berlin and were welcomed by Next Big Thing AG and other key organizations of the German tech ecosystem. The CEC is a group of investors from China who are curious about innovation in Germany, and how that translates into foreign.
November 1, 2018
Where Philosophy Meets IoT
NBT Hosts Students During CODE’s Projects & Partners Day
The Evolving Acronyms of Raising Capital
Welcome to the second installment of our fall series exploring blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT), and security tokens. In this month’s edition, we’ll examine two ‘decentralized’ investment techniques that partially run on blockchain: initial coin offerings and equity token offerings.
October 31, 2018
Puraqvo: Addressing the Global Water Crisis
As part of NBT's new series of monthly Lunch & Learn sessions for our whole team, we heard from our venture developer, Liviu Mantescu. Liviu presented how he is shaping a solution with NBT to address the global water crisis.
October 26, 2018
Harald Zapp joins Startup Jury at Broadband World Forum in Berlin
Next Big Thing & Weeve CEO Harald Zapp participated as a Jury member for the startup pitch competition during the 2018 Broadband World Forum in Berlin.
October 25, 2018
Web3 Summit Impressions by NBT Blockchain Researcher
October 23, 2018
NBT Launches Hardware Massive Berlin Chapter
Next Big Thing AG (NBT), the leading European company builder in IoT and blockchain, and Hardware Massive, the global ecosystem platform for hardware startups, launched the first collaborative chapter series for Berlin to connect the hardware-enthusiast community.
October 19, 2018
NBT Venture Developers Visit IoTSWC18
IoTSWC18 took place 16-18 October in Barcelona, Spain and attracted over 16K visitors from 300 countries who are interested in IoT in a variety of industries.
October 17, 2018
The Energy Internet: IoT Tech’s Potential to Address Climate Change
As part of our new series Framing Industries in which Next Big Thing AG ventures operate, we’re kicking off the first installment with nrgen, a startup ready to shake up the energy sector. We’ll look at green energy democratization and grid decentralization in the context of business opportunities,.
October 11, 2018
Harald Zapp at Berlin Urban Tech Summit 2018
NBT CEO and Founder, Harald Zapp, was invited to be a guest speaker during the 10th Berlin Urban Tech Summit, a business conference which took place on October 10th, 2018. The Summit's mission is to inspire global urban tech solutions by sharing the stories of the tech makers.
Harald Zapp Attends e-shelter Partner Forum
Harald Zapp Connects With the Blockchain Ecosystem at e-shelter Partner Forum
Data-Driven Opportunities: Pairing Blockchain with IoT
This first installment of our fall series explores the potential of scalability and data-driven business opportunities in the context of improvements made by blockchain for the Internet of Things.
October 5, 2018
Solving Problems in Healthcare and Agriculture with IoT Solutions
What exactly does elderly care have to do with date palm trees?
Harald Zapp Delivers Keynote at GPS Ventures Portfolio Day
NBT AG's CEO and Founder, Harald Zapp, was invited be a keynote speaker while attending the annual GPS Ventures Portfolio Day on September 21st in Berlin.
Jasmin Skenderi Joins Hardware.co Panel at betahaus
NBT AG CTO, Jasmin Skenderi, was recently invited to participate in a Hardware.co panel discussion on IoT platforms at a betahaus event in Berlin on September 11.
October 1, 2018
NBT's PropTech Venture, METR, Closes Seed Round
For METR, More Investors Herald New Horizons
September 17, 2018
IoT Entrepreneurship: Meet Harald Zapp as He Talks About His Past and Future Vision for Innovation
Insights from a relayr Founder, now CEO & Founder of Next Big Thing AG By NBT's Sr. Content Manager, Elisheva Marcus
September 12, 2018
Diversity at NBT AG and Our Ventures
How and Why We Support Women in our Workforce and in Tech
September 4, 2018
High Tech for All, and All in for High Tech
At Next Big Thing AG, we believe in high tech for all, and this affects all we do – from hiring practices to big initiatives. But making tech more accessible is more than an inclusive mindset. It means actually leveling the playing field, connecting ideas with resources, and adding new voices to an.
August 20, 2018
Berlin Mayor Tours the City’s IoT Hub
A Prominent Visit to Berlin’s IoT Hub Blends Innovation with Politics When the Mayor visits, it marks a big day. Thursday, August 16 was that day.
July 27, 2018
Communicating IoT: How to Make Complexity Understandable
Learnings from the second IoT Brunch at Factory Görlitzer Park
July 20, 2018
evertrace: blockchain meets supply chain
NBT's supply chain venture completes successful live test with +D Consortium
July 10, 2018
The IoT Hub Berlin Opens at Factory
Next Big Thing AG was pleased to be an integral part of the housewarming for the opening of the IoT Hub Berlin, located at our new home in Factory Görlitzer Park. The IoT Hub Berlin is 1 of 12 digital hubs across Germany, a network supported by an initiative from the Federal Ministry for Economic.
June 22, 2018
NBT’s New Home at Factory Signals Good Things
June 21, 2018
Next Big Thing Aligns with Neufund for an ETO to Democratize Investment on the Blockchain
Europe’s Company Builder in IoT & Blockchain Pioneers New Way to Fund Ventures
June 1, 2018
Two de:hubs Align to Share IoT Expertise Across Berlin-Brandenburg
A ‘Meet the Industry’ conference in Potsdam Positions the Internet of Things and Services To Support German Companies
May 29, 2018
Next Big Thing Brings IoT to SMEs in a Roadshow Across Germany
May 22, 2018
Harald Zapp in Conversation with Monty Munford at CUBE tech fair
No Hype Zone: Taking the Long View on IoT in Berlin The 2018 CUBE tech fair in Berlin challenged typical usage of hyped-up tech terms during talks by diverse speakers and companies. Even while attending a well-curated tech conference though, it’s still easy to get lost in abstractions during.
Maren Lesche on the IoT Ecosystem
A conversation between Berlin-based startup communications expert, Maren Lesche, and Elisheva Marcus, Senior Content Manager at NBT AG.
May 14, 2018
Everything’s in Beta: Building Startup Bridges from Berlin to Beijing
A distinctly international buzz about doing business in China holds big implications for the connection between the bustling Berlin and China startup scenes. Local murmurings on this topic stem from a recent Start Alliance trip organized through the IHK/CCI who sent an economic delegation including.
May 9, 2018
Dev Hacks: Preparing for a Decentralized Future with Blockchain Apps
After co-hosting Ethereum Camp 2018 in Berlin, we’re even MORE focused on new forms of collaborative problem-solving. At “Connect Blockchain to Real IoT Products”, a 4-day hackathon this spring, IoT and blockchain enthusiasts combined forces to develop solutions for actual business and.
April 27, 2018
conhIT: The Future of Digital Health in Germany is Connected
Startups Affiliated with the de:hub Initiative Advance Digital Health Innovation for the German Economy
April 20, 2018
Ethereum Camp 2018 Connects Berlin's Blockchain-IoT Ecosystem
A Hackathon to Prepare for a Machine-to-Machine Future
April 18, 2018
Integrating Weeve’s Protocol into Fraunhofer’s OpenMTC Platform
A Security-enhancing Initiative With Far-reaching Impact
March 23, 2018
Incontinence Pants Are About to Get Smarter From HealthTech Startup, AssistMe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2018
degewo & METR To Build Berlin Housing Industry’s IoT Backbone
BERLIN-BASED COMPANIES KICK OFF PROPTECH R&D PARTNERSHIP, BRINGING IoT TO TENEMENT HOUSING FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2018
PropTech Venture METR Advances Submetering with IoT Gateways
METR Reaches Milestone By Building and Delivering PropTech Solution, M-Gate METR, is a force to contend with. Founded in November 2016, METR has now successfully completed development of their first product, an IoT Gateway called M-Gate. M-Gates allow for the remote read-out of heating and water.
March 9, 2018
Celebrating Women at NBT: An Interview with Program Manager, Darina Onoprienko
In honor of International Women's Day 2018, we caught up with Darina Onoprienko. She shared her experience, thoughts on women in tech, and valuable advice for entrepreneurs.
March 6, 2018
Embedded System Engineers Build Gateways to Innovation
When talking to Aravinth Panchadcharam, Senior Embedded Systems Engineer at Next Big Thing, excitement for new technology is contagious. Aravinth is an accomplished and rare blend of robotocist, new media artist, and environmentalist who made his way from Sri Lanka to Germany – meanwhile becoming.
February 26, 2018
Hi from the NBT Thing Tank.
At Next Big Thing AG (NBT), we’re enabling deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe. We welcome like-minded visionaries – from corporate partners, to entrepreneurs, to technologists– as we model new businesses in IoT and blockchain. Having revamped our website and blog, we now aim to.
February 23, 2018
Industrie 4.0 Meets Innovation 4.0 at DTIM 2018
‘Industrie 4.0’ was born in Germany, so let’s explore this term’s definition from right here in Berlin. Also called Industry 4.0, it signifies both a vision and reality which is transforming industry and manufacturing from end-to-end. It involves big data analytics, the cloud, digital twin.
February 9, 2018
Hinterland of Things Fuels Germany's Innovation
On February 8, 2018, Germany’s brightest innovators met in Bielefeld to chart a digital future together with leadership from some of the hidden champions of the nation’s economy. This first-time conference called “Hinterland of Things” connected industry, SMEs, and startups in the.
February 8, 2018
IoT Innovation: The Rise of Company Building in the IoT Research & Development Race
A McKinsey report estimating the potential of IoT to generate $11 Trillion in value by 2025 has led to many senior business leaders across the globe investing in IoT innovation or planning to implement IoT solutions in the coming years. Many of these investments, however, failed to yield the great.
February 6, 2018
NBT CTO Jasmin Skenderi on Data Attestation and the Role of Startups in the NGI
December 17, 2017
In Pictures: CTO, Jasmin Skenderi Speaks at Startups @ Digitale Vernetzung by Fraunhofer
On Thursday November 30th, Fraunhofer hosted a networking event at the Einstein Center Digital Future on Wilhelmstraße. The purpose of the event was to showcase Fraunhofer's technological research in the field of IoT, 5G, Industry 4.0 and Hardware for Cyber-Physical Systems and to explore how they.
December 5, 2017
Exploring the Intersection of IoT & Blockchain at Our Happy Hour Event With NBT & Consensys
Last Friday, we hosted a very special event to bring IoT & Blockchain closer together. Our 'Happy Hour' was hosted at Factory Berlin's Rheinsberger Strasse HQ and featured leading speakers from NBT and blockchain venture production studio, Consensys.
December 3, 2017
Event: IoT & Blockchain in InsurTech at Factory Berlin
As our "IoT & Blockchain in..." event series grows we hosted our most recent at Factory Berlin. InsurTech is booming at this moment in time which is why this time on we held the event on the topic of IoT & blockchain applications for the insurance industry. Speakers included Nicolas Konnerth,.
November 28, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp Speaks at Club of Three
Club of Three is an initiative between several European states that brings together senior members of business, politics, academia and the media. The aim of the initiative is to provide an informal platform to discuss solutions to the greatest challenges faced by Europe.
November 14, 2017
In Pictures: Our CEO Speaks at the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow
For the second year running, the East German Economic Forum was held last week, featuring leading political figures and researchers focussing on the economic development of East Germany. The goal of the forum was to explore new topics in the development of the East German economy and to discuss how.
November 7, 2017
Discover the Future of IoT & Blockchain in InsurTech at Our November Event
As part of a series of events exploring the intersection of IoT & Blockchain, we will be hosting a special discussion at Factory Berlin to explore how these technologies are disrupting InsurTech. Potential use cases and business models for the insurance industry will be discussed by leading experts.
October 23, 2017
Internet of Thoughts: Jens, Founder of Healthcare IoT Startup Assistr, Shares His Story
Building a venture in the healthcare IoT space is no easy task, but the rewards for those that are successful can be great. Jens Grudno founded Assistr in collaboration with NBT last year and has since been working to develop a solution for healthcare IoT that has real market value. Following.
October 16, 2017
"You dream. We create." Great Things Happen When You Pack Out Factory's Event Space With Entrepreneurs
On Wednesday 11th October at Factory Berlin, we hosted a bunch of entrepreneurs interested in building something in the IoT space. The idea was to present who we are and what we are doing to nurture talent and build the greatest IoT companies of tomorrow.
October 10, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp Invited to Celebrate 50 years of Berlin's Partnership with Los Angeles at TOA LA
To mark 50 years of partnership between Berlin and Los Angeles, TOA LA hosted an event in the Californian city to celebrate. The event was held to bring Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berlin closer together, driving innovation and cooperation between these world leading tech cities in the fields of.
September 29, 2017
Our Smart Building Startup, Metr, Reach the Finals of the Degewo Innovation Competition
Innovation competitions can present a great opportunity for startups to promote themselves and become recognised as leaders in their fields by respected awards bodies. Our smart building startup, Metr, were shortlisted from 74 startups to pitch their venture along with 19 others at the Degewo.
September 18, 2017
What Happens When you Bring Commercial Real Estate Professionals Together with IoT & Blockchain Enthusiasts?
Last Thursday we hosted an event on the topic of "IoT & Blockchain in Commercial Real Estate". The event was held at our Berlin offices and featured expert speakers from both the commercial real estate industry and technology, as well as an audience of likeminded professionals fascinated by.
Jasmin Skenderi Reveals Our Vision for the Future at the De:Hub Press Conference
As proud representatives of the German Government Initiative, De:Hub - we were asked to attend today's press conference presented by Senator Ramona Pop. The event was held to present the planned activities for the IoT & Fintech Hub in Berlin and to allow representatives; Factory, Fraunhofer Power.
September 11, 2017
Our CTO, Jasmin spoke at Startup Night to discuss IoT in Berlin
On Friday September 8, Berlin played host to Startup Night, an annual event showcasing startups from across the globe. The event was held at multiple locations across central Berlin with over 200 startups, more than 90 speakers and an audience of 2000+ people.
September 6, 2017
In Pictures: Our Blockchain Venture, weeve, Teach IoT and Blockchain at the Ethereum Summer Camp in Frankfurt
Our blockchain startup, Eciotify, was invited to present at the Frankfurt Business School for Ethereum Summer Camp. The event was held to showcase potential applications of IoT an blockchain.
August 22, 2017
Our CTO, Jasmin Skenderi will be Speaking at Startup Night Berlin
As a rapidly growing IoT company builder, we are regularly asked to speak at events on the topics of IoT and innovation in Germany and across Europe. This month is no different... Startup Night Berlin one of the leading startup events where startups and experts present ideas and projects they're.
August 8, 2017
Discover the Future of IoT & Blockchain in Commercial Real Estate at our September Event
On Thursday 14th September we will be opening our offices up to discuss how IoT and Blockchain will disrupt the commercial real estate industry in the coming years. Speakers include Tom Brandenburger, Associate Development Manager at OVG Real Estate, Prof. Dr. Katarina Adam at HTW and CTO of Next.
July 28, 2017
Program Manager, Darina Presents the Burgeoning Phenomena of Venture Development
With technological shifts driving exponential change across society and culture, foreseeing how the world will look in the coming decades has never been so challenging. As such, Venture Development, the new model of business development has emerged.
July 21, 2017
Pondering Upon the Future of Logistics and Transportation at Our 'IoT & Blockchain in Logistics and Transportation' Meetup
As an ever growing IoT community, bringing people together is very important to us. On Thursday 20th July we hosted a meetup on IoT and Blockchain in Logistics, where we invited guests to listen to talks by leading figures from organizations focussing on the topic.
July 18, 2017
Discussing the IoT World of Tomorrow at our Tech Open Air Satellite Event
On Friday 14th July we opened our doors for a Tech Open Air satellite event. We hosted an every growing community of IoT and business enthusiasts to present our vision and how we will be building the IoT world of tomorrow.
July 17, 2017
Watch our CEO speak at the De:Hub presented Tech Open Air Satellite Event
Our CEO shared his thoughts on the future of the german De:Hub initiative, and how to involve SME's in innovation activities in Berlin at the 'Beyond Startups - How Can An Entire Economy Become Digital?'.
July 5, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp speaks at Technologiestiftung Press Conference to Discuss IoT in Berlin
Tuesday 4th July saw press officials from across Germany descend upon Kreuzberg's Bergmannkiez area to the offices of Relayr, where Technologiestiftung hosted a press conference to share, publicly, their findings from recent research into IoT in Berlin.
July 4, 2017
IoT: Strategic partnership between Next Big Thing AG and Fraunhofer-Research in Berlin
IOT COMPANY BUILDER, NEXT BIG THING AG AND THE BERLIN CENTER FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION HAVE AGREED UPON A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS IN BERLIN. THE MAIN FOCUS IS THE EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, ESPECIALLY FOR THE INTERNET OF.
June 29, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp invited to Discuss IoT at Technologie Stiftung Press Event
Our CEO, Harald Zapp has been invited to share his decades worth of knowledge at the Technologie Stiftung "Internet of Things: How Berlin Connects Everything to Everything Else, and Profits From It". The press event, hosted by Technologie Stiftung Berlin, follows research by the foundation into the.
June 16, 2017
Next Big Thing AG Opens its Doors to Russian & Chinese Entrepreneurs
Last week we invited a select group of young Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs to visit our Kreuzberg home. The event was designed to share our visions of the future and what we do, and discuss potential partner opportunities. The day was split in two with the Chinese delegates arriving in the.
June 14, 2017
German Government Awards Next Big Thing AG 'Digital Hub Status' for IoT
GERMANY'S FEDERAL MINISTRY FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND ENERGY, AWARDS NEXT BIG THING AG 'DIGITAL HUB STATUS' IN THE FIELD OF INTERNET OF THINGS.
May 19, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp Speaks All Things Entrepreneur at Commerzbank Conference
Serial entrepreneur and CEO of NBT, Harald is regularly being asked to share his thoughts at events throughout the country, and this week was no different. Following an invitation to the Commerzbank conference, Harald presented his ideas on IoT entrepreneurship for the future. The following is.
May 17, 2017
Next Big Thing AG and Avnet Silica Partner to Develop next Generation IoT Devices
AVNET SILICA PARTNERS WITH NEXT BIG THING AG - ENTERING INTO AN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP NEXT GENERATION IOT DEVICES.
May 11, 2017
IoT Security Met Blockchain at Our Speakers Event - Just in Case You Missed It
Last Wednesday we hosted a meetup event at our Berlin offices on the topics of IoT security and blockchain technology. Speakers from IOTA and eciotify spoke to an eager audience of nearly 100 blockchain enthusiasts. Following a short introduction from Jasmin, Dominik Schiener (Co-founder, IOTA) and.
April 26, 2017
Meet CEO, Harald Zapp
After successfully building IoT middleware company Relayr, Harald Zapp began a new project as CEO of Next Big Thing AG. Discover Harald's thoughts on the future of IoT, the political and cultural aspects that will drive growth and where he sees NBT fitting into all of this...
April 24, 2017
Next Big Thing AG host IoT and Blockchain Expert Talks
NEXT BIG THING AG TO HOST EVENT OF EXPERT TALKS IN IOT SECURITY AND FEASIBILITY OF BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS
April 18, 2017
Meet founder of Assistr, Jens Grudno
NBT is the home of founders in IoT applications for healthcare, property management / smart building and energy. All bringing something slightly different to the table in terms of background, experience and what they're passionate about. Meet Jens Grudno - founder of Assistr, a new project hoping.
April 12, 2017
CEO, Harald Zapp Speaks at the Launch of the Fraunhofer IoT Lab in Berlin
Following the launch of the Berlin Centre for Digital Transformation, at which our CTO, Jasmin Skenderi spoke, Fraunhofer FOKUS recently opened the IoT Lab.
April 4, 2017
Meet our CTO, Jasmin Skenderi
Our growing team at NBT is jam-packed full of interesting people with unique stories and backgrounds. Our CTO, Jasmin Skenderi is one of these people. Discover all about Jasmin, his background and his take on the future of IoT and hardware startups...
March 30, 2017
Meet Our Tech Lab Head Technician, Fred Tucker
Our workshops play host to, not only a plethora of technologies, but innovative thinking as well. At the heart of this thinking are our team of experimentalists - the guys making stuff happen. If you'd like to know more, and why these guys spend their days tucked away playing with code and.
March 28, 2017
Inspire Your next Business Case with a Select Few Exciting Opportunity Spaces in IoT Healthcare
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing the ways in which businesses work. Spending on IoT is set to grow exponentially over the coming years with companies from all industries beginning to recognise the opportunities offered by IoT. A recent BCG report estimates total spending on IoT to.
March 17, 2017
Our CTO, Jasmin Skenderi spoke at the launch of the Fraunhofer Berlin Centre for Digital Transformation
For those that aren’t aware of the Fraunhofer Society, they are a research organization consisting of 67 institutes in Germany and several others across the world. March 6th saw the opening of the Berlin Centre for Digital Transformation. Located next to Hackescher Markt, the Fraunhofer centre,.
