​Ripple Hosts

​Lena Kahles

​Henkel Ventures

​Iris ten Have

​Visionaries Tomorrow

​TL;DR

​Corporates are often seen as slow-moving giants—but when engaged right, they can be the scaling catalyst that deep tech startups need. This Ripple explores how industrial partners can act as strategic enablers rather than blockers, and what founders and investors should know to turn corporate interest into commercial traction.

​Topic overview

​Why is the topic relevant?

​Corporates play a critical role in the success of Europe’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystem—but it's often misunderstood or underestimated. Beyond capital, industrial partners bring infrastructure, technical expertise, credibility, and routes to scale. Yet collaboration is rarely straightforward. This session explores how startups, VCs, and industrials can better align: finding true strategic fit, navigating internal corporate hurdles, and moving faster from LOI to rollout. For investors, it’s a chance to understand what realistic timelines and outcomes look like when corporates are involved—and how to help portfolio companies succeed in these partnerships.

​What’s up for discussion?

• ​How can industrial players act as scale enablers—not just end customers?

• ​What are proven collaboration models between startups and corporates that actually work?

• ​What makes a startup strategically relevant early on—even before a product integration?

• ​How can startups signal alignment with strategic priorities without compromising independence?

• ​What internal dynamics slow corporates down—and how can they be navigated?

• ​How do you move beyond LOIs to real pilots, deployments, or offtake agreements?

​Dream outcome

​VCs, startups, and industrials walk away with more realistic expectations and clearer insight into how to collaborate effectively—especially on timelines, strategic fit, and scaling partnerships. We hope this Ripple sparks more high-trust, high-leverage interactions between the stakeholders shaping Europe’s industrial deep tech future.

​Who should attend?

​VCs, deep tech and climate tech startups, corporate venture teams, corporate innovation and R&D teams, strategic partnership leads, and anyone working at the intersection of industry and innovation.