Silicon Valley Meets Neckar Valley
- Eureka! Ländle Meets California
- Suma Reddy, Andreas Brehm & Sera Babakus
In the March edition of our EUREKA series, we will take a closer look at the similarities and differences between the startup culture in Baden-Württemberg and California. In “Silicon Valley Meets Neckar Valley”, we will ask two start-up (co-)founders what they consider critical for the success of their business, about challenges they face and how these challenges may differ in regards to their location. Furthermore, we will also look at opportunities and ways to learn from one another and share best practices. Silicon Valley has long been known as the global center of innovation. But in a rather digitalized world and with many people working from home due to a global pandemic, does location even matter?
This event is part of Eureka! Ländle Meets Californiaa digital event series on the sister state partnership between Baden-Württemberg and California.
With: Suma Reddy, founder of Future Acres; Andreas Brehm, co-founder of Nexobility
Moderated by: Sera Babakus, consultant for immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs at FITT gGmbH
Event organizer: DAZ Stuttgart
In cooperation with: Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg, DAI Heidelberg, and DAI Tübingen
Generously supported by: State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg
Suma Reddy
Suma is CEO of Future Acres, an agricultural robotics company creating farm tools for the toughest crops, starting with Carry, an autonomous harvest companion that increases farm production efficiency and farmworker safety. Prior, Suma co-founded companies in vertical farming, waste management, and renewable energy. She started her career at a microfinance-startup-turned-unicorn in India, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali. Suma also received the White House Champions of Change Award for her work in LGBTQ advocacy. Suma is currently building a community and practice based on the principles of entrepreneurship as activism. She is a graduate of The Wharton School (MBA), Flatiron School (iOS), General Assembly (UX Design), and University of Rochester (BA).
Andreas Brehm
Andreas Brehm is the co-founder of Nexobility – Next-Generation Mobility Solutions for Parking, Retail and Real Estate, a start-up from Stuttgart, Germany. By providing data-driven, intelligent control systems for vehicle access and people flow Nexobility increases their customers’ efficiency and revenue.
Sera Babakus
Sera Babakus works as a consultant for immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs at FITT gGmbH – the institute of technology transfer at the local University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) in Saarbrücken, Germany. Sera moved to Germany in 2012, where she had the privilege to build bridges together with various German-American centers across southwest Germany and to advise international newcomers in Stuttgart’s flagship Welcome Center. A passionate intrapreneur, she is convinced that diversity, as well as the exchange of ideas across borders and cultures, are key to innovation.
