Porsche Partners with Startup Autobahn Through 2023

Porsche will work with innovation platform company to drive solutions for future mobility for the next three years.

A Porsche and the autobahn go together like fish and chips, or perhaps more appropriately, beer and bratwurst. So, it should come as no surprise that the company that Porsche elected to partner with is called Startup Autobahn, also based out of Stuttgart, Germany. The goal is to help drive forward intelligent and progressive solutions for the future of mobility. This is achieved by bringing together young, fresh startups with established companies.

It is no secret that Porsche is looking to be a leader in future technology, including more fully electric vehicles beyond the Taycan. The desire to be a leader and innovator is big business at Porsche and they realize they can’t do it all on their own. Technology and mobility startups may have some wonderful solutions but struggle to get them in front of the right audience. This is where Startup Autobahn comes in and brings both sides together. It is a win-win situation. The established company gets access to some of the world’s leading minds. The young companies get their technology in front of some of the best companies to work with which offers them a platform for growth.

Startup Autobahn offers a platform for bringing the new and established organizations together, but it is much more than a simple meet and greet. The overall program runs for about six months. It starts with a scouting process where top startups are screened. The best of the best are picked to move forward in the selection phase. Proof of concepts and prototypes are then developed during the pilot phase. This all leads to Expo Day. That is the closing event of the program. It is a trade show day with booths, keynote speakers, and networking sessions. The results of the pilot phase are announced at Expo Day. The core goal of the program is to produce a production-ready implementation.

Porsche has been a partner with Startup Autobahn since 2017 and has been happy with the results realized thus far. “The successful cooperation of the last few years has prompted us to extend our partnership with Startup Autobahn for another three years”, says Dr. Jochen Breckner, Vice President General Secretariat and Business Development, Porsche AG.

The philosophy of Startup Autobahn is similar to Porsche’s first all-electric car, the Taycan. The Taycan is the future. It has the latest electric drive systems, and it is the most technologically advanced car that the company has ever produced. Yet, it is undeniably still a Porsche. It still has the design elements that let the world know at a glance what company makes the car. It has the company heritage and DNA throughout. Above all, the Taycan was developed to be a driver’s car. Cutting edge technology and Porsche history in a single car. This confluence of established and new is exactly the point of the partnership between Porsche and Startup Autobahn. The future is bright, and Porsche will be leading the way, with a little help from its friends.

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Photos: Porsche 

Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.