Business

The EU has set itself the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, many measures will be needed in the coming years. One of them is to speed up the expansion of renewable energies.

According to Bitkom, the annual damage caused by cyber attacks on German companies will amount to €148 billion by 2023. Phishing emails account for a large proportion of this. Cyber security companies such as SoSafe are working to change this by making companies and their employees aware of the digital threat. This also applies to the healthcare sector, as patient data is particularly attractive to cyber criminals.

When a university hospital offers its own start-up support, it says a lot about the esteem in which start-ups are held. This is the case in Düsseldorf: with Startup4med, the University Hospital Düsseldorf supports those interested in setting up a company, from the initial idea to applying for funding and setting up the company. This is a great example of how vibrant and diverse the start-up ecosystem is in the state capital. The three 'fresh ideas' that thrive in this environment and will be showcased in this VIVID are not just from the health sector: Weltenmacher, Your Showdown and Teresa.AI.

With its online magazine Hiphop.de, ManeraMedia GmbH runs the most widely read pop culture magazine in the German-speaking world. The company has also set itself the task of embedding hip-hop culture in brands - and in football. How does that work? VIVID spoke to managing director Tobias Kargoll.

Düsseldorf used to be big in cycling. Up until the 1930s, there were six large cycle racing tracks in the city. A long-buried tradition that is now being revitalised. Cross-country races such as the "QuerFeldRhein", the new profile of the classic "Rund um die Kö" and events such as Cyclingworld Europe are examples of the new Düsseldorf bike community. Trendsetters are often bike stores such as "La Bici", "Schicke Mütze" and "Awsum". They all stand for the newly discovered passion for cycling.

Around 90 per cent of all German companies are owner-managed family businesses. But what happens when the management retires? VIVID spoke to Victoria Frankenheim and Sophie Hinkel, both managing directors of their own family businesses, about their experiences.

From 3 to 7 June, Düsseldorf was once again a hotspot for everyone interested in startups: the 9th Startup Week Düsseldorf. Since the premiere of Startup Week in 2015, the number of startups has increased from 135 to 550 in 2023! Today, we would like to introduce you to three of these courageous founders: altus, consalio and O.C. Hairsystems.

The second edition of the InDUStrial project brings together artists from Düsseldorf and its Ukrainian twin city, Chernivtsi.

Art not only has aesthetic and emotional components - in addition to the possibility of buying and collecting it out of passion, more and more people are seeing the acquisition of works of art as an investment opportunity.

In each VIVID, we present three start-ups from Düsseldorf and the surrounding area - usually in line with the current issue's theme. But what about art? Are there any fresh ideas from Düsseldorf? Fresh art ideas, so to speak? Of course there are!

250 years of the Art Academy, 250 years of art history in Düsseldorf. Hardly any other institution defines the city like the world-famous art academy with its wide corridors and spacious studios and workshops, which have produced artists such as Gerhard Richter, Andreas Gursky and Katharina Grosse.

Düsseldorf and art - a love story that began during the 18th century if not before: in 1773, Elector Karl Theodor founded the academy of fine arts, which attracts artists from all over the world to the state capital and who continue to play a key role in shaping Düsseldorf's vibrant art scene to this day. VIVID asked five of them to talk about their life and work in the city.

Daniela Steinfeld founded VAN HORN 20 years ago as an artists' space named after a small town in Texas. The Düsseldorf-based artist has been a gallery owner for 15 years, showing talents such as Anys Reimann, Elisabeth Vary and Jan Albers at two locations in Flingern and Lierenfeld and at international art fairs. In her podcast Voices on Art, Daniela Steinfeld talks to international artists and gallery owners about art. In VIVID she gives an insight into the work of a gallery owner.

Art and business: how do they fit together? One answer could be corporate collections, which make an important contribution to companies, employees and the public. Companies like to promote how open, creative and versatile they are. Image brochures from a wide range of industries are peppered with these slogans. But how do they translate into a culture of values that is actually lived? And how can this be credibly communicated both internally and externally?

Her heart beats for Düsseldorf's start-up scene: Ella Gemünd runs Techhub K67 which is located in Kasernenstraße. Born in Frankfurt to Rhineland parents, she moved to the city four years ago - and has found her new home here. 

Almost 8 million people with severe disabilities live in Germany - that corresponds to over 9 per cent of the total population. Inclusion is therefore no longer a niche topic, but should be on the agenda of every company that takes diversity and social participation seriously.

Rarely have HR managers and recruiters had such a challenging job. The reason being that the baby boomer generation is retiring and is followed by much smaller generations. The inevitable consequence is that the labour force in Germany is shrinking. According to the study "Future. Work. Today. A guide to the world of work in 2030", conducted by the Düsseldorf based job platform Stepstone together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute, there will be around ten million fewer people in employment in Germany by 2050 alone than there are today. We are therefore looking at a time in which people will become a critical economic factor. This makes efficiency and smart ideas in the labour market all the more important today and in the future - we have once again selected three of them for you. Here are the start-ups AIMMO, netsome and yakha.

Sundermann & Palm has been the expert for paints, wallpapers, floor coverings and tools for exactly one hundred years. As a wholesaler, the company primarily supplies painting companies and other commercial and private customers with utensils. A hundred years during which colours and materials have changed. The basis for the success of "SUPA", however, remains the same: a close relationship with the customer.

Desperately seeking talent! But how can companies convince and retain potential candidates in the current battle for skilled labour? Well, Düsseldorf`s employer branding experts know that for many employees it is not so much social benefits that matter, but appreciation, opportunities to help shape the company and the chance to grow personally.

11 sub-sectors account for the diversity and strength of the cultural and creative industries. Much is currently being done in Düsseldorf to further reinforce these sectors and make them fit for the future. 

Video games are the most lucrative segment of the entertainment industry. VIVID spoke to players in the regional gaming scene about the strengths of the gaming industry for companies in other sectors and about its role in Düsseldorf's cultural and creative industries. 

A new technology from the Japanese company Wacom aims to protect human authorship. Metadata from the creation process is integrated into the artwork itself. Here's what's behind the innovation that puts artists first.

 35 years ago, DJ Henry Storch founded the record label Unique Records and seven years later the legendary club of the same name in Düsseldorf's old town. The club closed its doors in 2006, but the label remained. After the sudden death of Henry Storch in 2018, his former employee Ina Schulz took over the management of the record label. In an interview with VIVID, the manager explains how she sees her job as label head of Unique Records and head of international product management at Schubert Music Europe, how the players in indie music have coped with the disruption of recent years - and what new revenue models there are for artists. 

The Wim Wenders Foundation is committed in many ways to the future of film and the promotion of young filmmakers. VIVID interviewed Managing Director Hella Wenders and Marion Döring from the Foundation's Board of Directors. 

Heiko Wunder was one of the pioneers of the eco-fashion scene, when he founded the fashion label wunderwerk in 2012. He now runs six stores throughout Germany, an online shop and continues to pursue a sustainable lifestyle consistently and convincingly. VIVID met him in his showroom in Flingern.