When people who aren’t from the region think of the Ruhrgebiet, they often imagine either a shabby industrial world full of chimneys and coal dust or a desolate, post-industrial wasteland with no real future. But while the first image is one from the past, the second has major blind spots. As Burkhard Maaß is going to tell us, the Ruhrgebiet is not only green and abundant in nature, but it is also rich in universities that provide world-class research. That research can lead to new kinds of technology and new economic opportunities. And a very different kind of 21st century start-up: When you think of a start-up, you might think of hipsters sipping lattes in front of their MacBooks, working on the next big thing on the internet. The start-up Burkhard Maaß co-founded doesn’t quite fit that image: They work with heavy machinery. They melt. They cast. They forge. Exactly what people in the Ruhrgebiet have been doing for more than 150 years. Except that they produce some of the most advanced high-tech materials in the world – shape memory alloys. And they do so right here in Bochum, because here they have all they need – the scientists specializing in the field, a highly skilled local workforce, and a mentality that people have conserved from the old days: Be honest and work hard.
Dr.-Ing. Burkhard Maaß is Co-Founder and CEO of Ingpuls, the only German producer of shape memory alloys. He lectures shape memory technology at the Ruhr University, where he studied mechanical engineering, got his PhD in Materials Science and also, where he used to play as a kid. He’s been living in Bochum for most of his life – returning even after living in sunny Spain and tropical Venezuela. Dr.-Ing. Burkhard Maaß is Co-Founder and CEO of Ingpuls, the only German producer of
shape memory alloys. He lectures shape memory technology at the Ruhr-University, where he studied mechanical engineering, got his PhD in Materials Science and also, where he used to play as a kid. He’s been living in Bochum for most of his life – returning even after living in sunny Spain and tropical Venezuela. His talk “Building new industries based on old values: a Ruhrgebiet’s approach to start-up“ will concern their unique approach of building a start-up – Ruhrpott-Style. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
