Matthias Brendel has always been fascinated by enabling sustainability with technology. He studied environmental engineering at the University of Bayreuth and completed his doctorate on CO2 reduction in petrol engines at the Technical University of Munich.
His career began in the automotive industry. There he focussed on combustion engines and improving their fuel efficiency. He later switched to developing new business models in the mobility sector, which always had to be digital and sustainable. This was followed by the founding of his start-up Footprint Technologies, an AI company that developed software that enables precise foot measurement with a smartphone and thus significantly reduces the return rate in online shoe retail.
As keynote speaker and guest panellist, Matthias Brendel will talk about innovations and how to make them possible, future mobility, sustainability and leadership with autonomy.
Matthias Brendel Lecture topics
- Startup Learnings
- Leading with Autonomy
- Future Mobility!
- Mobility a basic human need
- Innovating in Corporates and Startups
- Impact Entrepreneurship
- Innovation Acceleration in Open Ecosystems
- Critical for the Future
- Innovation Acceleration in Open Ecosystems
From car to shoe – more about Matthias Brendel:
As a PhD student in engine development at Audi, he initially embarked on solo experiments with a 130-year-old approach on variable compression to significantly enhance the fuel efficiency of combustion engines. Over eight years, with the aid of AI-based optimization, this endeavor evolved into one of Volkswagen Group’s most substantial powertrain projects en route to series production. Matthias Brendel grew within the company and ultimately ascended to the role of design and project manager for a new large-scale engine family. He acquired extensive knowledge about innovation in the automotive group’s core business and amassed considerable experience within a complex corporate structure.
During this period, he also advanced into Audi`s management. Subsequently, he was given the opportunity to co-found, establish, and lead the Audi Denkwerkstatt innovation unit at the behest of the Board of Management. This unit was awarded as the top innovation entity in German industry on multiple occasions, offering him the chance to deeply engage with new business model implementation while also contributing to the company’s cultural transformation. At Audi Denkwerkstatt, he further honed his leadership style, emphasizing autonomy and working with self-organized intrapreneur teams for over 4.5 years.
After spending a total of 13 years in a large corporation, he decided to transition to being a full-time entrepreneur. Having founded his first company at the age of 17 and remaining active as a sidepreneur ever since, Matthias Brendel was well-prepared for this leap. Moving from senior management in a large corporation to leading his own company with just a handful of employees was a significant step, but precisely the right move for them. Since 2020, he has been the CEO of his own AI company, Footprint Technologies GmbH. The company specializes in measuring feet and recommending the best possible shoe size to reduce returns in online shoe retail. Today, they are the market leader in their field, providing services to top shoe brands and large federal authorities in Germany and abroad.
In 2019, Matthias Brendel was honored with the “Young Elite – Top 40 under 40” award by Capital magazine’s editors. In 2022, he was further appointed to the Senate of Economy Europe.