Digital transformation is happening here

Düsseldorf has become a hotspot for Europe's digital economy, thanks to the city's unique cluster of mobile communication firms, start-ups and industrial manufacturing companies. The digital transformation is already a reality today in Düsseldorf, a highly innovative and international business location. Companies based in Düsseldorf are the driving force behind digitalization. Unique synergies facilitating sustainable digital transformation are being created in Düsseldorf.

Düsseldorf: World class living and working

Düsseldorf is an attractive, cosmopolitan and growing city, with foreigners accounting for about 17% of the city's population. As the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf enjoys an excellent reputation among expats as a great place for their families but also for their career. The well-respected Annual Quality of Living Survey from the Mercer consulting group ranks Düsseldorf sixth among all cities in the world. The leading Internet portal for expats, InterNations, also recently compared more than 60 countries and 35 cities in their 2016 Expat Insider Survey. The not-so-surprising result: Düsseldorf ranked fourth in the world in terms of quality of life, work-life balance, ease of settling in, cost of living, and family life. And Düsseldorf was the number one destination for expats among all German cites.

Rolf Schrömgens, one of the founders of Trivago

"Düsseldorf is home for our team of 950 employees from 63 countries," said Rolf Schrömgens, one of the founders of Trivago, the world's largest hotel search engine. "We feel at home here. It is no coincidence that Düsseldorf is a city with the high quality of life."

Founded in 2005, trivago has become the world’s largest online hotel reservation platform by offering price comparisons from more than 250 booking sites and more than 1 million hotels. The founders Rolf Schrömgens, Malte Siewert and Stephan Stubner first had the idea in 2004 while still studying at university. They then developed a successful e-commerce portal, which was eventually sold. The next start-up was Trivago, a "Wikipedia for Travellers". Today the company employs 950 people and will soon to moving into a futuristic new headquarters building in Düsseldorf's MediaHabor with room for up to 3,500 employees. In 2012 the founders sold 60% of the company to Expedia, the US Internet portal, setting the stage for further growth. The founders continue to shape Trivago's strategic development.

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156 million Consumers within 500 Kilometres

Düsseldorf is the ideal base for business within continental Europe. About 31% of the European Union's total population lives within a 500 kilometre (300 mile) radius of Düsseldorf – a distance that a truck can easily cover in a day. About 50% of the total EU purchasing power is generated here – making Düsseldorf the perfect launch pad for entry into European markets. A total of 11.4 million people live within one hour’s travel distance by car and more than 500,000 companies are based here. No where else in Germany is there such a high density of providers and users, customers and business partners.

Dr. Daniel Kleine, Düsseldorf Site Manager, Henkel AG & Co. KgaA

"We value Düsseldorf 's proximity to numerous markets, to excellent universities and research establishments, the outstanding infrastructure and international transport links," said Dr. Daniel Kleine, Düsseldorf Site Manager, Henkel AG & Co. KgaA. "At the same time, Düsseldorf is a pleasant place to live in and it also attracts international professionals."

In 1876, the 28-year old Fritz Henkel founded the company Henkel & Cie with two business partners to manufacture powder detergents in Aachen. Only two years later, the company founder relocated the company from Aachen to Düsseldorf. With that decision, Fritz Henkel demonstrated the right instinct for important location factors such as good transport connections. Today, Henkel is one of the most international companies in Germany with over 18 billion euros sales (2015). About 80% of the company's 50,000 employees work outside Germany. However, Düsseldorf is still corporate headquarters and 5,500 staff are located here, including the important R&D department and its largest production site.

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Start-up Ecosystem

There are currently around 250 start-up companies in Düsseldorf, forming an important foundation for the innovative strength of the economy in and around the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. As part of Düsseldorf’s initiative for start-ups and entrepreneurship, a long-term strategy and several projects were defined by the start-up business community. The overall goal of the initiative is to create a positive and pro-business environment for entrepreneurship and start-up companies in Düsseldorf.

Jay Habib, ShopCo founder and CEO

"The Düsseldorf region has large pool of talent," said ShopCo founder and CEO Jay Habib. "Düsseldorf is the most beautiful city of the Rhein river and about 25% of the entire German population lives within 150 kilometers. No other city in Germany can offer that."

Everyone knows the advantages – and disadvantages – of shopping online. Users must coordinate multiple registrations, checkouts and passwords. But this could very well may be a relic of the past, thanks to Shop.co and its universal shopping cart for online stores. This innovative Internet technology allows users to shop anywhere, and all store orders, checkouts and emails are saved in one place. The software was initially developed in Düsseldorf, and in 2015 a San Francisco office was added. The city of Düsseldorf helped the company find suitable office space and to establish the company. The start-up participated in numerous workshop and conferences for entrepreneurs, and is an active member of the Düsseldorf start-up ecosystem.

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Philipp Kriependorf, one of the founders of auxmoney

"By 2020, we will have made it possible for a million people to secure a loan, " said Philipp Kriependorf, one of the founders of auxmoney.

Applying for a bank loan is a complex and lengthy process – and often unsuccessful. This means the end of many a dream for start-up businesses, young entrepreneurs and private individuals. The start-up company auxmoney, which now employs 140 people in Düsseldorf, offers credit seekers a completely new perspective and enables them to reach their goals. The Internet platform brings individuals and investors together, completely independent of a bank. So far about around 50,000 investors have financed over 70,000 lending projects via auxmoney and paid out 200 million euros. In 2015 the insurance company Aegon invested 150 million euros in the start-up's lending projects, the largest investment in a private lending marketplace in Europe.

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Talent pool of Digital Trendsetters

Düsseldorf offers a deep pool of qualified employees with a high level of experience in technology, industry and services. The city has more than 42,000 digital trendsetters, forming a huge network of expert employees with knowledge of network technologies. And for the talent of tomorrow, Düsseldorf offers world class education in IT, engineering and design. There are a total of 37 private universities, 12 Max Planck Institutes, 35 public universities located in and around Düsseldorf.

Managing Director Dr. Sebastian Dettmers, Stepstone

"Düsseldorf is the digital capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, and it has been the right headquarters location over the long term for StepStone," said Managing Director Dr. Sebastian Dettmers

StepStone is the number one online job board in Germany. Recruiting companies from all over Germany place their job offers on StepStone, but the portal also supports job-seekers by providing important tips and career strategies. Founded in 1996, StepStone is one of the pioneers in online recruitment, today counting more than 20,000 customers. In Germany StepStone is one of the most highly-visited online job boards with more than 10.7 million visits per month. More than 2,200 people from 20 countries work at StepStone, and more than 400 at the headquarters in Düsseldorf's MediaHafen.

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Nobutaka Ide, President & CEO, Wacom

We relocated our European headquarters from Krefeld to Düsseldorf in July 2016 to give us better access to partners and young talent and to be closer to the creative and digital scene. As the digital city of Düsseldorf has such a lively artistic, agency and fashion scene and hosts a variety of related business activities, it is the ideal location for us to boost our success through recruiting young talent and exchanging ideas with other specialists.

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Digital transformation hub

Düsseldorf is the city where innovative start-ups can meet established corporations and where providers meet users. Companies locating here become part of a strong network of digital companies and traditional corporations. Düsseldorf-based enterprises are excellently equipped for the digital future. The city sits at the centre of the digital transformation and the digital innovation hub. More than 40 companies and other organizations are participating in the digital hub. There is a strong cooperation between small and medium sized enterprises, start-ups, universities and industry.

Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Vodafone Germany

“We are the motor for a digital Germany. With 5G, we are bringing gigabit speeds and ultra-low latency communications to the country. With our machine network, we are making the Internet of Things available to the mass market. In this future scenario, billions of devices will be transmitting at the same time. Cost-effectively, energy-efficiently and in all locations. This will create new fields of application for industry. The whole society will benefit from this in everyday life. Together with our partners, we will be bringing innovative solutions to the whole country from Düsseldorf.” said Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Vodafone Germany

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Focus on your success

Düsseldorf has a thriving international business community, with one in every seven companies having an international background. The city of Düsseldorf's Office of Economic Development is the central point of contact for international companies, providing comprehensive advice and support to establish a company but also advice during every phase of development. Information is offered in 10 languages, and consulting services are offered in English, French, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. The services offered by the Office of Economic Development include:

Information on establishing a company
Establishing contacts to local service providers, such as lawyers and tax consultants
Help finding commercial real estate
Advice and support for visas and permits
Support during entire set-up process and also settling in
Linking up to business networks

Maximilian Wagner, CEO of SMS digital

"In terms recruiting, we certainly have an advantage because qualified digital talent wants to move to Düsseldorf," said Maximilian Wagner, CEO of SMS digital.

When global markets are in transition, companies need new and forward-looking business solutions. The Düsseldorf-based SMS group, world market leader in machinery and plants for the steel and aluminium industries, has taken this step. The start-up company SMS digital GmbH was launched in 2016 to face the challenges of Industry 4.0 and finds innovative ways to lead the family-owned SMS group into the digital future. With the small team of 9, the start-up company provides SMS customers with innovative digital products and services. SMS digital has set up shop in a Schwanenhöfen, a trendy industrial loft space in Flingern quarter of Düsseldorf. "We could have established our office anywhere, but it was important to be in close proximity to headquarters," said Maximilian Wagner, CEO of SMS digital.

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Robert Jänisch, founder and managing director IOX Lab

"IOX LAB offers high-tech tools – such as 3-D printing – for experimentation and prototyping," said founder and managing director Robert Jänisch. ”We play a highly active role in shaping the IoT mega-trend in the start-up cradle of Düsseldorf."

The Internet of Things, in which any device can be connected to the Internet but also to each other, has tremendous market potential for new products and services. Many companies have innovative IoT concepts, but are challenged when it comes to transforming them into reality. This is where IOX comes in. Launched in 2015, the start-up company uses rapid prototyping technology to test new product ideas ... in a matter of weeks. Prototypes can serve as proof of concept, helping companies to make better decisions, develop products faster and reduce market risks. The IOX office has the exciting atmosphere of a fast-growing start-up: a relaxed, open-space design in the middle of the chic Düsseldorf MediaHafen.

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Germany's Top Location for Business and Foreign Investment

Ranked as Germany's number one city for foreign direct investment, Düsseldorf is an international business hub in the heart of Europe. Thanks to its high quality of life and moderate living costs, Düsseldorf has become a magnet for international companies. The city's central location on the European continent as well as its excellent transportation infrastructure and international airport, means that many European destinations are within easy reach. The city government is decidedly pro-business and actively promotes entrepreneurship. This combined with a safe living environment, tolerance, open-mindedness and the famous Rhineland hospitality, means that the Düsseldorf region is now the second-most popular destination for foreign direct investment in Europe … behind only London, but ahead of Paris.

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