AI Federal Association elects new regional board for Baden-Württemberg

The Baden-Württemberg regional group of the KI Bundesverband has elected a new management team. Under the leadership of Kai Kölsch (Seedbox), the board will now work together with Jonas Andrulis (Aleph Alpha), David Reger (Neura Robotics), Thomas Kropf (formerly Bosch), Viacheslav Gromov (AITAD GmbH) and Tom Villiger (D11Z. Ventures) to promote Baden-Württemberg as a location for AI.

A clear vision for Baden-Württemberg as a location for innovation

The new management committee has set itself a precise agenda: Baden-Württemberg should further strengthen and expand its position as a European innovation location for artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing. The focus is on combining traditional industrial strengths with pioneering technologies.

With Cyber Valley based in the Stuttgart/Tübingen region and IPAI in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg already has internationally visible anchor points in the AI ecosystem. The regional board will use these strengths to increase the location’s European appeal and position Baden-Württemberg as a leading center for trustworthy AI innovation. The unique combination of basic research, application-oriented development and industrial implementation forms the foundation for global competitiveness.

“Baden-Württemberg has a unique combination of industrial excellence and innovation potential that also deserves international attention. But our state is at a turning point. Now is the time to pool our strengths and invest boldly in future viability. As a board, we will stand for a real doer mentality instead of endless policy debates and provide concrete impetus to establish Baden-Württemberg as a key player in the international AI landscape,” explains Kai Kölsch. “With our regional board, we are bringing together the key expertise to strengthen the location in the long term and set a good example.”

Complementary expertise for a strong AI location

The board specifically combines different skills and perspectives:

• Kai Kölsch (Seedbox.AI): specialist in AI development and scalable infrastructure
• David Reger (NEURA Robotics): Innovator in the field of cognitive robotic systems
• Dr. Thomas Kropf (formerly Bosch): Mediator between research and industrial application
• Tom Villinger (D11Z.Ventures): Expert for strategic technology investments
• Viacheslav Gromov (AITAD): Expert for AI implementation in manufacturing processes
• Jonas Andrulis (Aleph Alpha): Pioneer in the field of generative AI technologies

Implementation-oriented approach with four focal points

The Regional Board is pursuing a pragmatic course with four clearly defined fields of action:

• Infrastructure expansion: Expansion of computing capacities for AI development
• Talent development: Targeted measures to recruit and train specialists
• Practical applications: Accelerated integration of AI solutions in companies
• Location development: Coordinated initiatives to strengthen the regional ecosystem

“Our approach focuses on entrepreneurial measures and measurable results rather than theoretical concepts,” emphasizes the committee, because “the measures we initiate together today will determine our global ability to act tomorrow.”

A new impetus for the Baden-Württemberg AI network

Stefanie Baade, Deputy Managing Director of the KI Bundesverband and Head of Baden-Württemberg, emphasizes the importance of the new set-up: “The newly formed Regional Board combines professional excellence with entrepreneurial foresight. This enables us to effectively represent the interests of the regional AI community and position the technology location for the future – also with a view to the supra-regional and European level.”

The newly elected regional board succeeds the previous regional directors Tobias Oberrauch (Founder & CEO, audius KI) and Michael Eder (Founder & CEO, Kenbun), who have stepped down at their own request. The KI Bundesverband and the Baden-Württemberg regional group would like to express their sincere thanks for their commitment and valuable work, which has contributed significantly to the positive development of the regional group in recent years.

A brief overview of the newly elected regional board

Kai Kölsch, founder and CEO seedbox.AI: heads Seedbox.AI, one of the leading AI development companies in Baden-Württemberg – at the interface of applied AI, model training and local, secure and scalable infrastructure. Together with his team, he develops practical, value-creating AI applications for small to large companies in a wide range of industries. Actively drives “AI on HPC” initiatives and the expansion of digital sovereignty in Baden-Württemberg and Europe.

“I grew up in Baden-Württemberg – a state that stands for inventiveness, industrial strength and cohesion. I firmly believe that we now have the opportunity to translate these strengths into a sovereign digital future. But this cannot be achieved by simply watching. We have to roll up our sleeves, take responsibility and start building infrastructure, networks and solutions ourselves again. By chairing the regional board, I want to set an example and encourage companies to get involved: We are shaping the future of our country even more actively from now on – open to technology, close to business and with attitude and pride.”

David Reger, founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics, is a pioneer in cognitive and humanoid robotics. By combining AI with revolutionary sensor and hardware technology, he is redefining human-machine interaction and opening up groundbreaking perspectives for the future of work and solving social challenges. The internationally recognized expert is highly committed to Baden-Württemberg as a business location and has been appointed to the Senate of the German Economy, the Economic Council and the European Senate for Economics and Technology.

“Robotics is currently making the leap from industry to everyday life and is becoming a mainstream product. We will soon see robots as smartphones with arms and legs – or on wheels – that can take on a variety of tasks in society thanks to countless apps. To ensure that ‘physical AI’ always remains a tool in the service of humanity and freedom, Europe must take the lead and set the standards.”

Dr. Thomas Kropf, AI expert from industry: Led over 600 AI researchers worldwide at Bosch and was responsible for the transfer of AI from cutting-edge research to industrial applications as Chairman of the Research & Advance Engineering Board of Management. Brings decades of experience at the interface of science, industry and innovation – for a strong, future-oriented technology leadership of Baden-Württemberg.

“Baden-Württemberg has everything it needs to be a top European location for artificial intelligence. I want to help us bundle our technological strengths in a targeted manner and invest boldly in a sovereign, digital future. My motivation is to bring research, industry and politics together and to put innovation into practice.”

Tom Villinger, CEO D11Z.Ventures: Experienced tech investor with extensive expertise in AI and German SMEs. Manages the Dieter Schwarz Family Office, which drives investments in disruptive technologies and promotes regional resilience and innovation in Baden-Württemberg. “

“We in Baden-Württemberg have the IPAI and Cyber Valley as internationally visible ecosystems for AI innovations, HammerHAI as a future engine and around 80,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as the backbone of our economy, which must be strengthened in the long term. We should therefore do everything we can to anchor applied and embedded AI in SMEs and promote collaboration with start-ups (start-up readiness & venture clienting). What we still need to do is make GPU performance and AI infrastructure accessible to startups and SMEs, network regional AI offerings within Baden-Württemberg and welcome national and international startups and talent.”

Viacheslav Gromov, Founder and CEO AITAD: Specialist for embedded and industrial AI systems. Focuses on the real-world use of AI in manufacturing and IoT environments, combining hardware and intelligence to future-proof the German industrial landscape.

“AI in Baden-Württemberg has the potential to turn our supposed weaknesses into strengths, especially with industrial data, and to secure a technological leadership role for Germany and Europe beyond the mainstream. We still have the opportunity and the active pole position to think about this technology in unoccupied areas from our human-centered values and to shape it competitively. I want to play my part in this vision.”

Jonas Andrulis, Founder and CEO Aleph Alpha: Founder of one of the leading generative AI companies in Europe. A pioneer in the fields of digital sovereignty, LLM training and inference, supporting companies and public authorities with innovative technology and practical solutions for their sovereign AI transformation.

“For us, strengthening the location and our regional partners is a priority and part of our corporate responsibility. With our leading work in the field of AI, we are making an active contribution to technological sovereignty and innovative strength in Baden-Württemberg. The location combines excellent research and a strong industry – the best prerequisites for ushering in the next industrial era in which AI becomes the key technology for industrial value creation. I look forward to helping shape this path in the future as a member of the Baden-Württemberg regional board of the German AI Association.”

The Bundesverband der Unternehmen der Künstlichen Intelligenz in Deutschland e.V. (“KI Bundesverband”) connects the most innovative AI and deep tech companies with the established economy and politics and is the largest AI network in Germany with more than 500 AI companies and locations in Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.