Post by Christian Sklorz

"Trust me" The empty offices of Lilium are more than the story of a failed air-taxi company. They may also reflect a broader challenge within Germany's innovation ecosystem. Lilium was undoubtedly a high-risk venture. Not every Deep-Tech project succeeds. Yet innovation rarely emerges without risk, long development cycles, and significant capital commitments. The debate surrounding Lilium highlights a difficult dilemma: • Start-ups need patient capital and trust to scale breakthrough technologies. • Public institutions such as KfW are expected to support innovation while safeguarding taxpayer money. • Governments must balance fiscal responsibility with industrial policy ambitions. None of these perspectives are inherently wrong. The challenge arises when all stakeholders wait for certainty before committing. In Deep Tech, certainty often arrives only after investment, not before it. This raises a broader question: Can Germany create its own version of Silicon Valley if we are reluctant to back our own technologies, engineers, and business models through the inevitable phases of uncertainty ? Silicon Valley was not built on guaranteed success. It was built on the acceptance that some ventures will fail so that others can redefine entire industries. The lesson from Lilium may therefore be less about one company and more about how societies choose to balance innovation, risk, trust, and long-term competitiveness. What is the right balance between prudent risk management and the courage to invest in future technologies ? #Innovation #DeepTech #Startups #Lilium #KfW #IndustrialPolicy #Entrepreneurship #Technology #FutureOfEurope #Competitiveness Die verlassenen Lilium-Büros: Was vom deutschen Flugtaxi-Traum übrig ist - Business Insider https://lnkd.in/eWJY73JQ