What made more than 70 students from 60 universities in 17 countries join this event? The fancy location, a BeachBar in Berlin’s hot Mitte district or the challenge to code for 32 hours non-stop with a bundle of fun activities thrown in and the chance to win a ticket to SAP TechEd? But this time there was another incentive. The event provided a forum for discussion with top SAP business leaders.
In his keynote, Stefan Ries, SAP Chief Human Resources Officer, highlighted the opportunity to make an impact with the help of technology. Other SAP leaders shared stories from their own personal career journeys, including Jens Krueger, Head of SAP’s Finance business unit and co-head of the SAP innovation Center in Potsdam, and Anka Wittenberg, SAP’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion.
The students also discussed today’s business landscape during a panel with Stefan Ries, Jürgen Griesbeck, Founder and CEO of streetfootballworld, and Reza Mehmansefat, Co-Founder & CEO of start-up Full Control. The panel highlighted how technology can be used as a key change agent and enabler in a corporate world, start-up, or social entrepreneur organization.
Ultimately, what attracted the students to the event was probably a mix of all these factors. And hopefully SAP can build on this success next time, because SAP InnoJam: Coding the Future is a two-part event. The second part will take place at the end of October at the HANAHaus in Palo Alto. Both locations – Berlin and Silicon Valley – embrace the local start-up and technology spirit. The mission: getting the workforce of the future enthusiastic about SAP!
Watch these two cool videos from the Berlin event - - the enthusiasm is contagious!