Shaping The Future: 1E9 and The Path to New Technologies

by Lena Kaess
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Not only active online: the 1E9 team wants to strengthen its community through events such as the “Festival der Zukunft”. / Photo: Julian Baumann

With optimistic tech journalism and the “Festival der Zukunft”, 1E9 from Munich makes future technologies accessible and breaks down fears of contact. The team led by Wolfgang Kerler and Daria Saharova secures its own future by offering a wide range of products and services and strengthening its community.

In the heart of Munich, on the grounds of the Deutsches Museum, four visionaries Daria Saharova, Herbert Mangesius, Wolfgang Kerler and Krischan Lehmann founded the 1E9 Denkfabrik in 2019. While the great inventions of the past are presented next door, 1E9 promotes the innovative spirit of the present. “We are creating an ecosystem in which tech experts and enthusiasts, start-ups, investors, industry, media and artists can come together,” explains co-founder Wolfgang Kerler. The focus is on the two main products: Journalism and events. A magazine on the 1E9 website covers the most important technology trends from artificial intelligence to genetic engineering. The aim is to disseminate knowledge widely and stimulate discussion. The most important event, the “Festival der Zukunft” with Deutsches Museum, is organized by 1E9 every year; the program includes discussions, lectures and interactive experiences as well as art installations.

 

»People are often afraid of what they don't know. Our festival helps to break down fears.«

Daria Saharova

Photo: Julian Baumann

A successful startup with a diverse team

The impetus for 1E9 came at the end of 2018 when the tech magazine “Wired”, which was published by Condé Nast Verlag, was discontinued. Wolfgang Kerler, the editor-in-chief at the time, shared the news via Twitter – whereupon Herbert Mangesius, who was curating the Munich tech conference Daho.am with Daria Saharova at the time, expressed his regret in a comment. They already knew each other, so they talked –and the idea for 1E9 was born. The constellation of founders is not an ordinary one. Herbert Mangesius and Daria Saharova are investors, while Wolfgang Kerler and his former Condé Nast boss Krischan Lehmann come from the media industry. The team agrees that their different professional backgrounds complement each other. “Investors are used to thinking big and in terms of business models, unlike journalists like me. That's why Daria and Herbert are very good sparring partners,” says the 1E9 editor-in-chief.

With an eye on the company's profitability on the one hand and journalistic experience on the other, the four-person team is continuously optimizing the online magazine and the festival. What the founders have in common is that they learn about new, innovative technologies at a very early stage and before the masses: Saharova and Mangesius analyze trends, conduct market research and maintain close relationships with startups and innovation centers, while Kerler and Lehmann use their contacts with industry insiders and are always on the lookout for the latest developments. The users of 1E9 also benefit from this. Because when Kerler & Co. are on to new topics early on, it is the paying community on the website that reads the news from the tech industry first and exclusively. “Our users appreciate the value of good journalism and also the curation by an editorial team,” says Kerler.

Proximity to the community comes first

At 1E9, the community should not only consume content produced by journalists, but also actively interact – or even create contributions themselves. The media platform is not aiming for maximum reach; instead, it focuses on cultivating relationships with its members. “We have tried out a lot in recent years. Many people want to get involved, but don't have much time,” says Kerler. Low-threshold formats for participation, such as surveys or interactive storytelling with the help of a chatbot, have proved particularly successful – ideal for users who otherwise tend to stay in the background online. There are also currently an increasing number of requests from members with niche and expert knowledge who would like to write an article with the support of the 1E9 editorial team.

“I often don't have to do much because our users are very good at writing. We really have a great community,” says Kerler. Kerler is not worried that 1E9's strong user focus means it runs the risk of writing too much for its members. “We want people to pay for our product. That's why we have to deliver added value. So you have to ask yourself what the community needs and what is important to it,” says Kerler. This is precisely why 1E9 not only offers serious tech journalism, but also entertaining formats. “Journalism can also be fun. It can be a little lighter or a little experimental,” says Kerler. He alludes to articles such as “Unmotivated AI chatbot: Is ChatGPT suffering from the winter blues?” or “A space elevator could look this luxurious”. “We offer a lot on the topic of science fiction. Some of them are really crazy stories that perhaps no other media portal has. Do you absolutely have to read them? Maybe not. But reading them gives you new ideas that you didn't have before. You are inspired when you are confronted with something unfamiliar,” says Kerler.

 

»The future is not a natural disaster that will befall us. We can actively shape it.«

Wolfgang Kerler

Photo: Julian Baumann

Optimism instead of pessimism

With 1E9, the team pursues an optimistic journalism approach and – according to its own statements – fills a gap in the market in Germany. “The future is not a natural disaster that will befall us. We can actively shape it,” says Kerler. According to him, the focus of general German technology reporting is primarily on American tech companies such as OpenAI and new developments in China, as well as the dangers of future technologies. “In Germany, there is a negative narrative about technology, start-ups and entrepreneurship. I think this is one reason why we have lost our leading role in some markets,” adds Daria Saharova. It is important for the 1E9 team to emphasize that, despite optimistic and forward-looking reporting, it takes a critical stance on the topics. However, the aim is to offer solutions to criticism.

Experience innovation at the “Festival der Zukunft"

“People are often afraid of what they don't know. Our festival in particular helps to break down people's fear of technology,” says Saharova. Numerous speakers from the worlds of science, industry, art and culture offer inspiration and solutions for a better future at the “Festival der Zukunft”. Tech start-ups will also pitch their ideas, while companies will present their technological innovations, for example in the field of virtual reality. On the public family days, even the youngest visitors can gain experience and learn how to build their own robots, for example. Festival visitors should take home with them the fact that modern technology can be fun – and useful.

But the festival does more than just raise awareness: it is also a key instrument for strengthening the 1E9 community. With over 10,000 visitors, it is not only a place for inspiration, but also for networking. In 2024, a specially developed matching tool was introduced there to bring together festival guests with similar interests and knowledge. The aim: to make valuable and inspiring contacts that enrich private and business life. In addition, digital meetings with experts offer the opportunity to continue the exchange after the festival and further strengthen the community.

One platform, many financial pillars

1E9 has a broad economic base. Its mixed financing consists of several pillars: Membership fees from the online magazine,paid content partnerships and ticket revenue as well as sponsorship income from the “Festival of the Future”. In addition, there is income from work on research projects and consulting activities – hence the name “think tank”. For a while, 1E9 also placed advertisements, but the service is currently ad-free. Kerler can imagine using advertising formats again in the future: “If we do advertise, it has to be context-based and of high quality, in line with our topics. We definitely have an interesting and advertising-relevant target group.” Before that, other changes are on the agenda at 1E9. For example, the team would like to organize more events in the future.

Participate instead of just consuming: 1E9 uses surveys and interactive storytelling to encourage its community to share ideas and strengthen a sense of unity. / Photo: Julian Baumann

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