abcfinance and neuland.ai, together with partner KI.NRW, bring SMEs into the AI practice
With around 150 invited guests, the "Mission AI" kicked off the "AI Initiative for SMEs" on Monday evening at the German Museum in Bonn. Under the motto "Courage. Makers. Opportunities." the new AI initiative aims to facilitate the entry of smaller and medium-sized enterprises into artificial intelligence - practical, affordable, and above all easy to implement.
The AI Initiative for SMEs was founded by abcfinance and neuland.ai, supported by the competence platform KI.NRW of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. At the opening event, Dr. Christian Temath (KI.NRW), Karl-Heinz Land (neuland.ai), and Dr. Hubertus Mersmann (abcfinance) provided insights into the AI ecosystem, the economic relevance of artificial intelligence, and practical experiences in their keynote speeches. Subsequently, five entrepreneurs and industry experts discussed on stage how AI can be specifically implemented in SMEs.
KI.NRW: SMEs must seize opportunities now
That artificial intelligence is no longer a future technology but already offers real economic potential today was made clear by Dr. Christian Temath, Managing Director of the competence platform KI.NRW, in his speech.
Under the title "From NRW to Europe: Strengths and Insights into Today's AI Ecosystem" he provided a solid overview of global developments, regional strengths, and concrete applications for medium-sized enterprises. Temath emphasized that Europe must quickly take responsibility in light of global dynamics. While the USA and China dominate the AI race with multi-billion dollar investments, Europe's strength lies in values such as trust, fairness, and data protection - translated into technological sovereignty and trustworthy AI "Made in Europe."
NRW as a hub of the European AI landscape
North Rhine-Westphalia plays a key role: With over 730,000 companies, the highest gross domestic product in Germany, around 70 universities, and the densest research network in Europe, the state is an economic and scientific powerhouse. Success stories such as DeepL (AI translations) or Miele (Smart Food ID) and Recogizer (building control) already show how AI drives efficiency and innovation. The opportunities are immense: particularly in the traditional core industries of North Rhine-Westphalia, there is valuable domain knowledge and a vast treasure trove of data that is worth tapping into. "AI is there to help," said Temath.
In light of the shortage of skilled workers, increasing complexity, and resource scarcity, artificial intelligence offers concrete solutions - such as process automation, simulations, or intelligent assistance systems. With introductory presentations for employees and individually tailored workshop formats, KI.NRW specifically supports companies in their entry into AI. An overview of the North Rhine-Westphalian AI ecosystem is provided by the AI map at www.ki.nrw/ki-landkarte.
neuland.ai: SMEs need a trustworthy AI platform for their corporate knowledge
neuland.ai serves as the technology partner of the AI Initiative for the practical implementation with a secure, transparent, and legally compliant AI platform. In his keynote speech, neuland.ai founder and board member Karl-Heinz Land made it clear that it is crucial for German companies to invest in their own AI platform that meets specific requirements for data protection, data sovereignty, and regulation, and provides companies with a protected space for AI deployment. Furthermore, targeted access to their own corporate knowledge must be the basis for any AI application. "It's not about having the biggest AI - but the right one," Land said. "With the neuland.ai HUB, we make existing corporate knowledge AI-ready - and bring artificial intelligence out of the buzzword corner into the productive everyday life of medium-sized enterprises."
"It's not about having the biggest AI - but the right one. With the neuland.ai HUB, we make existing corporate knowledge AI-ready - and bring artificial intelligence out of the buzzword corner into the productive everyday life of medium-sized enterprises."
Karl-Heinz LandKarl-Heinz Land, CEO and founder of neuland.ai
abcfinance: Financing as the key to action
How possibilities become concrete implementation was made clear by Dr. Hubertus Mersmann, spokesperson for the management board of abcfinance and abcbank, in his keynote. The entry into artificial intelligence often fails not because of willingness, but due to legal concerns, the necessary skills to use AI effectively, or the investment costs. This is exactly where abcfinance comes in: As a financing partner, the company brings its many years of expertise to ensure that SMEs can implement artificial intelligence simply, in a manageable way and without high initial investments. "Artificial intelligence is not a luxury for corporations, but a real opportunity and a decisive competitive advantage especially for SMEs," emphasized Mersmann. "As part of the 'AI Initiative for SMEs' and a long-standing financing partner, we see it as our duty to make innovation accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises - simply, in a manageable way, and without capital commitment." Accurately, abcfinance offers its clients the product "AI Leasing". The event provided practical insights into how companies are already using AI today to automate processes and make use of data sensibly, based on concrete industry examples - from manufacturing to services. In short presentations and an open panel discussion, guests were able to exchange views on initial steps, possible hurdles, and concrete use cases. Many questions from the interested audience were also discussed. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive - many companies expressed interest in now addressing the topic promptly in their own operations.
Outlook: AI Initiative for SMEs is picking up speed
After the successful kickoff, the "AI Initiative for SMEs" is now moving into concrete implementation. Planned are practical workshops, industry-specific AI pilot projects, and the establishment of a network of technology and financing partners. Further information can be found here: www.abcfinance.de/ki-fuer-den-mittelstand/
About abcfinance GmbH:
Founded in 1976 as a specialized financial service provider of Wilh. Werhahn KG, abcfinance has focused from the beginning on the financing needs of medium-sized enterprises. With financing concepts from the areas of factoring, leasing, and sales financing, abcfinance supports these companies in securing their liquidity, increasing planning security, and taking advantage of growth opportunities - all with tailored, industry-specific solutions. Today, abcfinance GmbH: With approximately 720 employees at its headquarters in Cologne and 16 other locations in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, the financial service provider has a powerful network of specialists. With abcbank, abcfinance has a credit institution specialized in the refinancing of receivables from leasing and factoring transactions. The name abcfinance stands for stability and reliability - whether in dealings with customers or in cooperation with strategic partners. www.abcfinance.de.
About neuland.ai:
neuland.ai is a leading AI technology company based in Cologne that has developed a secure and scalable AI platform with the neuland.ai HUB. With extensive expertise in AI projects and digital transformation, neuland.ai offers reliable and trustworthy AI solutions tailored to the needs of its customers. The AI platform is already successfully in use thousands of times across various industries and enables customers to increase productivity, automate processes, and use AI securely. Clients include, among others, abcbank, the Institute of the German Economy, Rödl & Partner, SKW Schwarz, SVT, and Thyssenkrupp. With over 50 employees, neuland.ai aims to make AI "Made in Germany" usable and to strengthen the digital competitiveness of the economy and administration in the long term. More information: www.neuland.ai