The Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept OREANDA-NEWS. Audi is taking its involvement in Europe’s biggest startup conference to the next level: At this year’s Web Summit, which will start this Tuesday in Dublin, the company is participating in the central pitch competition as one of the jurors. At this event, young entrepreneurs compete with each other by pitching their digital business ideas and introduce themselves to potential investors, international groups and media representatives. AUDI AG will in addition be presenting its activities in the arena of piloted driving in a keynote speech and exhibition.

“The connected car brings opportunities for new innovative services. They will offer the customer more time and convenience and broaden our current business model,” says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “In this spirit, we at Audi are engaging in an exchange with creative minds, people who demonstrate the entrepreneurial courage to fundamentally rethink things afresh.” He described international networking platforms such as the Web Summit as an important part of this strategy.

At the Dublin tech conference, the test vehicle dubbed “Bobby” encapsulates Audi’s sheer innovative expertise: In fall 2014, the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept completed a driverless lap of the Hockenheim Ring at speeds of up to 240 km/h (149.1 mph). Audi uses spectacular demonstrations such as this to document its lead in piloted driving – whether at the limit of driving physics or in demanding situations in real-life traffic.

The Web Summit has been held every year since 2010 and has emerged as Europe’s largest startup conference. In 2014, over 2,000 startups presented their business ideas to over 20,000 visitors from 97 countries. Audi was the first representative of the automotive industry to partner with the Web Summit in 2012. This year’s conference will take place in Dublin from 3 – 5 November.