IFA Next: A Stage for the Future

At IFA Next, the future meets the present. This innovation platform brings together international founders whose technologies, concepts and visions are set to change the world. Some are taking to a trade fair stage for the very first time. Others – like Neura Robotics – began their journey here as a start-up and have since scaled to a whole new level.

In 2024, Neura Robotics exhibited at IFA Next for the first time – with a modest 15-square-metre stand. This year, they return as a growing global player, showcasing their expanded portfolio in a 198-square-metre pavilion. According to Felix Haas, Head of Marketing at Neura Robotics, “IFA was a real catalyst for us. It was the first time we could present our robots to an international consumer audience. That motivated us – and gave us key momentum for our development.” And that’s what IFA Next is all about: it’s not a typical trade fair hall – it’s a launchpad. Here, emerging tech companies connect with investors, media, industry insiders – and with one another. This year’s IFA Next is clearly focused on forward-looking concepts: artificial intelligence, robotics, mixed reality, sustainable tech and digital health.

Formats such as the Dream Stage with keynote talks from global tech visionaries, the interactive IFA Lab, and the high-stakes Pitch Battle transform the exhibition into an open lab for ideas ready to prove their worth. 

For Neura Robotics, taking part in IFA Next last year was a major step into the industry. Haas explains, “We gained broad visibility – with international media, potential partners and investors. Initial conversations turned into long-term partnerships in several cases.” Today, Neura is on an expansion course, delivering AI-powered robotics solutions around the world and securing its spot as a fixture in the IFA calendar. Berlin, says Haas, was not only geographically central – it was symbolically important: “From here, we were able to launch internationally.”

Stories like this are possible because of IFA’s clear mission. The goal isn’t just to act as a shop window, but as a resonance space – a place where ideas grow into enterprises. In 2025, the platform will introduce new highlights, including the inaugural IFA Innovation Awards, with categories such as Best of Start-up Innovations. The ambition: to offer outstanding young ideas a stage that’s more than just a few square metres of exhibition space. Neura Robotics used that stage – and has since outgrown it. Haas adds, “Our advice to new start-ups? Don’t just show what you can build – show why you’re building it. Only those with a clear vision for society will leave a lasting impression.”

And that’s exactly what IFA Next will be again in 2025: a place where technology meets the future.