Branding. From the small Allgäu village of Meckatz, the Weiß family has been delighting beer connoisseurs from the region and far beyond for almost 160 years. Owner Michael Weiß explains how he has succeeded in doing so despite competition from over-powerful large breweries.

Innovation. The Baden-Württemberg start-up company carbonauten has developed a plastic whose production uses raw materials that would otherwise produce harmful greenhouse gases. In ten years, the founders Torsten Becker (l.) and Christian Hiemer hope to generate more than one billion euros in sales with this super material.

Medical technology. People with donor organs must be on guard against infectious diseases throughout their lives. To prevent the organ from being rejected, their immune system must be suppressed. An infection could be a death sentence. Biotechnology companies are now working to preserve the capabilities of these patients' immune systems.

Start-up. The expansion of large wind turbines has almost come to a standstill in Germany. As a result, a niche is opening up for small, cost-effective and modularly expandable turbines. Two Berlin-based founders want to bring them to series production readiness.

Succession. The lighting designer Ingo Maurer from Munich has left to posterity not only his art but also his business. As disorganized as might have been expected from this type of artist. Daughter Claude Maurer needs a new management strategy to keep the company alive.