VC firm Assembly Ventures tapped to help IAA show mobility programming

The rethink of auto shows continues.

Organizers of IAA Mobility 2023 said Wednesday they've reached an agreement with venture capital firm Assembly Ventures to oversee a portion of the show's conference programming this fall in Munich.

The development underscores an evolving shift for IAA, which in recent years has changed locations and expanded to include e-bikes and scooters. Now, the conference's work with Assembly Ventures helps address topics at the center of an uncertain transportation industry.

Likewise, it puts an emphasis on the changing nature of traditional auto shows.

"Mobility is not just a bolt-on that automotive folks need to be aware of," Jessica Robinson, co-founder and partner at Assembly Ventures, told Automotive News. "This is integral to the future, and we're seeing this in how they're organizing this show."

Collaborating with a venture capital firm on programming made sense, IAA organizers said, because they have firsthand insight on autonomous vehicles, urban mobility, connected cars and other future-minded themes.

Assembly Ventures will handle the "Visionary Clubhouse" portion of IAA's programming, scheduled for Sept. 6. Eight conference tracks are planned. The "Clubhouse" is designed to take those themes to a deeper level.

"The Germans use the phrase 'eyes level,' and that's experts and attendees together sharing ideas," Robinson said. "We're taking that and adding our own flavor and spin."

The programming builds on the firm's programming at its own Assembly Summit, which occurred during Detroit's auto show in September 2022. Assembly Ventures' business spans Detroit, Berlin and Silicon Valley, and the company has positioned itself as a bridge between traditional and future-minded mobility and energy worlds.