Israel Germany | Business Guide | 2026

Leitmotif, a $ 300 M investment fund, pursuing decarbonization and sustainability investments. Leitmotif has already invested in over a dozen startupsworldwide, includingcompanies focused on decarbonization, nuclear fusion,circular economy and battery development. Other VolkswagenGroup subsidiaries and brands are also actively seeking opportunities in Israel. One of them is Scania, whose VC fund invests in early stage energy and sustainability startups (see box). When the fund's representative arrived in Israel to evaluate companies, Sagi's team introduced her to various startups, which resulted in Scania investing in 3 local startups. "We facilitate such partnerships all the time," says Sagi, "when we run a project or meet an exciting startup, I update other relevant brands within the Group so they can monitor the opportunity. If one startup works with Audi, there should not be a reason why they cannot work with Porsche or Bentely and so on. This creates a transparent and collaborative innovation culture. Konnect also accepted and hosted already over 20 German volunteers – students who come to Israel to experience high-tech work. They are referred through "New Kibbutz", an internship program operated by the German-Israeli Chamber of Commerce. All in all, the close technological and business collaborations facilitated by Konnect make a substantial contribution to strengthening bilateral relations between Germany and Israel. Konnect: an ID Innovation hub of the Volkswagen Group in Tel Aviv. The team is scouting, evaluating, and integrating pioneering mobility technologies into the Volkswagen Group cars and factories www.konnect-vwgroup.com ● inbox@konnect-vwgroup.com www.linkedin.com/company/konnectvw/ Gearing Up with Konnect Konnect projects that evolved into business implementation: Deployment of Solar Films for VW California A Konnect facilitated project: Apollo Power will supply Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles with tens of thousands of solar sheets in a € 33 million agreement. The solar films will be deployed in after-market accessories provided for the Volkswagen California Camper. Autonomous Ride-Pooling and Robotaxi Services with ID. Buzz AD: A Konnect project manager supports Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility & Transport (ADMT), together with Mobileye andMOIA, in the development of Level 4 autonomous ride-pooling and robotaxi services using the fully electric ID. Buzz AD. The project integrates Mobileye’s Drive™ system to enable safe autonomous operations. Several pilot programs are currently running across Europe and the U.S. Recycled Textiles Integration in a Golf trunk LedbyKonnect: Re-freshGlobal developed demonstrator trunk components for a Volkswagen Group vehicle using recycled textile waste. Together with a Tier- 1 supplier, the recycling process and final product are evaluated for automotive use. Strategic Investment inBatteryTechnology start upbyScania A Konnect facilitated project: Addionics , a pioneer in 3 D copper foils for electric vehicle batteries, has raised $ 39 million in funding. Among the investors is Scania, one of the Volkswagen Group brands.  AI-Based Visual Inspection for Panoramic Roof Assembly at Bentely Motors A Konnect facilitated project: Bentley Motors integrated an automated vision inspection system developed by Inspekto (now Siemens) on its Crewe assembly line to ensure sealant path quality in panoramic roof cell production. The system is currently operational and is being used by Bentley staff in the factory. From right to left: David Order, Noa Yang,  Daria Vexler, Benny Prujan, Hemdat Sagi, Maayan Ekstein, Clara Guiga Photo by: Sophie Kerchnawe, VW Group 13