HospitalityTech
The hospitality industry is under significant structural pressure — persistent labor shortages, high cost and competitive burdens, and volatile demand meet core operational processes that technology has so far supported only insufficiently. This is where HospitalityTech comes in: it closes the gap between technological development and real-world operations, and accelerates the emergence of market-ready innovation in a fragmented market.
Within the TUM Venture Labs — a network of deep-tech and life-science incubators (TUM & UnternehmerTUM) — the Venture Lab Food/Agro/Biotech ranks among Europe's leading incubators in its field. Here, HospitalityTech is emerging as an innovation ecosystem that systematically connects hospitality practitioners with technology-oriented companies, tech start-ups and research institutions — bringing solutions such as AI, robotics and open digital platforms into everyday use.
What we do. We build an innovation ecosystem for the hospitality industry that connects companies, start-ups and research. It links real needs from gastronomy, hotels, communal catering, and event and trade-fair catering with scientific excellence, deep-tech competence and entrepreneurial drive.
How we do it. We bring the actors of the ecosystem together, pilot innovations in real operating environments — living labs — and prepare validated solutions to scale across the industry. Ideas move from research into practice, and from a single pilot to broad application.
Why it matters. Technology in hospitality is no longer a nice-to-have. Practical, transferable solutions for kitchen, service, production, logistics, quality assurance and sustainable operations relieve businesses and strengthen the competitiveness of the sector. And there is a wider dimension: communal catering — from schools and canteens to hospitals and care homes — is part of society's food infrastructure. Technologies that make everyday operations more efficient also make the supply of safe, reliable nutrition more resilient.
Hospitality & food tech clusters for innovation
HospitalityTech as a focus topic of the AgriFood Hub Munich
HospitalityTech is a focus area of the AgriFood Hub Munich — a joint initiative of UnternehmerTUM and the TUM Venture Labs that spans the entire agrifood value chain, from input suppliers and producers to processing, distribution, retail and the consumer. Hospitality sits close to the consumer end of this chain and covers gastronomy, hotels, communal catering, event and trade-fair catering, and the care sector.
By anchoring hospitality within this larger ecosystem, we connect it to adjacent fields — new foods, packaging, supply chain, nutrition and AI — and create pathways for ideas to move from science into real-world application. It also places hospitality where it belongs in the bigger picture: as the point where food finally reaches people, and therefore a key contributor to a resilient, future-proof food system.
Innovation clusters
Our work is organized along five innovation clusters. Together they map the technological landscape of the hospitality industry — from process technology to food security and resilience.
Technologies that streamline everyday operations in kitchen, counter and service — from ordering and payment to guest flow and connected, energy-efficient equipment. The focus is on systems that make hospitality processes faster, smoother and more reliable, even under fluctuating demand.
AI and data platforms that turn operational data into better decisions — demand forecasting, production planning, inventory and resource management. Beyond efficiency, they make procurement and supply more resilient and reduce dependence on fragile just-in-time chains.
Robotics and automation that support repetitive and physically demanding tasks in professional kitchens — from preparation and assembly to dishwashing and logistics. The focus is on relieving staff and keeping operations running reliably, even when personnel is scarce.
Technologies for personalized and health-oriented nutrition, alternative proteins, fermentation and smart menu development. The focus is on making adaptive, nutritious and sustainable food offerings scalable — and on reducing dependence on import- and energy-intensive ingredients.
Digital traceability, hygiene monitoring, quality control and food safety. The focus is on making regulatory requirements easier to meet, protecting against risks along the supply chain, and strengthening trust in a safe and reliable food supply.
How we work
We bring research, start-ups and companies together and move innovations from idea to real-world use along three steps:
Connect — We link the actors of the ecosystem: start-ups, research groups, established companies and industry partners, along the entire value chain.
Pilot — New technologies are tested and refined in real operating environments — living labs and pilot settings that make solutions practical.
Scale — Validated solutions are prepared for the broader market, so that what works in one setting can be adopted across the industry.
Who it's for
Start-ups — Early-stage ventures and scale-ups with deep-tech or systemic solutions for the hospitality industry.
Companies — Gastronomy, hotels, communal catering, kitchen technology, catering and delivery services looking to test and adopt innovation.
Research — Chairs and research groups from robotics, food tech, sustainability and digitalization seeking a path into application.
Talents & students — People who want to shape the future of food and hospitality, from thesis projects to founding.
Get involved
HospitalityTech grows through collaboration. Whether you bring a technology, an operating environment, a research question or simply curiosity — there is a place for you in the ecosystem.
Responsible Person: Lukas Dillinger (Innovation Director & Hospitality Lead)
Get in touch with Lukas: lukas.dillinger@extern.unternehmertum.de