Partners

Thanks to excellent municipal and private funding institutions, universities, research and production networks, the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region is increasingly becoming one of the most important hotspots for innovative company founders in Germany. In recent times a newly established business angels network, PALATINA, has become part of the ecosystem.

PALATINA sees networking between startups, business angels and other investors as an essential task. For this purpose, PALATINA organizes - with the support of private individuals, banks, lawyers, tax consultants, companies and other institutions - so-called "pitch events" at which founders introduce themselves within a few minutes. At the end of the meeting there is an opportunity to exchange ideas “over a glass of wine”.

The next pitch will take place on 9 November and will be exclusively for innovative startups from the Rhine-Neckar-Region.

Startups who like to pitch are encouraged to send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You belong to the European startup avantgarde who fights for a sustainable world without waste? Great! Apply for the Green Alley Award, Europe’s first startup prize promoting digital circular economy solutions, recycling innovations and ideas for waste prevention and help turn the linear into a circular economy with your green business idea. The offer: At the finals in Berlin, six startups will meet high-ranking expert practitioners in one-on-one mentoring sessions and pitch their idea live on stage in front of an international jury. The Green Alley Award winner receives 25,000 Euros in cash. 

The idea behind

The Green Alley Award is Europe’s first startup prize specifically for the circular economy. It fosters and promotes ground breaking digital circular economy solutions, recycling solutions or ideas for waste prevention in order to recover valuable resources from waste. All circular economy startups based in Europe and just entering the market, starting to grow or even expanding into new European markets, are welcome to apply.

The annual prize was created in 2014 by Landbell Group and several strong partners have since come on board, among them Seedmatch, the German crowdfunding pioneer and Positive News, a media organization that focuses on high-quality journalism about the good things that are happening. “We want to encourage new ideas and business models to save resources and reduce waste,’ says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group. "There are so many creative ideas around. Our aim is to foster and promote young founders and connect them to our vast network of circular economy experts across Europe.”

Application and award 

This year’s most convincing candidates will be invited to the finals in Berlin with great networking and learning opportunities for all. In workshops they will meet European circulareconomyexperts and startup mentors offering valuable advice as well as the opportunity to gain new business contacts. 

In the evening all finalists will present their business ideas in a live pitch to an international audience. An expert jury will then select the winner of the Green Alley Award 2022, who will be rewarded with a cash prize of € 25,000. Startups can apply by 23 November 2021.

More information on the Green Alley Award at green-alley-award.com.

Up2B Accelerator just started taking in applications for the upcoming Up2B Sales Bootcamp.

The two-day program is addressing B2B- and Industry Tech Startups, who would like to professionalize their sales structures and processes. The program is solely digital and participation free for startups. Only condition for participation is a sales ready product/MVP.

A team of sales coaches will be helping startups to start over with their sales processes through lectures and individual 1on1 coachings.

Applications for the Sales Bootcamp are open from now on. Deadline is 24 October. To learn more about the program and launch your application see https://up2b.io/salesbootcamp/

For the Up2B Accelerator and the Up2B Sales Bootcamp three main players in the Rhine-Neckar-Region have teamed up: Next Mannheim, InnoWerft and Heidelberg Technology Park.

Next Mannheim manages eight startup centers, offering 28.000 square meters of office space. A diverse spectrum of 300 startups are based here, including music, creative and fashion businesses, ranging all the way to information technology, medical engineering and many different tech startups. With various programs they try to provide optimal conditions for funding, financing operations, counseling, incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces and networking.

InnoWerft is a technology and finance center and haven for B2B high tech start-ups based in Walldorf. Their main aim is to make the Rhine-Neckar region Germany’s Silicon Valley for B2B start-ups. For achieving that they bring together start-ups, investors and companies together beyond the borders of Baden-Württemberg to create the future together.

Heidelberg Technology Park provides space and network for innovative companies - these success factors have made the Heidelberg Technology Park an internationally renowned center for innovation in more than three decades. For more than 35 years, we have been working tirelessly to create the best conditions for scientific and research-related companies to turn excellent knowledge into innovative products and services.

How much of an entrepreneur is in you? Find out in intensive two-day online workshop from YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN SCIENCE fron 25 to 26 November. The event is tailored to PhD’s and postdocs of all disciplines! Learn how to turn your PhD into a startup idea, meet real-life innovators & train your pitch story in front of the camera. Discover your hidden potential together with other high-calibre researchers, led by professional innovation coaches.

Day 1: How much startup is in your Phd? Discover what it means to be an entrepreneur, explore your entrepreneurial strengths and meet our experienced role models. Develop your idea and make it tangible!

Day 2: Iterate & Pitch Participation grants you a personalised certificate and exclusive access to our online network for scientists. Test your prototype in front of a critical audience and learn how to convince people of your idea. Meet an innovator from our regional partner Boehringer Ingelheim to gain insights into the corporate world.

Admission is free and no previous knowledge is required. Register on: https://falling-walls.com/yes/online-workshop-grundkurs/from-phd-to-innovator-kaiserslautern-25-26-11-2021/apply/

In 2021, the Hightech Summit will return to its roots and take place live on site at the Hospitalhof in Stuttgart. From 18 October to 20 October 2021, the Hightech Summit will be dedicated to current technology and digitalisation trends with a focus on "Green and Digital". The Hightech Summit is the summit of the high-tech industry and will provide a unique platform for exchanging knowledge and networking in Stuttgart from 18 to 20 October 2021. Top-class keynote speakers from the business world will provide participants with current and relevant knowledge and experience on the topics of digitalisation, technologies and innovation from the mobility, manufacturing, medicine and media sectors.

The highlight of the three-day event will be the "Top of the Summit" on 19 October 2021. In addition to the official opening of the M.Tech Accelerator for start-ups from the mobility and manufacturing sectors under the new leadership of bwcon, participants can expect exciting keynotes with practical examples. In addition, on the evening of the "Top of the Summit", the founding teams that will receive the coveted CyberOne Hightech Award will be announced. Since the beginning of the year, more than 230 innovative and technology-oriented start-ups have been working on their business plans together with bwcon. Of these, 100 teams have submitted their plans to the CyberOne Hightech Award. Nine start-ups have made it to the final. During the summit, the nine finalist teams will present themselves and their business plans to the audience and the expert jury. Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of the State of Baden-Württemberg, will present the CyberOne Hightech Award to the most innovative business concepts in the categories "ICT Media and Creative Industries", "Life Science" and "Industrial Technologies".

The "Top of the Summit" starts with several "Tech Breakfasts". These networking events will take place around the Hospitalhof in Stuttgart, such as at the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, MBG, iteratec GmbH, BioPro BW GmbH and Nokia Bell Labs Stuttgart. Each Tech-Breakfast is dedicated to a different technology and presents different use cases. This introductory event offers the opportunity to network across industries, to learn from technology applications from other industries and to adapt them afterwards in the sense of cross-industry innovations.

The "Top of the Summit" will be framed by themed sessions on 18 and 20 October 2021, which will take place in several cities in Baden-Württemberg and online. Experts will shed light on current digital tech trends in Mannheim, Ulm, Breisach and Karlsruhe. In a discussion round, these trends will be discussed in particular under the idea of "Green & Digital". At the end of the session, there will be the opportunity to meet innovative, technology-oriented start-ups from the respective industry and to learn from success stories.

The Hightech Summit 2021 will take place as a hybrid event at the Hospitalhof in Stuttgart and offers the unique opportunity to exchange ideas and network with other digitalisation pioneers. In addition, all presentations will be available online in a livestream.

Participation in the Hightech Summit 2021 and the CyberOne Hightech Award ceremony is free of charge both on-site and online. Free registration and further information on the Hightech Summit can be found at www.hightech-summit.de.