HINTERLAND25 IS COMING IN...
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Bielefeld, June 6, 2025 – For the seventh time, the Hinterland of Things conference in Bielefeld brought together over 2,000 thought leaders and pacesetters from the German technology scene and economy. The motto “Reclaim” set the tone for boldly shaping the economic future of our country – and leading it back to growth with smart strategies.
6 topics that set the tone:
“If Germany were an animal, it would be a frog, because we have to get out of the ‘quack’,” says Alexandra Kohlmann, Managing Director of the ROWE Group, describing the current economic situation. Dominik Gross, CEO of the Founders Foundation and host of the conference, describes it like this: “You have to lose your breath to find your heartbeat. Unfortunately, we’ve lost our sneakers – and are quite out of shape.” For the industry, Tina Dreimann, Co-Founder & Managing Director Better Ventures, puts it in concrete terms: “We hear everywhere that the value chain is under pressure.” Challenges and problems were clearly identified – but there was no sign of pessimism.
“Europe’s greatest strength? We are at the interface between research, industry and startups – that can be our unfair advantage,” says Sebastian Pollok, Founding Partner Visionaries Tomorrow. Dominik Gross is also convinced: “Our problems are made in Germany, and our solutions are made in Germany.”
However, obstacles such as overregulation are constantly slowing down efforts, says investor Nazanin Daneshvar. She demands: “German companies are too slow. They need to become more flexible and faster. Companies need to change their mindset.” Brigitte Mohn, member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, would like to see more movement among the next generation of talent: “Digital education is now the important task. Companies should also demand it and make it clear to politicians which talents they need.”
On this day, the focus was repeatedly on the USA – and the panelists agreed that the current US policy offers Germany great opportunities for growth as a research and technology location and is driving Germany into action. Fernride founder Hendrik Kramer is convinced: “Europe must master autonomy. We must create prosperity in Europe and keep it in Europe. Anyone who thinks that’s not possible is completely wrong.”
New technologies offer the opportunity to focus on one’s own strengths – and to use them in new ways. Dominik Gross drew a comparison with the game of basketball: “We have a supporting leg and a playing leg – that is precisely Germany’s strength.” In an interview with Stefan Röbel, Co-Founder & COO ARX Robotics, Sven Weizenegger, Head of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub, emphasized the opportunities for new growth areas: “Startups are agile, very close to the user, eager for feedback, develop a solution at the weekend. In contrast to large defense companies, which first come with a lawyer.”
There was broad agreement on the existing capital gap that is holding back Germany and Europe. Caroline von Linsingen, Head of IPO & Growth Financing, Deutsche Börse: “In Europe, 33 trillion euros in household assets are lying idle – not invested.” Marie-Helene Ametsreiter, Partner at Speedinvest, sees this as an opportunity: “We have an incredible amount of wealth and capital in Germany. Activating this will start now.”
At a time when traditional venture capital models are coming under increasing pressure, alternative investors such as corporate venture capitalists (CVCs) and family offices are gaining massively in importance: in 2023, European CVCs participated in transactions worth €26.16 billion. According to the European Family Office Report 2024, 60% of family offices invest directly in venture capital.
Otto Birnbaum, Founding Partner at impact VC Revent, supports this development: “Mittelstand is a very important link in early-stage financing for startups”. Ametsreiter emphasizes the opportunity in the connection between corporates and startups, but also sees a problem: “European companies are much more reluctant to invest than US companies. Too often they develop internally instead of buying in.” Vera Knauer, authorized signatory for strategy and investments at the medium-sized company Orthomol, emphasizes that the pressure to innovate for family businesses and medium-sized companies is a catalyst for precisely this: “As a family entrepreneur, you can’t die – you have to learn to think like an investor.”
In his keynote speech, Pip Klöckner made it clear that we have long since moved beyond the AI hype. For him, AI is the answer to the shortage of skilled workers, innovation and competitive pressure – it has evolved from an experiment to a productive tool. “A holistic approach is needed when coordinating AI and human work,” says Veit Brücker , Managing Director DACH & South Europe at Asana. Fernride CEO Henrik Kramer recommends: “As much AI as possible, as much human as necessary.”
Pip Klöckner warns of “cognitive offloading”: “We will lose the ability to think critically if we outsource everything to AI.” Leonie Althaus, CEO and co-founder of traide AI, describes the consequences: “Responsibility will remain with people for the time being. But then the job will change in the direction of controlling. There will no longer be so many operational areas – new professions will emerge.” Message of the day: AI is a tool, not an end in itself – humans will remain the guiding light. Even in security-relevant areas such as defense and cyber security.
The challenges of our time are too complex to take them on alone. Our time needs cooperation and diversity. For the economy, this means that startups and Mittelstand need to join forces.
Alexandra Kohlmann, Managing Director of the Rowe Group, and Eva Valentina Kempf, Managing Partner of Henkelhausen Holding, emphasize the short decision-making processes and entrepreneurial proximity of Mittelstand. “That makes us attractive for startups,” says Kohlmann. Kempf adds: “It’s the only way to make progress.” Karim Saleh, founder of Cerrion, also speaks from experience: “Cooperation allows you to gain speed and is the only way to make progress.”
Lena Weirauch, CEO and co-founder of aiomatic, and Thomas Paulus, Chief Digital Officer at KSB, were also looking for a “complementary partner”. “We benefit from KSB’s expertise and gain new market access through them,” says Weirauch, explaining the advantages for the startup. For KSB, partnerships bring new expertise. For it to work, it also has to be a good fit in human terms. Paulus appeals to young tech founders: “Just have the courage to approach corporates.” Here’s a tip from Weirauch: “The usual investor pitch doesn’t work here, by the way. You can’t impress a medium-sized company with the vision of becoming a unicorn.” Tina Dreimann, Co-Founder & Managing Director Better Ventures, advises for a successful cooperation: “Get a bridge builder, because startups and corporates are two completely different cultures.”
“Climate change is the biggest problem facing humanity and we are doing extremely well to find solutions to the problem and I think that is climate-friendly technology. I am deeply convinced of that. Just as I am convinced that attention will turn back to the topic.” Hendrik Brandis, Partner & Co-CEO Earlybird, makes it clear: green technologies should be understood as an integral part of business strategies and are already a competitive factor in Germany today.
Stephan Segbers, Chief Sales Officer at Rheinenergie AG, commented: “The success of the energy transition requires sustainability, affordability and a secure supply. This triangle must work.” Jochen Ziervogel, Co-Founder Enpal, also calls for climate collaboration: “Of course, energy is highly regulated in Germany, but the important step here is to enter into a joint dialog. Because everyone here actually shares an interest in making a change.”
The crucial point is that many technologies are ready. What they often lack is the leap to industrial scale. This requires not only capital, but also the courage to standardize, political support and clear target markets. Florian Hildebrand, CEO of Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, had clear words: “We have to plug the energy supply gap now, but we have to think more long-term and politicians have to set the course for this. That means building decentralized systems and attacking the regulatory system.
The workforce of tomorrow needs to be nurtured today. Because as a country without raw materials, “Germany’s only asset is real talent”, says Jan Henri Kalinowski, founder of ChefTreff. “While schools are still banning AI tools, companies have long been working with them. And students anyway. Tomorrow’s AI programming in the afternoon and yesterday’s IT lessons in the morning. “In most cases, classrooms still look like they did in the 80s,” confirms Mona Feder, CPO and co-founder of doinstruct. This shows the urgency of revolutionizing the education and training system with EdTech solutions. And not with general solutions, but with suitable ones: “Companies need to make it clear what knowledge and skills they need,” says Brigitte Mohn, member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board.
AI is also an important tool in educational topics, but “critical thinking remains essential – especially in the age of AI,” emphasizes Paula Cipierre, Director of Data Ethics and Innovation at ada Learning. The aim is to strengthen people’s knowledge and thinking, not to replace them. Because: “this cannot be outsourced.” Bettina Volkens from the startup great2know sees added value in digital training programs for Mittelstand: “Talented people want to know What can I achieve here? Small and medium-sized companies can often shape digital change faster and more agilely than corporations and create real change.” Investors also see the potential, like Jakob Stein, Vice President at Creandum: “Ten years ago, we invested in training software for the first time – today it has become a billion-dollar company.”
For the second time, the OUT OF THE BOX.NRW Award, initiated by the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs, reached its finale at this year’s conference. The award honors three outstanding startups from North Rhine-Westphalia and is endowed with 50,000 euros from NRW.Bank. Ten teams from over 100 applications pitched live in front of the audience and the jury at the conference.
In the end, the startup Valoon, which enables efficient and data protection-compliant communication on construction sites, came out on top. Founder Marvin Rosian: “I’m delighted to bring the first place to the Ruhr region.” Second place went to ChemInnovation for its METIS software, an AI that automates the analysis of data in the chemical industry and thus reliably detects harmful substances in food. Third place went to comuneo, a digital platform for the data-based planning and implementation of municipal projects for modern local government.
Dominik Gross, Managing Director of the Founders Foundation, which organizes the award, draws a positive conclusion and looks ahead to the Hinterland of Things 2026: “The word of the day is courage. Our discussions and conversations at Hinterland of Things 2025 have shown that we already have everything else. Now is the time to implement our solutions and make Germany economically – and socially – strong again. On June 18, 2026, we can look each other in the eye at the 8th Hinterland of Things conference and draw a joint conclusion as to what we have really achieved!”
Anna-Luisa Korte
Director Brand & Content Founders Foundation gGmbH
anna@foundersfoundation.de
About the Founders Foundation
The Founders Foundation trains the next generation of successful founders and is building a sustainable B2B startup ecosystem in the heart of the German Mittelstand sector. The Financial Times ranks the Founders Foundation in 8th place among “Europe’s 100 Top Leading startup Hubs” in Germany. The B2B startup ecosystem in East Westphalia-Lippe is exemplary in bringing together “new and old business” as a breeding ground for entrepreneurship. In particular, the annual Hinterland of Things tech conference serves as a platform and builds important bridges. In 2024, the Founders Foundation was awarded the special prize of the German Startup Awards for its activities and work for the entrepreneurship of the future. It is a non-profit organization and places the sustainable and successful training of founders at the heart of its work.
© 2024 Hinterland of Things
