{"id":9468,"date":"2025-06-06T11:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T11:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/2025\/06\/06\/reclaim-optimism-germanys-future-starts-now\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T12:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T12:14:21","slug":"reclaim-optimism-germanys-future-starts-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/2025\/06\/06\/reclaim-optimism-germanys-future-starts-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Reclaim optimism: Germany’s future starts now"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Reclaim optimism:
How the Hinterland of Things 2025 is realigning Germany's economy<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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RECLAIM OPTIMISM: THE TONE OF THE DAY<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Reclaim – that was the central motto of this year’s Hinterland of Things. The conference in Bielefeld sent out a clear signal: It’s not enough to just talk about crises – we need to see them as a catalyst. For innovation. For collaboration. For optimism. <\/p>

A reclaim act as it is written in the book. The event brought together people from Mittelstand, the startup scene, politics and the investment world. And they were all united in their conviction: If Germany wants to regain its economic strength, it needs courage, attitude and structure – on both a human and systemic level. <\/p>

The underlying tone was clear: optimism. Despite all the geopolitical uncertainties, energy bottlenecks and regulatory brakes \u2013 the mood was determined. Fridtjof Detzner put it in a nutshell in the opening panel: “We have to lean forward, otherwise we won’t be able to steer.” Brigitte Mohn emphasized: “We have to stay positive – there is no alternative.” And even the global political situation was not only seen as a threat. Frauke Holzmeier: “Nothing works without Donald Trump.” Sebastian Pollok pointed out that the number of applicants in the EU research sector has increased since Trump’s presidency. The appeal: “Learn to see opportunities in everything.” Dominic Gross also welcomed all researchers from the USA in his keynote speech. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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RECLAIM HUMANITY: EDUCATION, RESILIENCE, ATTITUDE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe economic future starts with people. Lifelong learning, new skills and resilience were key topics. Pip Kl\u00f6ckner warned against “cognitive offloading” – the danger of outsourcing critical thinking. People need to be empowered, not replaced. This also means that education needs to be rethought, from onboarding in Mittelstand to elementary school. This is precisely where the Founders Foundation comes in, with the aim of training young managers for the digital transformation. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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RECLAIM TECHNOLOGY: FROM ROBOTICS TO AI<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFERNRIDE used autonomous trucks to show how AI is used in the industry in real life. In the port of Hamburg, four trucks are already driving under AI control, with a driver who keeps an eye on everything. Even if a seagull shuts down traffic for a moment. The model: “As much AI as possible, as many humans as necessary.” Startups such as Robco and Toolify Robotics also presented concrete solutions for Mittelstand. AI, automation and new job profiles such as data engineers or AI trainers – all of this was presented not just as dreams of the future, but as a reality that can already be implemented. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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RECLAIM COLLABORATION: MITTELSTAND + STARTUPS = FUTURE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In the panel with Tina Dreimann and Florian N\u00f6ll, it became clear that venture clienting only works if both sides understand each other. Tina: “Get a bridge builder.” Florian: “There’s not that much adventure in venture clienting. But you need someone to hold your hand.” <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Eva Valentina Kempf (Henkelhausen) and Alexandra Kohlmann (ROWE) showed what transformation in Mittelstand looks like in concrete terms. Quick decisions, retrofit solutions with real cost-benefit, sustainability as DNA. Kempf: “We must remain attractive as an employer – and invest in the future.” <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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RECLAIM CAPITAL: INVESTORS WHO WANT MORE\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElina Berrebi (REVAIA) said: “Now is the right time to invest. The geopolitical situation is forcing us to rethink. We need to put our money where our lives are.” Philipp Herrmann (BRYCK) called for de-fragmentation and de-bureaucratization for startups. Caroline von Linsingen from Deutsche B\u00f6rse presented a new campaign: “We want companies not just to show balance sheets, but to tell stories. Equity stories that make what moves a company tangible.” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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RECLAIM REALITY: DEALS INSTEAD OF DECORATION<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat makes the Hinterland of Things 2025 so special is the courage to be unagitated. People don’t pitch here to shine – but to solve problems together. In the exhibition area, SMEs meet startups such as Evasive Robotics, Ethan AI and Akeno. No show stairs, no buzzword bingo. Instead of selfies, there are handshakes – and concrete deals. The atmosphere is pragmatic. And that’s exactly why it’s productive. This is not about hype, but about craftsmanship. Not about outward impact, but inward: in processes, in products, in real transformation. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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RECLAIM RESPONSIBILITY: THE CAPITAL MARKET GETS A FACE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe capital market also needs to be rethought – as Caroline von Linsingen from Deutsche B\u00f6rse demonstrated. Her message: companies need more than just figures – they need stories. Together with the advertising group Str\u00f6er, Deutsche B\u00f6rse is now bringing these “equity stories” directly to cities: to airports, train stations and digital screens in public spaces. Capital market meets pedestrian zone – so that economic strength does not remain abstract, but becomes tangible. It is about identity, visibility and the recapturing of public attention by those who bear responsibility – economically, socially, structurally. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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RECLAIM STRUCTURE: POLITICIANS MUST DELIVER<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMigration, immigration, education, digitalization – without political backing, Reclaim remains wishful thinking. The demand for less regulation was omnipresent. But it was not about anarchy – it was about empowerment. Nazanin Daneshvar put it in a nutshell: “Don’t regulate before innovation happens.” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE WILL NOT BE MODERATED. IT WILL BE MADE. <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Hinterland of Things 2025 was a place where concrete solutions were negotiated. No show-off, but show-how. No buzzwords, but implementation. The most important asset of the day was: trust. In talent. In technologies. In collaboration.\nReclaim was not a slogan – it was an attitude. An attitude that gives hope. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hinterland of Things 2025 sent out a strong signal: Germany needs fewer concerns – and more courage. The message: Reclaim optimism – through genuine collaboration, new structures and trust in change. Germany’s economic awakening has begun. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9469,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9468\/revisions\/9469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}