{"id":9470,"date":"2025-06-06T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/2025\/06\/06\/hinterland-of-things-conference-2025-reclaim-when-technology-meets-action\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:07:08","slug":"hinterland-of-things-conference-2025-reclaim-when-technology-meets-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/2025\/06\/06\/hinterland-of-things-conference-2025-reclaim-when-technology-meets-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Hinterland of Things Conference 2025 &#8211; Reclaim: When Technology meets Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"9470\" class=\"elementor elementor-9470 elementor-8287\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e669fe4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"6e669fe4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c52bdd3 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4c52bdd3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeInLeft&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">HINTERLAND OF THINGS CONFERENCE 2025 - \nRECLAIM: WHEN TECHNOLOGY MEETS ACTION<\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca98259 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ca98259\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6548e66 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6548e66\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Bielefeld, June 6, 2025 &#8211; 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 &#8220;Reclaim&#8221; set the tone for boldly shaping the economic future of our country &#8211; and leading it back to growth with smart strategies. <\/p><p><br>6 topics that set the tone:<\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52c6be3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"52c6be3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4ae8e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a4ae8e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/1 Sovereignty, technology and talent - the triad for a new economic power<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f57e32f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f57e32f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;If Germany were an animal, it would be a frog, because we have to get out of the &#8216;quack&#8217;,&#8221; says <strong>Alexandra Kohlmann<\/strong>, Managing Director of the ROWE Group, describing the current economic situation. <strong>Dominik Gross<\/strong>, CEO of the Founders Foundation and host of the conference, describes it like this: &#8220;You have to lose your breath to find your heartbeat. Unfortunately, we&#8217;ve lost our sneakers &#8211; and are quite out of shape.&#8221; For the industry, <strong>Tina Dreimann<\/strong>, Co-Founder &amp; Managing Director Better Ventures, puts it in concrete terms: &#8220;We hear everywhere that the value chain is under pressure.&#8221; Challenges and problems were clearly identified &#8211; but there was no sign of pessimism.  <\/p><p>&#8220;Europe&#8217;s greatest strength? We are at the interface between research, industry and startups &#8211; that can be our unfair advantage,&#8221; says <strong>Sebastian Pollok<\/strong>, Founding Partner Visionaries Tomorrow. Dominik Gross is also convinced: &#8220;Our problems are made in Germany, and our solutions are made in Germany.&#8221; <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e5f1597 e-con-full e-grid e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e5f1597\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a762fe7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a762fe7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9038\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1626-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0fb322d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0fb322d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9099\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_8666-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51bf59c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"51bf59c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9104\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC0130-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f4cdbb4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f4cdbb4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8950\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC8928-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4567cf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a4567cf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d2bf5f2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d2bf5f2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>However, obstacles such as overregulation are constantly slowing down efforts, says investor <strong>Nazanin Daneshvar<\/strong>. She demands: &#8220;German companies are too slow. They need to become more flexible and faster. Companies need to change their mindset.&#8221; <strong>Brigitte Mohn<\/strong>, member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, would like to see more movement among the next generation of talent: &#8220;Digital education is now the important task. Companies should also demand it and make it clear to politicians which talents they need.&#8221; <\/p><p>On this day, the focus was repeatedly on the USA &#8211; 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 <strong>Hendrik Kramer<\/strong> is convinced: &#8220;Europe must master autonomy. We must create prosperity in Europe and keep it in Europe. Anyone who thinks that&#8217;s not possible is completely wrong.&#8221; <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-38a38eb e-con-full e-grid e-con e-child\" data-id=\"38a38eb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-308360b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"308360b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>New technologies offer the opportunity to focus on one&#8217;s own strengths &#8211; and to use them in new ways. Dominik Gross drew a comparison with the game of basketball: &#8220;We have a supporting leg and a playing leg &#8211; that is precisely Germany&#8217;s strength.&#8221; In an interview with <strong>Stefan R\u00f6bel<\/strong>, Co-Founder &amp; COO ARX Robotics, <strong>Sven Weizenegger<\/strong>, Head of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub, emphasized the opportunities for new growth areas: &#8220;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.&#8221;  <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e4bd67 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6e4bd67\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9083\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3757-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83a4d6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"83a4d6a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/2 More capital, more network, more alternatives\n<\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-690b5e8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"690b5e8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ddf956 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ddf956\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>There was broad agreement on the existing capital gap that is holding back Germany and Europe. <strong>Caroline von Linsingen<\/strong>, Head of IPO &amp; Growth Financing, Deutsche B\u00f6rse: &#8220;In Europe, 33 trillion euros in household assets are lying idle &#8211; not invested.&#8221; <strong>Marie-Helene Ametsreiter<\/strong>, Partner at Speedinvest, sees this as an opportunity: &#8220;We have an incredible amount of wealth and capital in Germany. Activating this will start now.&#8221;<\/p><p>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 \u20ac26.16 billion. According to the European Family Office Report 2024, 60% of family offices invest directly in venture capital. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81c2c7a e-con-full e-grid e-con e-child\" data-id=\"81c2c7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30648da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30648da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Otto Birnbaum<\/strong>, Founding Partner at impact VC Revent, supports this development: &#8220;Mittelstand is a very important link in early-stage financing for startups&#8221;. Ametsreiter emphasizes the opportunity in the connection between corporates and startups, but also sees a problem: &#8220;European companies are much more reluctant to invest than US companies. Too often they develop internally instead of buying in.&#8221; <strong>Vera<\/strong> <strong>Knauer<\/strong>, 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: &#8220;As a family entrepreneur, you can&#8217;t die &#8211; you have to learn to think like an investor.&#8221; <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-540df7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"540df7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9162\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC4750-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3a0c2c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e3a0c2c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/3 AI provides manpower, humans provide direction\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c874e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9c874e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In his keynote speech, <strong>Pip Kl\u00f6ckner <\/strong>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 &#8211; it has evolved from an experiment to a productive tool. &#8220;A holistic approach is needed when coordinating AI and human work,&#8221; says <strong>Veit Br\u00fccker<\/strong> , Managing Director DACH &amp; South Europe at Asana. Fernride CEO <strong>Henrik Kramer<\/strong> recommends: &#8220;As much AI as possible, as much human as necessary.&#8221;   <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77ced14 e-con-full e-grid e-con e-child\" data-id=\"77ced14\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3b5047 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c3b5047\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9074\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2386-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8807e82 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8807e82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8823\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_A9_9417-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e4e3e5c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e4e3e5c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9078\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74202518-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a363129 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a363129\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Pip Kl\u00f6ckner warns of &#8220;cognitive offloading&#8221;: &#8220;We will lose the ability to think critically if we outsource everything to AI.&#8221; <strong>Leonie Althaus<\/strong>, CEO and co-founder of traide AI, describes the consequences: &#8220;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 &#8211; new professions will emerge.&#8221; Message of the day: AI is a tool, not an end in itself &#8211; humans will remain the guiding light. Even in security-relevant areas such as defense and cyber security.  <\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7630477 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7630477\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70445a7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"70445a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/4 Bridge builders are needed for successful collaboration<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ae4a37 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ae4a37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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.  <\/p><p>Alexandra Kohlmann, Managing Director of the Rowe Group, and <strong>Eva Valentina Kempf<\/strong>, Managing Partner of Henkelhausen Holding, emphasize the short decision-making processes and entrepreneurial proximity of Mittelstand. &#8220;That makes us attractive for startups,&#8221; says Kohlmann. Kempf adds: &#8220;It&#8217;s the only way to make progress.&#8221; <strong>Karim Saleh<\/strong>, founder of Cerrion, also speaks from experience: &#8220;Cooperation allows you to gain speed and is the only way to make progress.&#8221;   <\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cbb592 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5cbb592\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eed59d e-grid e-con-full e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0eed59d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3b10815 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3b10815\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9164\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1392-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c7210b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2c7210b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9036\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC3043-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-383b653 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"383b653\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Lena Weirauch<\/strong>, CEO and co-founder of aiomatic, and <strong>Thomas Paulus<\/strong>, Chief Digital Officer at KSB, were also looking for a &#8220;complementary partner&#8221;. &#8220;We benefit from KSB&#8217;s expertise and gain new market access through them,&#8221; 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: &#8220;Just have the courage to approach corporates.&#8221; Here&#8217;s a tip from Weirauch: &#8220;The usual investor pitch doesn&#8217;t work here, by the way. You can&#8217;t impress a medium-sized company with the vision of becoming a unicorn.&#8221; Tina Dreimann, Co-Founder &amp; Managing Director Better Ventures, advises for a successful cooperation: &#8220;Get a bridge builder, because startups and corporates are two completely different cultures.&#8221;      <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9f9f196 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9f9f196\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/5 Green tech: the days of labs are over - now it's time to scale up<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da04fe3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"da04fe3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;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.&#8221; <strong>Hendrik Brandis,<\/strong> Partner &amp; 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.<\/p><p><strong>Stephan Segbers<\/strong>, Chief Sales Officer at Rheinenergie AG, commented: &#8220;The success of the energy transition requires sustainability, affordability and a secure supply. This triangle must work.&#8221; <strong>Jochen Ziervogel<\/strong>, Co-Founder Enpal, also calls for climate collaboration: &#8220;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.&#8221; <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec59513 e-con-full e-grid e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ec59513\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70c18b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"70c18b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9166\" alt=\"Jochen Ziervogel, Enpal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC1748-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e7027c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2e7027c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9168\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-_NIC2621-1-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f73133f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f73133f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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. <strong>Florian Hildebrand<\/strong>, CEO of Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, had clear words: &#8220;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.  <\/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<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78cb9c7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"78cb9c7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5ebc26 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c5ebc26\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\/\/6 Investment in education is an investment in the economy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a745223 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a745223\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The workforce of tomorrow needs to be nurtured today. Because as a country without raw materials, &#8220;Germany&#8217;s only asset is real talent&#8221;, says <strong>Jan Henri Kalinowski<\/strong>, founder of ChefTreff. &#8220;While schools are still banning AI tools, companies have long been working with them. And students anyway. Tomorrow&#8217;s AI programming in the afternoon and yesterday&#8217;s IT lessons in the morning. &#8220;In most cases, classrooms still look like they did in the 80s,&#8221; confirms <strong>Mona Feder<\/strong>, 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: &#8220;Companies need to make it clear what knowledge and skills they need,&#8221; says Brigitte Mohn, member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board.    <\/p><p>AI is also an important tool in educational topics, but &#8220;critical thinking remains essential &#8211; especially in the age of AI,&#8221; emphasizes <strong>Paula Cipierre<\/strong>, Director of Data Ethics and Innovation at ada Learning. The aim is to strengthen people&#8217;s knowledge and thinking, not to replace them. Because: &#8220;this cannot be outsourced.&#8221; <strong>Bettina Volkens<\/strong> from the startup great2know sees added value in digital training programs for Mittelstand: &#8220;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.&#8221; Investors also see the potential, like <strong>Jakob Stein<\/strong>, Vice President at Creandum: &#8220;Ten years ago, we invested in training software for the first time &#8211; today it has become a billion-dollar company.&#8221;    <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b07aad elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9b07aad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">OUT OF THE BOX.NRW AWARD: VALOON takes 1st place\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a816c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1a816c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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&#8217;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.  <\/p><p>In the end, the startup <strong>Valoon<\/strong>, which enables efficient and data protection-compliant communication on construction sites, came out on top. Founder <strong>Marvin Rosian<\/strong>: &#8220;I&#8217;m delighted to bring the first place to the Ruhr region.&#8221; 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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec17e1d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ec17e1d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"505\" src=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863-1024x647.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8921\" alt=\"Marvin Rosian, Valoon, OOTB Gewinner Startup 2025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863-1024x647.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863-768x485.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863-1536x971.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JulianHukePhotography-74104372-scaled-e1749198161863.jpg 1775w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-395e476 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"395e476\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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: &#8220;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 &#8211; and socially &#8211; strong again. <strong>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!<\/strong>&#8221;  <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0be65b0 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"0be65b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57364b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"57364b4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>PRESS CONTACT<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8df10d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8df10d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anna-Luisa Korte<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Director Brand &amp; Content Founders Foundation gGmbH<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"mailto:anna@foundersfoundation.de\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anna@foundersfoundation.de<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30b6a4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30b6a4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>About the Founders Foundation<\/strong><\/p><p>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 &#8220;Europe&#8217;s 100 Top Leading startup Hubs&#8221; in Germany. The B2B startup ecosystem in East Westphalia-Lippe is exemplary in bringing together &#8220;new and old business&#8221; 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.    <\/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\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":9099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hinterland-of-things"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9470","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=9470"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12546,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9470\/revisions\/12546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterlandofthings.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}