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SPEAKER

The Speaker lineup is a curated selection of thought leaders, innovators, and change-makers from across industries. These influential voices will take the stage to share their insights, bold ideas, and transformative stories, inspiring our community to think bigger and act smarter.Get ready to hear from global pioneers, startup disruptors, corporate leaders, and industry experts who are defining what’s next. Stay tuned as we unveil the speakers who will make 2026 a year to remember!

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CARSTEN
MASCHMEYER

CEO
MASCHMEYER GROUP
Carsten Maschmeyer is an active investor with stakes in more than 150 startups through his various funds. Since 2016, he’s also been part of the hit TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen” – Germany’s version of Shark Tank – which regularly tops the ratings. His motto says it all: “I invest in founders, not in business plans.”

CÉLINE FLORES
WILLERS

CEO & FOUNDER
THE PEOPLE BRANDING COMPANY GMBH
Céline is an entrepreneur, LinkedIn top voice and Founder of The People Branding Company. Her company is known as the leading LinkedIn consultancy, serving clients such as SAP, Beiersdorf or LANXESS. Her team especially advises organizations and C-level executives on how to generate leads or acquire talents with LinkedIn.

MARIUS
MEINERS

CEO & CO-FOUNDER
PEEC AI
Marius Meiners is the Co-Founder & CEO of Peec AI, a 20VC-backed analytics platform for generative search. He was a former top 100 e-sports player, brings experience as a software engineer as well as in M&A and venture capital, and shapes the future of generative engine optimization and AI-driven marketing.

DARIA
SAHAROVA

GP
WORLD FUND
Daria is a Founding Partner at World Fund, Europe’s leading climate tech VC. Since over 20 years, she serves on the board of pioneers like Space Forge, Vaeridion, ecoworks and Planet A Foods. Daria is a member of the extended board of the German Startup Association, on the board of trustees of the Max Planck Institute, and is a cofounder of the think tank 1E9.

DR. ANNIKA
VON MUTIUS

CO-CEO AND CO-FOUNDER
EMPION GMBH
Dr. Annika von Mutius is co-founder and CEO of the HR tech startup Empion and a member of the board of the German Federal Association for Artificial Intelligence. With a doctor in mathematics, Additionally, she is part of the advisory board of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization.

FLORIAN
HEINEMANN

FOUNDING PARTNER
PROJECT A
Florian is a Founding Partner at Project A. As an entrepreneur and investor, he is widely regarded as one of Germany’s leading experts in digital growth, marketing, and data strategies. He helps traditional companies navigate the challenges of digital transformation and build bridges to the startup ecosystem as a trusted advisor to the German Mittelstand.

BENJAMIN
ERHART

GENERAL PARTNER
UVC PARTNERS
Benjamin Erhart is General Partner at UVC Partners. Since 2017, he has led early-stage investments in some of Europe’s most promising technology ventures, including Tacto, Proxima Fusion, planqc, TWAICE, and FAZUA. With a background from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, he combines a deep technical understanding with strong investment expertise.

VERENA
PAUSDER

CHAIR OF THE BOARD
GERMAN STARTUP ASSOCIATION
Verena Pausder is an entrepreneur, investor and, since 2024, chairwoman of the German Startup Association.

ULRICH
PREDIGER

FOUNDER
JOBRAD HOLDING SE
Uli Prediger invented the company bike leasing model, paving the way for an entirely new industry. Today, his JobRad Group is one of Germany’s rare unicorns and a leading provider of sustainable mobility services. Uli Prediger continues to pursue his vision of transforming mobility – and the world – for the better, as a founder and investor.

DR. BRIGITTE
MOHN

CHAIRPERSON OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
BERTELSMANN STIFTUNG
Brigitte Mohn serves as a Board Member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and Chair of the German Stroke Foundation's Board of Trustees. Her professional background includes roles at Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, McKinsey, and Pixelpark.

MATTHIAS
AUF DER MAUER

FOUNDER
JUNA.AI GMBH
Matthias is founder of juna.ai, building AI agents to optimize production processes and reduce energy consumption in heavy industries. Before he founded AiSight, a leading AI startup in manufacturing that built a predictive maintenance solution, and was acquired by a Swiss sensor company. Additionally, he developed AI and IoT applications at Porsche Digital Lab.

DOMINIK
GROSS

CEO
FOUNDERS FOUNDATION GGMBH
Dominik Gross is CEO of Founders Foundation gGmbH, established in 2016 with the Bertelsmann Stiftung. He believes: "entrepreneurship skills are the key to a successful digital transformation". The Founders Foundation educates the next generation of entrepreneurs in the heart of the German Mittelstand and develops a sustainable B2B startup ecosystem.

HALL OF FAME SPEAKER

Frank Seidensticker

Managing Director @ Seidensticker

Philipp
Klöckner

Investor, Advisor, Podcast host

ANDREAS SENNHEISER

CEO @ SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC

MIRIAM
MECKEL

CO-FOUNDER & CEO @ ADA LEARNING

DR. ALBERT CHRISTMANN

CEO
@ Dr. Oetker

ALEXANDER
SIXT

CEO
@ Sixt

MARKUS
MIELE

Ex. Director & CEO
@ Miele

LARS
KLINGBEIL

Party Chairman
@ SPD

GÜLSAH
WILKE

Partner/Head of German Office @ DN Capital

MARKUS
PFLITSCH

CEO, Chairman & Founder @ Terra Quantum AG

JAN-HENDRIK
GOLDBECK

Managing Director
@ Goldbeck

CARSTEN
SALLING

General Partner
@ Dreamcraft Ventures

GESA
MICZAIKA

Founding Partner
@ Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund

FRANK
THELEN

Founder & CEO
@ Freigeist Capital

CAL
HENDERSON

Co-Founder & CTO
@ Slack

MAX
HONIG

CEO
@ Appinio

Verena
Pausder

Chairwoman @ Startup Verband

CHRISTIAN
MIELE

PARTNER @ HEADLINE

FRAUKE VON
POLIER

CPO @
VIESSMANN

SASCHA
LOBO

MEDIA / AI
Expert

ALEXANDER
GIESECKE

CEO & Founder
@ simpleclub

KERSTIN
HOCHMÜLLER

CEO
@ Marantec Group

PHILIPP
WESTERMEYER

FOUNDER @ OMR

JANNA
LINKE

Chief on duty & presenter
@ ntv News

ERIN
BEILHARZ

MD. CleanTech Hub @ Lufthansa Group

JOSEF
BRUNNER

Entrepreneur, Investor & Author

DR. FLORIAN
HEINEMANN

Founding Partner
@ Project A

DR. BRIGITTE
MOHN

M. Executive Board
@ Bertelsmann Stiftung

BERND
LEUKERT

Member of the Management Board
@ Deutsche Bank

YVONNE
BEISTER

DIRECTOR @ AXEL SPRINGER

ANGELIKA
GIFFORD

Vice President EMEA
@ Meta

Philipp
Gattner

CEO @ REBUY

DANIEL
KHACHAB

Co-Founder & CEO
@ Choco

Daniel
Metzler

CEO
@ Isar Aerospace

MAXIMILIAN
VIESSMANN

CDO @ VIESSMANN

BENEDIKT
BÖSEL

Farmer & Managing Director
@ Gut und Bösel

SEE OUR SPEAKERS FROM LAST YEAR