What we’re about

In June 2017, the BMBF-funded (German Federal Ministry for Education and Research) “Innovationsforum Blockchain” was launched with a duration of 9 months until the end of February 2018. Meetups on a wide range of topics related to blockchain technology were held within the scope of this project (legal and regulatory framework, blockchain and logistics, cryptocurrencies, real estate industry, blockchain in aviation). In addition, a two-day congress was organised with 120 participants who ideated and explored blockchain applications. Today we are a strong community of innovation enthusiasts. Our aim is to move forward with this initiative beyond the funded project phase. A core team consisting of Konstantin Graf, Kevin Westphal, Jannik Kramer, Arnab Naskar and Christopher Nigischer is taking on this task and is planning 6 Meetup evenings for the year 2019. The range of topics will be expanded beyond blockchain, which is also reflected in the name, which is now "Innovationsforum Hamburg".

Target audiences

In addition to the existing community, we are adressing primarily founders, start-ups and innovation enthusiast. We promote a spirit of innovation and fresh ideas. Innovation officers and interested parties from larger corporations are also very welcome. In order to develop a network in which ideas can not only be discussed but also realised, potential investors are part of the target audience too.

Vision and Goals

In 2016, Hamburg surpassed Berlin for the first time in terms of the number of newly founded start-ups. We want to make a contribution to the continuation of this trend and create the basis for many start-ups with topic-oriented networking events.

Topics for 2019

• Throughout 2019 we will look into the following topics and setup dedicated meetups for each of them:

• January - AI & Blockchain - sponsored by Netapp

Topics in the pipeline

- Sharing economy

- AR / VR

- Blockchain Success Stories

- STO Fundraising

- Change management & Gamification

What we offer to hosting organisations

We are always looking for organisations that are interested in hosting one of our meetups. The “Innovationsforum Hamburg” offers the opportunity to address an innovative and entrepreneurially oriented target audience and to present yourself as an innovative partner. All presentations will be filmed and published via YouTube and other channels and will be accessible to the general public in the long term. Through our Meetup Group you can already reach over 900 participants.

What we are looking for

For the above-mentioned topics, we are looking for hosts who can provide a centrally located and well-connected (S-Bahn) location for at least 50 participants. A plus would be beverages and finger food for an evening event from 6 p. m. to 10 p. m. If you are interested in hosting one of our upcoming events please contact us.