The European Edition: Igniting Startups Across Europe

This year’s Startup Tour Germany is a European Edition! With a sharp focus on the dynamic startup landscape across Europe, we are shining a light on the continent’s hottest entrepreneurial hubs. Europe is home to an incredible mix of innovation, diverse talent, and cutting-edge solutions. By honing in on this region, we offer a unique opportunity to connect with Europe’s most promising ventures, driving the next wave of groundbreaking ideas. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this European setup!

What it's all about?

Empowering innovators, uniting visionaries

Welcome to Start.up! Germany Tour 2024, where innovation and opportunity unite! We bring entrepreneurs, leaders, and investors together to explore Germany's dynamic start-up scene, empowering with connections, knowledge, and resources. Join our journey, where innovation knows no bounds. Kindle your entrepreneurial spirit with Start.up! Germany Tour!

More information!

How to be part of?

Embark on a thrilling journey with us!

Join Start.up! Germany Tour 2024 with ease! Connect with entrepreneurs, leaders, and investors. Gain insights, resources, and global connections. Fuel your entrepreneurial journey, forge worldwide partnerships, and dive into innovation. Redefine entrepreneurship in Germany and beyond with us. Ignite your passion and be part of something extraordinary!

Apply now!

About the tour

Why join us?

There are compelling reasons to be part of this tour. You'll gain firsthand knowledge of Germany's vibrant startup scene, expand your professional network, access opportunities for investment and partnership, and embark on a transformative entrepreneurial journey.

Our mission

Our mission is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship by connecting global entrepreneurs with Germany's startup ecosystem. We aim to foster cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange to drive forward the world of entrepreneurship.

What to expect

When you join us, you can expect exciting visits to top startup hubs, engaging workshops with industry leaders, valuable networking opportunities with like-minded entrepreneurs, and in-depth insights into cutting-edge technologies.

Tour highlights

Our tour will feature visits to renowned startup incubators, inspirational talks from successful entrepreneurs, exclusive access to innovative startups, and immersive cultural experiences that provide a well-rounded and enriching adventure.

Our team

Our team is composed of experienced professionals who are deeply passionate about entrepreneurship. We are committed to facilitating your entrepreneurial growth, offering guidance, inspiration, and support throughout the tour.

Past success stories

Delve into the inspiring success stories of past tour participants who have achieved remarkable milestones, including launching thriving startups, securing significant investments, and forging invaluable international partnerships. These success stories showcase the tangible impact of the tour on their entrepreneurial journeys, serving as living proof of the opportunities that await you as part of the Start.up! Germany Tour.

Save the date

The Grand final in NRW

July 3rd, 2025

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Watch the recap 2024

Here you can find all video content about the tour. From announcements to recaps & teasers. In addition, there will soon be international content in the form of company presentations from startups to our partner companies.

Watch

Voices

What do our startup alumnis 2022 say?

Renato Gomes

Overall, it was very good. The Start.up! Germany Tour allowed us to do experience more companies from different sectors and that was I think for us the main objective in taking part. It was very positive. When we are talking about the final event in Germany, that was a 10 out of 10. On a personal experience, this was really enriching and for Pix Force from a corporate perspective it was really good. The result was as good as it could get. It was a worthwhile trip. Germany is the place to be. Germany is the hard land. Join Germany and you are everywhere in the world. And I think the tour made this crystal clear in terms of the challenges that exist and also a lot about the success cases that also existed with large companies. And how large companies, the government and the banks are helping out. It was worth every single moment. So, that’s why it is a 10 out of 10.

Camil Moldoveanu

The Start.up! Germany Tour was a nice experience. We already had a lot of experience with these kinds of events. So, I would say that we have enough experience to know if it’s good or bad. The biggest thing what I took from the Start.up! Germany Tour was the Reverse Pitch, I really loved it. I loved this format of reversed pitches and the idea of presenting us the local environment. The Start.up! Germany Tour was really inspiring, and I really felt comfortable with the people around like the organizers, corporates and the other startups. So, it was a nice experience.

Vitaly Chukanov

It’s a good way for every startup that wants to raise awareness about its product or idea. It’s valuable to take part in the tour because the outcome you get could be more than you count on. For us, it was exactly the reason why we participated. When we had our first pitch, I was impressed by the scale and quality of the tour, the level of the jury. For us, the Start.up! Germany Tour was a great experience in terms of pitching to different audiences. It helped us gain many insights because we received feedback from a large number of different companies and institutions. That was really valuable and relevant for us, a great addition to winning the third place.

Dr. Markus Gick

NRW does not only need national innovations and startups, but should also become the hotspot for international startups, especially in the B2B sector. The Start.up! Germany Tour has made it possible for many years now to attract suitable international startups from all over the world to the economy in NRW through a qualified process. In recent years, the tour has established itself as a lighthouse project for NRW with an impact for the whole of Germany. As deck, we are happy to remain a partner of the tour.

Jan Herzogenrath

The core industries in NRW rely on a strong logistics backbone. Startups develop new approaches along the supply chain and help to maintain Germany’s position as a logistics champion. Therefore at startport we focus on matching corporates with promising logistics startups. The Start.up! Germany Tour is a great opportunity for us, as it attracts each year promising international startups. As a result several Startups we met at the Start.up! Germany Tour successfully took part in our accelerator program!

Erik Wirsing

We have had very good experiences with the Startup Tour in the past. It was a very good and diverse selection of startups from many different countries. All participants had a high motivation and a good spirit. There were many intercultural and value-added conversations before and after the event with the startups. Above all, looking back, the physical event was an important factor to make the right connections right on the spot. The cooperation with Gideon Brothers is of course a very special and positive outcome for us.

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At the edge between technology and life – health and well being as a focus for business

If your startup is creating a bridge between biology, medicine, computer science, material sciences and mechanical engineering, then you might be a candidate to innovate the health system globally. From drug discovery via diagnostics up to securely personalized DiGa Apps all ideas are welcome!

Our focus sectors include:

  • Biotech
  • Medtech
  • Chemistry
  • Digital health

… or other outstanding solutions in the field of Life Science that improve the health of people

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The future is sustainable and green.

In order to solve the biggest challenges this global community is facing nowadays, Green Tech startups use a wide range of technologies, ideas and methodologies. With business models that sustainably have a positive impact on the planet, they focus on environment.

Our focus sectors include:

  • Hydrogen and other alternative energy solutions
  • Circular economy
  • Green energy storage solutions
  • Smart grid energy use optimization
  • Smart farming (AgTech)
  • Future mobility solutions

… and other outstanding solutions in the field of Green Tech that have a positive impact on the environment

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Different industries need different solutions.

Worldwide the industry sector experiences an ongoing disruption of processes and markets. Startups play an important role by supporting it with agile and innovative approaches in order to make them stay or return to an effective economical and productive development. Are you ready for this challenge?

Our focus sectors include:

  • Solutions for smart factory
  • Artificial intelligence 
  • IoT
  • Cyber Security
  • Datamining and data governance 
  • Industrial logistics
  • Digital supply chain management

… and other outstanding solutions in the field of Industrial Solutions that optimize the industrial sector.

Why our tour?!

Benefits for startups.

North Rhine-Westphalia as one of the most dynamic Regions in Germany.

NRW has the highest amount of working force and the most innovative companies in Germany. The most driving locations are the Rhine-Ruhr-Area along the cities Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Bochum and Dortmund.

Get new ideas and learn from practical insights.

The tour will give you a deep insight into North Rhine-Westphalian startup ecosystem. You will meet many local startups, incubators and accelerators for practical advice and networking on the tour.

Get in touch with other foreign startups and other AHKs.

Many AHKs come along with their startups to support them. There you can solidify your international business network.

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startups since first tour

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countries

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connections

Hosts

A project of IHK NRW (hosted by IHK Ruhr, IHK Cologne, IHK Düsseldorf), AHK and DIHK

Partners

Find out more about the partners that make Start.up! Germany Tour 2025 possible!

Find out more about NRW.Global Business and the Ministry of Economics NRW
Find out more about NRW.BANK

Get in touch!

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info.startupgermany.nrw

Strengthen the connection to NRW

Here you will find all the information you need about the NRW market and how you can become active in NRW.

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corporates.startupgermany.nrw

Find your corporate partners

We partner with top companies – explore our company pool and see which one could be the perfect match for you!

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