Startup Story
Story |
Feb 3, 2026
Polytone, the musical fintech startup
Polytone is a startup with two business models. It gives young musicians access to high-quality instruments and turns them into a form of investment.
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International Founders: Welcome to Startup City Hamburg!
A strong network and a high quality of life: Hamburg offers international deep tech entrepreneurs an attractive location for combining global ideas with local expertise. With practical support, personal advice and a hands-on community of entrepreneurs, mentors and support programmes, you are not alone on your journey.
Inside a family office: how entrepreneurs can get funded
Malte Reitzig is constantly scouting for promising startups on behalf of 4Tree Capital, a Hamburg-based multi-family office. Managing the assets of several entrepreneurial families, 4Tree focuses on long-term value creation and innovative business models. In this interview, Malte explains what family offices look for when investing in startups – and how founders can successfully approach a multi-family office.
Quotes
Sowmya Thyagarajan
Founder of Foviatech
“Despite many opportunities abroad, Hamburg’s international and industrial character makes it the perfect fit for us. From an aviation perspective, it’s an ideal location. And I love the Alster and Landungsbrücken — especially at sunset.”
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Sowmya Thyagarajan, founder of Foviatech, © Johannes Arlt/laif:
Christian Dietrich
Co-Founder & CEO of Kuyua
“Hamburg offers startups a powerful combination of international networking, economic strength and a high quality of life. Its proximity to global players and a growing tech ecosystem create ideal conditions for bringing new ideas to market quickly.”
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© Kuyua: CEO Christian Dietrich
Angela Relógio
Founder of TimeTeller
“We are totally well supported in Hamburg. It's better than I've ever experienced before. The networks work really well. I feel a real culture of welcome here, because the city and the people are very open and warm-hearted. Everything runs very professionally here, and I can see that a lot of people are working here to move the city forward. We have found our home port.”
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Dr. Mazen Rizk
CEO & Founder of Mushlabs
“We want to change the world from Hamburg with our fermentation technology and are delighted to have the senator's support. Together we can build an innovative, robust and, above all, sustainable food system that will also contribute to Hamburg's food supply in the future.”
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©Mushlabs
Lucy Larbi
Initiator of AiDiA
“Hamburg has a special significance for us, especially as Hamburg is the hometown of many AiDiA members and has great potential to become Germany's innovation city. We look forward to making our contribution along the way.”
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Nico Hansen
Founder of Vanozza
“From my perspective, Hamburg is a melting pot for creative ideas and innovations. The Food Cluster has just been created, which will give the location a further boost. There are also numerous networking platforms and funding programmes - we have benefited greatly from the foodlab accelerator programme and IFB Hamburg's InnoFounder programme.”
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© Vanozza
Anusha Akkina
Co-Founder - Aurelytix
“I chose Hamburg – international, pragmatic, and with a true “get-it-done” spirit. As a migrant, I bring new perspectives and strong determination. The Startup Unit and local founders were my compass in the early days. My tip: actively ask for intros and join meetups – those who reach out openly find support quickly.”
