Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, and has an excellent infrastructure to promote innovative projects. With Europe's third largest seaport, an active airport and a prime location at the crossroads between Scandinavia and Central Europe, Hamburg remains an innovation hub for making business.
Successful business made in Hamburg
Hamburg is a major international trade, transport and services hub and one of the most important locations for industry in Germany. Global players such as Airbus, Beiersdorf (Nivea), HapagLloyd, Montblanc, Otto and Tchibo are located here.
Tradition meets innovation
Hamburg is an attractive location for growing startups: comprising 96,000 businesses, the services sector is Hamburg’s strongest industry. With a share of approx. 34%, the information and communication segment, including leading advertising and online marketing companies such as Facebook, Facelift, Google, Smaato and Twitter, is particularly important.
City of networks and opportunities
In recent years, the city has cultivated a supportive and inclusive business environment. Startups and scaleups come together in Hamburg and take advantage of the city's rich resources and well-established networks: Various consulting providers, research institutions and cluster initiatives support young companies in building a strong network right from the beginning. Startups can also benefit from a wide range of funding programmes and financing offers.
Scaleup Hamburg, a service offer by Hamburg Invest, seeks to future-proof local businesses by forging partnerships with cutting-edge international Greentech scaleups in order to accelerate the technology uptake in our city. As part of the business development agency of Hamburg, we support international scaleups with our hands-on approach and dedicated professional service which focuses on a successful startup-corporate collaboration.
Why Hamburg? With its strategic location as Germany's hub for mobility, logistics, and renewable energy, Hamburg offers unparalleled opportunities for scaleups to thrive. Its vibrant ecosystem, coupled with robust infrastructure and supportive policies, makes it an ideal destination for companies looking to expand their footprint in Europe.
Start your journey towards growth and success: Apply now!
Since 2022, Scaleup Hamburg aims to attract international GreenTech scaleups to come to Hamburg and convince them of our city‘s advantages. With a variety of services tailored to the needs of Scaleups in an expansion process, our soft landing programme offers significant advantages in terms of time and resources for setting up in Hamburg and tapping into the German market.
Application period: January 27 – February 23, 2025
Support in identifying potential partners in Hamburg's vibrant ecosystem through a local market analysis
Conducting an audit of the market entry strategy to ensure it is suitable for the German market
Collaboration with established companies in Hamburg to generate use cases for external innovation solutions
Deepdive into the Hamburg ecosystem during the mandatory Scaleup Weeks in June-July and November-December 2025
Connection with the right partners from the ecosystem and support in the preparation of business meetings
Free accommodation and office space in Hamburg
Quotes
Tulika Raj
CEO SunGreenH2
Have you founded a company abroad and are now interested in setting up in Hamburg? Or are you planning to establish a startup in Hamburg and want to move to the northern German metropolis? We have compiled the most important information here. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to help you.
Contact our Startup Unit for a consultation
Advisory Session for startups:
Book a free startup consultation (by phone or video call on request, 40 minutes) with the Hamburg Invest Startup Unit.