Last weekend, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce became the ChefTreff for two days. A total of 5,000 participants attended the networking event, which aims to give young talents inspiration for entering the professional world. Among the best-known speakers were TV presenter Markus Lanz and politician Gregor Gysi. One of the programme highlights was the presentation of the Impossible Founders initiative, with which Hamburg is applying for the EXIST lighthouse competition Startup Factories.
Becoming the leading deep tech location with Impossible Founders
Impossible Founders is supposed to make Hamburg a leading innovation hub in Europe. The programme is primarily aimed at deep tech startups that are created at universities in order to help them achieve global commercial success. The application phase for the Startup Factories ends on April 30. Up to ten of the 15 projects currently still participating will receive further support. At least 50% of the funding must come from private sources. Hamburg is in a strong position in this respect thanks to the commitment of the foundations Michael Otto Stiftung and Joachim Herz Stiftung. The Managing Director of Impossible Founders will be Dr. Arik Willner, currently CTO of the DESY research centre.
Strong startup presence at ChefTreff
In addition to the conference programme on several stages and numerous workshops, an expo was one of the core elements of ChefTreff. Established Hamburg companies were able to present themselves as potential employers. But startups also had their place at the event. There was a separate Startup Stage, where founders reported on their experiences and the audience was informed about financing options. Two of Hamburg's most successful startup entrepreneurs, Tarek Müller (ABOUT YOU) and Philipp Schröder (1KOMMA5°), made their first joint appearance on the main stage. Schröder explained that the much speculated IPO of 1KOMMA5° is not planned for the near future. The programme concluded with a Pitch Battle, which was won by the startup AllyTime. AllyTime offers psychological help via an app and works together with experienced psychologists.
ChefTreff remains on course for growth
ChefTreff founder Jan Henri Kalinowski and his team can chalk up the event, which took place over three days including side events, as a great success. And ChefTreff, which started in 2017 as a student meeting with around 100 participants, is set to grow further. The aim for the next event, which will take place from April 9 to 11, 2026, is to attract up to 10,000 visitors. The CCH congress centre is planned as the venue. The aim is to become the leading networking event for young talent in Europe, for which the organizers are hoping for the support of the City of Hamburg.
