The seventh Hamburg Innovation Summit (HHIS) attracted more than 1,000 participants from science, business, politics and the startup scene to the Altona Fish Auction Hall on June 2, 2022. For many, it was the first opportunity to finally meet old acquaintances and make new contacts after a long Corona break. Highlights were the presentation of the Hamburg Innovation Awards and the launch of Startup City Hamburg.
The main topic "New materials for the city of tomorrow", based on one of the five core topics of the Hamburg Innovation Strategy (RIS), ran through the panel discussions, in which the audience could actively participate with questions posed via an app. After all, the HHIS sees itself as a stage on which Hamburg as a location for innovation can present itself in all its diversity.
This was clearly visible at the expo, where startups and institutions from research and business and the city were able to present their ideas and offerings. A special startup area encouraged people to get involved. Under the title "Disrupting Amazon", for example, concepts were spontaneously created on how to compete with the overpowering online retailer.
Happy winners and a special moment for Startup City Hamburg
The Hamburg Innovation Awards, each endowed with 5,000 euros and a founder's suitcase with non-cash prizes, were eagerly awaited. The award ceremony was performed by Second Mayor and Science Senator Katharina Fegebank and Economics Senator Michael Westhagemann. In the IDEE category for startups in the development phase, DePla prevailed with a new method for recycling PET waste. The START category was won by Nect with an online identification via app. The startup also succeeded at the audience award. In the category WACHSTUM (which means growth), the award went to LUIS Technology for safety solutions in road traffic. We soon will present all three winners in more detail separately.
A highlight on our own behalf was the official launch of our Startup City Hamburg platform. It is intended to become the central digital contact point for the Hamburg startup ecosystem and to make this startup location even more visible nationally and internationally. Startup City Hamburg offers a comprehensive overview of Hamburg's startups and funding offerings for startups, as well as various networking opportunities. In this respect, there could have been no better place for the launch than the very similarly designed Hamburg Innovation Summit!
