Scaleup Hamburg wins Startup Ecosystem Stars Awards in Paris again
On 2 December 2025, Hamburg's economic development agency Hamburg Invest has been awarded for the third year in a row at the Startup Ecosystem Stars Awards ceremony held by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the organisation Mind the Bridge in Paris. The Scaleup Hamburg service offering impressed the international jury in two categories: ‘Exceptional Industry Support’ and ‘Best-in-class Startup Programs’.
Scaleup Hamburg supports venture clienting
Hamburg is continuously strengthening its innovation ecosystem and promoting cooperation between established and young companies. Scaleup Hamburg works with the venture clienting approach: Local companies become direct customers (venture clients) of innovative startups in order to solve complex challenges with the help of unique technologies. This benefits both sides: companies gain quick, low-risk and cost-efficient access to innovative approaches, while startups can win new customers and bring their business models to the Hamburg market. This enables medium-sized companies in particular to participate in dynamic market developments.
Scaleup Hamburg once again received the ‘Exceptional Industry Support’ award for its systematic networking efforts. In addition, this year's support for participating startups was honoured with the ‘Best-in-class Startup Programs’ prize. The Startup Ecosystem Stars Award recognises cities and regions that create outstanding innovation ecosystems. This is already the third successful participation for Hamburg Invest: in 2023, it won together with the municipal venture clienting unit GovTecHH in the categories ‘Startup Programs’ and ‘SME Support’; in 2024, the economic development agency received the ‘Exceptional Industry Support’ award with Scaleup Hamburg.
