These are the startup highlights of ChefTreff 2025
Launched in 2017 as an event by students for students, ChefTreff has developed into an international networking happening that is expected to attract up to 5,000 participants this year. The aim is still to bring together exceptional talent with forward-looking companies. So it's no wonder that startups and their topics play a central role in the programme. We have put together some highlights for you.
Friday: Hamburg on its way to becoming a startup metropolis
The main event days of ChefTreff 2025 are April 25 and 26. It starts on Friday at 14:00 with welcoming words from Hamburg's First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher. At 16:30 it will then be the turn of Katharina Fegebank, Hamburg's Second Mayor. She will take part in the panel “Inventing Tomorrow - Hamburg on the way to becoming Europe's startup metropolis”. Other participants include Dr. Michael Otto and Lena Weirauch, founder of ai-omatic and Hamburg state spokesperson for the German Startup Association. At 19:00, TV presenter Markus Lanz will provide the celebrity glitz.
Saturday: lots of tips and a pitch at the end
Seen through the startup lens, the programme on Saturday is particularly extensive. A keynote speech by Jan Henri Kalinowski, founder of ChefTreff, will kick things off at 11:30 am. After that, it's back-to-back. Anyone wanting tips on business growth will get them from Hendrik Sander (CEO of gastro app NeoTaste) at 13:30 and from Florian Schwenkert (CEO of food startup KoRo) at 16:00. Dörte Bunge from IFB Innovationstarter GmbH will provide information on financing options at 14:00 and at 16:00 Alena Redeker (Auxxo) and Isabelle Thierfelder (seed + speed) will explain what needs to be considered when looking for investors.
Those who want to learn from the experiences of successful entrepreneurs from Hamburg will have plenty of opportunities to do so. For example, at 14:00 with Jacqueline De Lora from the deep tech startup SURFACtoBioTech and at 15:15 with Oliver Lichtenstein from the drone startup Beagle Systems. At 17:00, Tarek Müller (About You) and Philipp Schröder (1KOMMA5°), two of Hamburg's most successful founders, will take to the stage. The official programme will conclude at 19:30 with a pitch battle in which five startups will compete.
And ChefTreff 2025 has much more to offer - you can find the complete overview and the link to the tickets here.
