This Thursday, 18 June, it’s that time again: the Hamburg Innovation Summit (HHIS) will showcase the best of Hamburg’s innovation scene across five stages and over 1,800 square metres of exhibition space. Find out what’s in store for you and what role startup topics play in the programme in this overview article.
Opening talk at HHIS 2025 © Hamburg Innovation Summit / Andreas Schwarz Photography
An own Startup Area and an interactive programme
For the third time, the Oberhafenquartier is the venue for the Hamburg Innovation Summit. The event will take place across a total of eight halls and areas. In the Startup Area, you’ll find an expo where Startup City Hamburg will also have a booth (Hall H, Nos. 1–2). On the Startup Stage, four female founders will present themselves at a pitch, organised by the Hamburg Investors Network (HIN), and receive valuable feedback from investors. The programme also includes a series of keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics such as AI, startup support from IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH, and social entrepreneurship.
The official opening address will be given by Dr Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economic Affairs, Labour and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. She will be speaking with leading experts about two areas of innovation with particular future potential for Hamburg as a business location: quantum computing and the question of how cutting-edge research gives rise to successful companies. In addition to keynote speeches and panel discussions, HHIS 2026 will once again feature formats that bring innovation to life. At the Science Slam, early-career researchers will distil complex topics down to the essentials in just seven minutes. The Cross Innovation Hub’s “Future Provocations” will showcase possible scenarios for the mobility of the future. The design fiction format invites participants to rethink questions surrounding energy, infrastructure and societal developments.
vilisto was one of the winners at the Hamburg Innovation Awards 2024 © Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups
The Hamburg Innovation Awards as the grand finale
The Hamburg Innovation Summit also serves as a platform for practical collaboration. Special matchmaking sessions bring together SMEs, craft businesses, startups and innovation stakeholders in a targeted manner. The day concludes with the presentation of the Hamburg Innovation Awards by Dr Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The awards highlight outstanding startups, founders and forward-thinking ideas from the metropolitan region. The prize has three categories: Ideation for the most promising startup idea, Start for the best already successful startup, and International Founders.
