Gründerwasen 2025 - Ecosystem celebrates in Stuttgart

An evening full of energy, ideas and a great atmosphere: yesterday evening, the Almhütte Royal at the Cannstatter Volksfest was transformed into the heart of Baden-Württemberg's startup scene. The Gründerwasen 2025, organized by Startup Stuttgart e.V., brought together over 1,200 founders, investors, innovators and startup fans. This was twice as many as at last year's premiere.

We have shown what is possible when all the forces from startups, business, politics and education come together at one table.

Johannes Ellenberg, President Startup Stuttgart e.V.

People danced, laughed and discussed on the tables. An atmosphere that was more reminiscent of a class reunion of the southwest German innovation ecosystem than a conference.

From the pitch parade to the keynote speech

After an exclusive VIP reception for partners, the day began with the Startup Pitch Parade powered by Startup BW: 30 startups presented their ideas in 90-second intervals. At the same time, over 60 exhibitors at the Startup Expo showed what Baden-Württemberg has to offer in terms of innovative strength.

An emotional highlight followed in the evening: extreme athlete and world cyclist Jonas Deichmann inspired the audience with his keynote speech "The limit is only me" and inspired them to show courage, endurance and mental strength. A real incentive, especially for founders, to go one step further and perhaps lay the decisive foundation for future success.

Politics and the scene shoulder to shoulder

Politicians also sent out a strong signal: Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut and Stuttgart's Lord Mayor Dr. Frank Nopper praised the Gründerwasen in their welcoming speeches as a groundbreaking signal for entrepreneurship and innovation culture in the state.

Strong voices, strong moderation

Johannes Ellenberg, President of Startup Stuttgart e.V., and Karin Pfisterer, Head of Gründerwasen and Deputy Chairwoman of the association, led through the evening in a charming, humorous and pointed manner. Their interplay of wit and enthusiasm created a great atmosphere and kept the audience's energy high until it was time to network.

Award-winning start-ups and positive feedback

The three best teams in the Pitch Parade were later honored live on stage: 1st place: Mein Helfair 2nd place: Bergmensch 3rd place: Haptive

A presentation of all participating startups including their own startup profiles will follow in the coming weeks. Congratulations to the winners and also to all 30 startups in total. There were some very exciting approaches.

Great event for Ba-Wü with further potential

In addition to the signal effect and spirit of optimism for the state, there are also two points that are definitely worthy of criticism. We wouldn't be a startup medium with Swabian roots if we didn't also address such things.

As a suggestion for improvement, we would like to see the pitch parade as a whole on the big stage so that the audience can participate better. The atmosphere was good, but we press representatives occupied the entire front row, so the audience didn't get all the details of the pitches. The experience for the guests could also be improved with an optimized sound design. After all, clearer acoustics also ensure greater understanding and impact on stage.

Gründerwasen has proven that innovation, tradition and community are not mutually exclusive - they are mutually inspiring.

Karin Pfisterer, Head of Gründerwasen

The response was consistently positive, from new collaborations and spontaneous incentives for investments to friendships that were sealed on beer benches. Many guests agreed: the Gründerwasen is the new must-attend event in the startup calendar of the southwest.

Transparency note: For the sake of transparency, Startbase was on site with its own table as a media partner.