Gründerwasen 2026 Brings Baden-Württemberg’s Startup Scene to the Festival Tent

Business Conference Meets Cannstatter Volksfest: On October 7, 2026, Startup Stuttgart e.V. will bring together founders, investors, small and medium-sized businesses, universities, and policymakers for the second time at the Almhütte Royal as part of the “Gründerwasen.” Following the successful debut in 2025, the event is set to grow even further this year. More than 1,500 participants are expected. The program features themed roundtables, job matching, a pitch parade with 30 startups, and a joint evening program.

Instead of a traditional conference center, Startup Stuttgart is opting for beer tables and a festival tent. The goal is to bring together Baden-Württemberg’s entire startup ecosystem in one place for a day, combining knowledge sharing, business networking, and a festive atmosphere.

After a successful debut, the Gründerwasen enters its next phase

The Gründerwasen celebrated its premiere back in 2025 and has since evolved into a successful meeting place for the regional startup scene. Now the event is moving into its next phase and is set to be significantly larger. On Wednesday, October 7, the Almhütte Royal at the Cannstatter Volksfest will open its doors to the startup ecosystem. The event is organized by Startup Stuttgart e.V.

The organizers are deliberately drawing on the historical function of the Cannstatter Volksfest. When the festival was founded in 1818, the focus wasn’t solely on entertainment. It was also intended to promote agriculture, trade, and economic exchange. Farmers, merchants, and artisans came together, exchanged knowledge, and presented new developments. More than 200 years later, the beer table is now set to become, in a sense, an open innovation platform.

Eight thematic clusters, ranging from investment to DeepTech

The afternoon is initially designed as a knowledge forum. At various themed tables, experts and participants will discuss specific issues. A total of eight thematic clusters are planned: Financing and Investment, E-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, Startups × SMEs, Entrepreneurship Education, Crafts Meets Startups, Climate, Green & BioTech, and Deep Tech & Future Industries.

Announced as cluster hosts are, among others, Gründerbank Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, Bürgschaftsbank Baden-Württemberg, NXTGN, Mätch.vc, Blockbrain.ai, and the Stuttgart Climate Innovation Fund. The format is intended to focus more on exchange than on traditional lectures. So-called “table captains” will moderate the discussions directly at the respective tables.

30 Startups Take the Pitch Stage

Starting at 4:00 p.m., things will get more concrete for the participating founders. At the Startup Pitch Parade, 30 startups will present themselves across three tracks. This will be followed by a finale. The event is supported by Start-up BW. This adds a traditional pitch component to Gründerwasen—in addition to networking and knowledge exchange—allowing young companies to present their business models to investors, corporations, and other ecosystem stakeholders.

Prior to that, starting at 2 p.m., there will also be a job-matching event hosted by NXTGN and supported by Start-up BW.

Business, Startups, and Politics Under One Roof

Representatives from business and politics have also confirmed their attendance at the Gründerwasen. Special guests include Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut; Stuttgart’s Mayor, Dr. Frank Nopper; and David Reger, founder and CEO of the robotics company NEURA Robotics.

Startup Stuttgart aims not only to connect founders with one another but also to bring startups together with small and medium-sized enterprises, investors, universities, and political decision-makers. This is particularly relevant for Baden-Württemberg. The region boasts a strong industrial base and numerous universities and research institutions. For startups, established companies can therefore be not only potential customers but also development partners and gateways to industrial markets.

Starting at 7:00 p.m., the business conference will finally transform into a “Gründerwasen.” Networking and partying are intended to encourage participants to engage in conversation with one another even outside the official program. A main act is scheduled for 9:00 p.m., followed by an after-party at the Royal 1850 starting at 10:00 p.m.

The festival tent as an alternative concept, organized by Karin Pfisterer and Johannes Ellenberg

Where panel after panel and presentation after presentation usually follow one another, at the Gründerwasen a large part of the exchange is intended to take place directly at the table. This could be of interest to the regional ecosystem in the Kessel. After all, its strength is not measured solely by how many startups, investors, or funding programs are available. What’s also crucial is how often these players actually interact with one another.

The Gründerwasen is largely driven by the power couple Karin Pfisterer and Johannes Ellenberg, along with their team. By 2025, they had already succeeded in creating a space where the boundaries between conference, networking, and social event blur.

For 2026, the question therefore arises as to whether this unusual format can develop into a permanent fixture on Baden-Württemberg’s startup calendar. The more than 1,500 founders and supporters expected to attend are, at the very least, a great starting point. All further information and tickets are available in the Startbase event database!