Gathering of Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Innovators in a Nation's Start-up Hub
The city of Cologne is set to become the epicentre of Europe's startup scene with the arrival of STARTUPLAND, an exciting event taking place at the RheinEnergieStadion on November 5th, 2025.
This dynamic event, now in its 18th year, focuses on promoting innovative startup ideas through live pitches, hands-on masterclasses, and interactive roundtables. The goal is to foster meaningful networking among founders, investors, and other stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, making it a key event for the entrepreneurial community in Cologne and beyond.
The heart of STARTUPLAND lies in the live startup pitches, showcasing emerging business ideas and innovations. These pitches offer a platform for young startups in the Pre-Seed and Seed phase to present their ideas, with each founder having 180 seconds to captivate the audience, followed by a 180-second Q&A session.
Beyond the pitches, STARTUPLAND offers hands-on masterclasses and interactive roundtables, providing practical insights and engagement for attendees. These sessions are designed to offer attendees a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts and engage in meaningful discussions.
Networking opportunities are also a key feature of the event, designed for founders, investors, and industry professionals to connect and collaborate. The full-day conference culminates in a Startup Celebration, highlighting the local and regional startup scene within the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne.
Notable speakers at the event include Fajer Mushtaq, co-founder of Oxyle, Lena Hackelöer, founder of Brite Payments, and Marlena Hien and Laurence Saunier, founders of Bears with Benefits.
Oxyle, a company that develops a solution for industrial companies to eliminate persistent chemicals (PFAS) from wastewater, recently received a 16 million US dollar investment. Brite Payments, which offers account-to-account payments without registration or credit card data, currently operates in 26 European markets and recently raised around 60 million US dollars from investors. Bears with Benefits, a company that sells dietary supplements in the form of gummy bears, aims for 50 million in revenue this year and was built without investors, now employing 50 people.
The new RISE in STARTUPLAND week, taking place from November 3rd to 7th, will transform Cologne into the ultimate startup hub. Dozens of startup, VC, and entrepreneurship events will take place around the second STARTUPLAND, with the common goal of bringing together startups, investors, and companies and connecting them. Job listings from startups and companies can be found in the job board.
Registration details for the RISE in STARTUPLAND week can be found at rise.koeln. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to be a part of Europe's thriving startup community!
