Successful premiere as an after-work event: around 750 participants at START Rhein-Neckar 2023 in Heidelberg

September 2023
“This is a success story made by Rhein-Neckar,” said Peter Johann, Managing Director of Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH, at the opening of START Rhein-Neckar 2023. Marc Massoth, Head of the Office for Economic Development and Science of the City of Heidelberg, added: “We “think it together.” And in doing so, the focus in halle02 was both on the event and on the region’s excellent start-up ecosystem. Around 750 participants accepted the invitation from the two organizers, the Metropolitan Region and the Heidelberg Economic Development Agency, as well as the call from Baden-Württemberg's Economics Minister Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut in her video message, “The Länd is also the start-up Länd – make something of it!” and enthusiastically accepted the free START Rhein-Neckar offer.

The information stands of the institutions, business development agencies, associations, chambers and companies were densely surrounded during the five hours. The specific questions asked by the founders were widely praised. The focus was on personal exchange, valuable tips from experts and successful founders as well as networking with each other and with companies - this was demonstrated by the well-attended START lounges on the topics of digitalization and AI, female entrepreneurship as well as crafts and the creative industries MEET2INNOVATE format and the extremely lively interest in the cooperation exchange. “Between 40 and 60 founders at the Moneytalk on funding programs and financing as well as short impulses on taxes, growth, marketing and sales also demonstrated the continued strong interest in the topic of further training,” adds Elena Ressmann, who has been with our agency for more than 20 years is the organizer of the event on behalf of the Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH and is continuously developing the concept further. “The individual slots Business Model Canvas that Prof. Dr. Michael Graef and his team of experts from Worms University were also in great demand – 20 founders and founding teams left START Rhein-Neckar with their further developed business idea.”

The 25th edition of the event for founders, start-ups and self-employed people will take place in October 2024 at the Ludwigshafen University of Economics and Society.