“The Start-up Week highlights the immense innovative potential of the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg region and reinforces its position as a leading hub for essential innovations. It also demonstrates the potential of close collaboration between companies, universities, and institutions, and how crucial this is for the future of our region,” explains Guido Déus, Mayor of the City of Bonn.
According to the NRW Start-up Report 2025, Bonn ranks among the top 5 most popular start-up locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. Sven Wittich, CEO of DIGITALHUB.DE, emphasizes: “The Start-up Week is intended to further advance the topic of start-ups with the goal of making the region the number one start-up location in NRW in the future.”
Program for Start-up Week Bonn/Rhein-Sieg
Numerous start-up events will take place throughout the region during the event week. The focus is on networking and exchange among aspiring entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies, investors, and representatives from academia and institutions. The program is complemented by lectures, workshops, and discussion formats on key topics related to start-ups and innovation, such as First Steps, Impact, Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence, Financing, Marketing, Sales, and Internationalization.
There is also a special focus on the topic of cybersecurity: With the “Phish & Chips” conference on July 15, DIGITALHUB.DE will bring together over 250 cybersecurity experts, start-ups, institutions, and companies, thereby underscoring Bonn’s role as a national and international cybersecurity hub.
The week will conclude with the “10 Years of DIGITALHUB.DE” anniversary celebration on July 17. Together with partners, shareholders, investors, and start-ups, the start-up hub will celebrate its tenth anniversary. Since 2016, the hub has supported over 300 start-ups, built a portfolio value of more than 82 million euros, and mobilized over 81 million euros in capital. In addition, the hub has organized more than 1,000 events, thereby driving the development of the start-up ecosystem in the region.
The Transfer Center enaCom is offering the following events as part of Start-up Week 2026. Please register via the link below:
- Your Research Has Value – Explore Its Potential With AI (July 14, 2026)
- Female Founders Meetup (in cooperation with Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) (July 14, 2026)
