CISPA Pitch Day 2025: Where Vision Meets Innovation
Berlin, October 15, 2025. The lights dimmed, conversations quieted, and a sense of anticipation filled the air. At Schokoladen e.V. in the heart of Berlin, an audience of founders, investors, and cybersecurity experts gathered—ready to experience the future of digital security.
The CISPA Pitch Day 2025 brought together people united by a common mission: to make the digital world safer, more trustworthy, and more resilient. Eight startups from the ecosystem of the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security showcased their visions, technologies, and solutions, demonstrating how groundbreaking research can evolve into successful entrepreneurship.
From innovative AI-driven threat detection to new approaches for digital trust architectures, the diversity of ideas on display reflected the wide spectrum of topics shaping the CISPA startup ecosystem. Each startup brought its own unique perspective, yet all shared the same goal: protecting digital infrastructures in a world increasingly defined by artificial intelligence and data dependency.
The eight startups on stage: Detesia, contexxt.ai, CyberTide, Cybervize, LINK2AI, InputLab, XOR and VISS.
The reactions from investors in the audience made it clear: these are the technologies that will define the cybersecurity of tomorrow.
Investors from Capnamic, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Montan-Ventures-Saar, seed + speed Ventures, IRIS, coparion, FTTF, and Allianz formed the high-caliber jury that evaluated and engaged with the pitches. Through targeted questions, constructive feedback, and genuine curiosity, they provided valuable insights for the founders—highlighting what truly matters when entering the market: focus, scalability, and trust.
For many startups, the Pitch Day was more than a stage to present their work; it was an opportunity to refine their business models and build meaningful connections. The conversations between presentations showed that new partnerships, collaborations, and joint projects are already taking shape.
A highlight of the day was the keynote by Stefan Nürnberger, founder and CEO of Veecle—itself a CISPA startup that has successfully established itself in the market. Sharing personal insights from his entrepreneurial journey, he spoke about the challenges and opportunities of building a deep-tech company—from the first idea to securing investors and developing a scalable product.
As the doors of Schokoladen closed in the evening, the energy in the room remained tangible. Between empty coffee cups and notebooks filled with ideas, people were still talking, laughing, and networking. The CISPA Pitch Day 2025 was more than an event: it was a statement that innovation needs spaces where visions can grow. The day made one thing unmistakably clear: cybersecurity is no longer just a research topic—it’s an economic driver, a societal mission, and a field that thrives on creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.