Bielefeld – or as some joked until recently: "Bielefeld doesn't even exist!" That this city not only really exists but is also a remarkable hotspot for B2B innovation was impressively demonstrated by "Hinterland of Things 2025." Bielefeld has long turned the viral gag into a virtue: With the million-fold attention-grabbing #Bielefeldmillion campaign, the city staged itself with self-irony in 2019, transforming the supposed myth of its non-existence into a clever, high-reach marketing offensive. This is how innovation capability works at the regional level.
Ostwestfalen-Lippe: Home of the Hidden Champions
Germany scores with an impressive rate of family businesses – around 90% of German companies are family-owned. Less well known is that Ostwestfalen-Lippe, with its multitude of Hidden Champions, offers a highly attractive ecosystem for start-ups with a B2B focus. It was precisely from this motivation that the trade fair was initiated seven years ago: Here, entrepreneurial substance meets new ideas.
For the CISPA technology transfer team, this context was particularly valuable for opening up new cooperation opportunities – both with established companies and with innovative founding teams. At the same time, the event offered our StartUpSecure founders and CISPA Founders Fellowship teams valuable opportunities for networking and learning.
A Strong Line-up, a Strong Network
The event impressed with its excellent organization: high-caliber speakers, precise media management across all channels, and a well-thought-out event structure – from its own event app to short distances between panels and networking zones. Particularly valuable was the exchange with representatives of the Startup Association, of which CISPA has been a member since the beginning of 2025.
The trip took place within the framework of #saarfari – organized by Startup Association Germany through the Saarland regional representatives Carolin Ackermann and Bernd Pohl.
Exciting Panels, Relevant Topics
"Bridging the Gap: Creating the Next Wave of Industrial Innovation"
The panel showed how start-ups and established industrial companies like aiomatic and KSB Company learn from each other. Start-up dynamics meet industrial experience – an exciting perspective for strategic partnerships.
"From Energiewende to Competitive Advantage"
Discussion by experts from the energy sector about energy demand and data center expansion and research work in the field of energy economics. The central insight: Without scalable technology and intelligent energy supply, the energy transition will not succeed and by 2030 our energy hunger will no longer be able to be satisfied.
"Frontline Innovation: Securing Tomorrow's Battlefields"
With Sven Weizenegger (Cyber Innovation Hub of the Bundeswehr) and Stefan R. from ARX Robotics. Focus on defense technologies and start-up contributions in security-critical areas. Weizenegger summarized the conference succinctly: In the Hinterland, the question is no longer whether innovation is necessary, but only how quickly we can realize it. "RECLAIM" means for him bringing innovation back to the feasible – away from silo thinking, towards joint solutions.
Further Highlights
Philipp Klöckner delivered a pointed insight into current AI dynamics – including his assessment that Apple is not the loser in the AI race, as some media report. Particularly compelling was his warning: "We will lose the ability to think independently if we delegate everything to AI."
Daniel Engelbrecht impressed with his very personal story about his career and heart rhythm disorders – a strong plea for self-responsibility and resilience.
Frank Thelen got to the point: "I love Europe – and we need the brains, the money, and the experience from the strong Mittelstand."
From Conference Directly to Scale-up: Visit to Schüttflix
The day after the Hinterland conference, #saarfari led the team to Schüttflix – one of the most exciting scale-ups in the region. Founded in 2018, the company has not only secured over 50 million euros in financing but also presented impressive revenue figures of 126 million euros (2023). Particularly interesting: the strong role of the medium-sized investor Hagedorn Group and the consistent brand building.
Why the transfer team is on the road at events like these: We want to understand how start-ups scale in difficult B2B markets, how internationalization and fundraising work in dynamic phases – and how to build resilient partnerships with former competitors. For the CISPA Founders Fellowship, research partners, and not least the region, we constantly seek insights into how transfer succeeds on equal terms.
A Strong Team from Saarland
Team members from the CISPA transfer team traveled along, including Maksym Chechelev (Business Development) and Henrike Sievers (Community Management), as well as representatives of the CISPA Founders Fellowship – including Farah Shenawy, Nazlıgül Keske, and the InputLab team.
Conclusion
Sven Weizenegger put it aptly: Hinterland of Things is a place where the question is no longer whether innovation is necessary, but only how quickly we can realize it. This attitude shaped the entire event and is reflected in the dynamics between founders, investors, and traditional companies.
We take exactly this speed and determination back with us to Saarbrücken: not just admiring innovation, but – in the spirit of "RECLAIM" – bringing it back to the feasible and drastically increasing the pace.
We are already looking forward to Hinterland 2026 – and to having "reclaimed" some innovations ourselves by then.
