Scaleup Hamburg

Scaleup Hamburg supports Hamburg-based companies in removing barriers to innovation and successfully adopting new technologies. Through the proven venture clienting approach, you become a direct customer of global start-ups — without having to become a shareholder. This allows you to leverage innovative solutions for your complex challenges while simultaneously strengthening your internal innovation capabilities.

Scaleup Hamburg is aimed at medium-sized companies from Hamburg that want to work strategically on innovation topics, explore new technologies, and enhance their competitiveness through collaboration with innovative partners.

Interested? Get in touch with us directly — we will support you on your journey towards innovation.

Our Services für Hamburg Companies

Foto Scaleup Hamburg Workshop — © Scaleup Hamburg

Innovation Partnership

Readiness

You will learn how to engage with start-ups in a structured and hands-on manner. Benefit from our basic training through workshops on the topics of needs assessment and definition. Via our service, you can also access start-up scouting as well as support for pilot projects.

Foto Scaleup Hamburg Netzwerk auf Demo Day — © Sophie-Nadine Wolter

Innovation Partnership

Network

Benefit from cross-company experience and knowledge sharing, joint projects, meta-use cases, and collaborative learning. Take part in our Innovation Ecosystem Journeys to leading innovation regions and ecosystems.

Innovation Partnership

Platform

Publish specific innovation needs and connect with start-ups offering matching solutions.

Participating Companies

Participating in Scaleup Hamburg's venture clienting programme offered us a unique opportunity to connect with innovative start-ups that understand the complexity of regulatory compliance when trading in various types of goods and products. The programme creates the perfect environment for developing practical, industry-specific solutions that deliver real added value for the business.

Valerie Winand
Project Manager for Business Development, Jebsen & Jessen

Scaleup Hamburg's venture clienting programme has helped us accelerate our innovation processes and identify promising innovative solutions.

Jan Krause
Innovation Manager, Hamburger Hochbahn

The partnership with Scaleup Hamburg within the venture clienting programme gives us the perfect opportunity to explore innovative AI solutions that optimise our operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and position us for sustainable growth in international markets.

Jan Niklas Kösling
Head of Projects, Wünsche Gruppe

Vandalism and unauthorised access to our depots cause considerable costs each year and directly impact the reliability of our services to the citizens of Hamburg. Through the venture clienting programme, we look forward to discovering innovative technologies that will help us better protect our infrastructure, reduce operational disruptions, and ultimately provide a better service to the people of Hamburg.

Normen Wiegang
Managing Director, Hamburger Hochbahnwache

Normen Wiegand, Geschäftsführer Hamburger Hochbahnwache — © Hamburger Hochbahnwache

Benefit from joining:

Access to Innovative Solutions Without Risk

Suitable solutions are sought individually, tested in pilot projects and their benefits verified under real-life conditions. This enables companies to reduce innovation risks, save time and resources, and gain rapid access to new technologies.

Building Internal Innovation Capability

Through workshops, needs assessment, and support during scouting, matchmaking, and pilot projects, barriers to innovation are removed and internal innovation capabilities are developed systematically.

Networking and Knowledge Transfer

Experience sharing with other companies, access to meta-use cases for cross-company collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystem Journeys to leading innovation regions create valuable knowledge transfer and strengthen competitiveness.

Use Cases from Hamburg's Businesses

Security

Detection & Deterrence of Unauthorised Persons

Prevention of vandalism through monitoring using sensors, radar, etc.

Trend Forcasting

“The early bird" – Weak Signals in Shipping

Early detection of trends in the shipping industry.

Intralogistics

Real-Time Location (RTLS) of Forklifts

Development of high-precision indoor positioning technology for locating moving objects.

AGENTIC AI

Export Control of Chemical Products

Intelligent software solution for the automated matching of chemical product data, including an SAP interface.

Waste Analysis

Analysis of Food Waste

Automated recording and analysis of food waste to optimise quantity planning and production processes.

Energy Tech

Real-Time Documentation of Curtailments

Recording and analysis of shutdowns (grid/market curtailments) in real time to increase efficiency.

SALES AI

AI Tool in B2B Sales

Use of AI to analyse sales conversations and automate lead generation.

Supply Chain

Digital Product Passport (Meta Use Case)

Digital capture of product data to ensure transparency and sustainability across the entire lifecycle.

AI Enterprise Search

Enterprise Search with AI

Development of a cross-system, semantic search beyond file names — conceived as an internal co-pilot / chatbot.

Agentic AI

Interactive Training Materials

Automated generation of interactive learning content from existing training materials using AI.

Agentic AI

Automated Customs

Classification AI-supported assignment of products to customs tariff codes to simplify export/import processes.

Agentic AI

AI-Based Product Consulting in a B2B Context

Intelligent consultation for complex product portfolios using novel sensor technology for material analysis.

AI Enterprise Search

Weak Signal Analysis for Indie/Local Brands

Early detection of market trends through a foresight platform or social media feed analysis.

Agentic AI

Automated Order Process Optimisation

AI-based analysis of incoming orders (e-mail, telephone, answering machine) and integration into the ERP system.

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainable Styrofoam

Alternative Sustainable packaging and insulation materials for the transport of chilled pharmaceutical products.

Contact us

We can advise and inform you on all questions relating to Scaleup Hamburg's services. This includes the following topics, among others:

What advantages does this service offer to my company?
What do I need to know about application deadlines and requirements?
How can my company use Scaleup Hamburg to gain access to international innovation solutions?
How exactly does Scaleup Hamburg support cooperation between Hamburg-based companies and international scaleups?
What is the venture clienting approach and why is it relevant for collaboration between companies and start-ups?

how to contact us