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Hinterland of Things

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Bielefeld
Hinterland of Things

Hinterland of Things - We initiate and orchestrate the sustainable transformation of German Mittelstand.

Hinterland of Things is the leading platform to enable and shape Digital Transformation in the heart of the German Mittelstand. Our Mission is to create a sustainable ecosystem of visionary minds to fuel innovation. We do this by building persistent connections and a valuable exchange of knowledge to create a shared idea of our future. Our actions are driven by traction, trust and tradition.

03/06/2026

🗝️ European sovereignty has become one of the defining questions of our time.

At , we're looking forward to welcoming René Obermann for a keynote on: “Key Elements of European Sovereignty”

💡Few leaders have shaped Europe's industrial and technology landscape from as many different perspectives as René Obermann.

Today, he serves as Chairman of Warburg Pincus Europe and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Airbus SE. Previously, he led Deutsche Telekom as CEO and has held board positions at companies including Spotify, E.ON, Telenor and Inmarsat.

🪢 His keynote comes at a moment when Europe is facing a new reality.

Geopolitical power structures are shifting. Security has returned as a central topic for governments, industry and society. And Europe is increasingly confronted with the question of how to strengthen its own capabilities: technologically, economically and strategically.
What does sovereignty mean in this new environment?

What role do industry, innovation and investment play in securing Europe's future competitiveness and resilience? And how can Europe build the capabilities needed to stand on its own feet?

As part of the keynote, René Obermann will also introduce the SPARTA Initiative, which contributes to the discussion on Europe's strategic future.

A conversation about competitiveness.
About resilience.
And about Europe's ability to shape its own future.

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.
Check out our full agenda on our website! Link in the comments. 🎬

02/06/2026

The FULL Hinterland experience. 👀

is not just about what happens on stage, in the masterclasses oder at the roundtables.

We asked our event manager Anna Grutmann and Greta Kämper to give us a little behind-the-scenes tour of the experience waiting for you in Bielefeld. 🚀

A little glimpse:

☕ Coffee made by a robot
🥤 The TK smoothie bike & rowing challenge
🍽️ Free lunch included with your ticket
🍎 Fruit, snacks & coffee all day long
🍷 The bar opening at 4PM
🎧 DJs taking over for the afterhour

…and plenty of places to pause, recharge and keep conversations going.

Because the best conference days are not just packed with content.
They’re built around the moments in between.

is: atmosphere, encounters, energy, people, conversations, moments, hugs, LinkedIn invites and so much more...

Let’s meet!

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.

And Action. 🎬

StartupEcosystem

01/06/2026

“Where Capital Flows Next: Europe’s Emerging Tech Frontiers”

At , we don’t just bring people on stage because they invest capital. We bring together perspectives that rarely meet in one conversation.

The panel we’re talking about now is looking at what's topic of tomorrow:

Because capital tends to move early. Long before technologies become mainstream. And when investors start focusing on AI infrastructure, climate tech, robotics, defense or industrial software, it says a lot about where Europe is heading.

We are especially proud to welcome these outstanding investors on stage and talk about technologies that drive our future.

💶 Florian Heinemann (Project A)
A leading voice in digital growth and transformation, working closely with both startups and Mittelstand companies for years.

🚀 Janna Ensthaler (GGF)
Founder, operator and investor backing early-stage founders in food tech and energy tech. Her approach combines capital with entrepreneurial insight, working hands-on with teams from pre-seed to series A.

🌱 Daria Saharova (World Fund)
One of Europe’s best-known climate tech investors, backing deep tech companies solving industrial and environmental challenges through science and technology.

So: Where is capital moving right now? Which technologies are becoming strategically relevant for Europe? And what does Europe actually need to build itself to stay competitive long-term?

Keep yourself prepared for taking notes. You shouldn’t miss this conversation.

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.
And Action. 🎬

31/05/2026

🗣️ Hinterland Voices

Our speakers do not just show up with logos on their slides. They bring viewpoints, convictions and stories from the frontlines of industry, technology and society.

🚴 Uli Prediger is the founder of JobRad, whose logo just appeared on one of the biggest stages in European football as the main shirt sponsor of SC Freiburg in the Europa League final, even though Freiburg unfortunately lost the match. Nearly 20 years after founding JobRad, seeing the logo on the chest of his hometown club’s players was a pure goosebumps moment.

🏭 Christian Miele is a General Partner at Headline and comes from the Mittelstand region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe. He places the future of the German economy where the Mittelstand is at home, provided it is ready to transform and to build real alliances with the tech world. At the same time he warns that without this shift Germany will sink even further. Factories will close, jobs will be lost, value creation will move away and investors will step back.

🛰️ Matthias Lehna helps drive Quantum Systems drone production in Germany and points to a changing supply chain. Components that once came from Asia and Ukraine are increasingly being replaced by parts sourced from regional suppliers in Germany. By activating the ecosystem at home, they are finding partners who are grateful for new orders and ready to use their free capacity.

🚀 Romy Schnelle is a General Partner at HTGF and sees strong startup momentum with more deep tech, more hardware and more ambition. The real bottleneck, she argues, appears when companies try to scale and hit a capital ceiling. Her takeaway is clear. Germany’s founders need strong partners and significantly more domestic growth capital. The principle “public kickstarts, private scales” is working, and now it needs to be raised to the next level.

Four different perspectives. One shared direction. Shaping the future of our industrial backbone together with tech and entrepreneurship.

You will meet them, and many more, live at in Bielefeld. We will share the articles mentioned in the comments.

30/05/2026

⚡️“Energy Resilience: Who Powers the Next Decade?”

Yesterday, you saw the first panel. Today, we keep going.

Because the panels at tackle the questions shaping industries and the topics pushing them forward.

Energy is no longer just an infrastructure topic. It has become a competitiveness topic which has been passionately discussed in the past years. For companies, for industry and for Europe as a whole.

That’s why this panel on our Founders Stage brings together people working directly on the systems, technologies and flexibility models shaping the future of energy.

⚡ Mikko Preuss (terralayr)
Helping build one of Europe’s leading energy flexibility companies and working on how energy storage and flexibility can stabilize tomorrow’s power systems.

🌱 Maximilian Dekorsy (ecoplanet)
Supporting industrial companies in reducing energy costs and making energy management a strategic advantage for the Mittelstand.

🎤 Hosted by Agate Freimane (Norrsken VC)
An investor focused on backing technology companies tackling global challenges while building scalable businesses.

The key question behind this conversation:
How do we build energy systems that are resilient, scalable and economically viable at the same time?

This is the conversation.

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.

And Action. 🎬

29/05/2026

🥁 It’s time for the centerpiece: our panels.

Because on the stages of , we discuss the questions that will shape the next decade of industry, technology and Europe’s competitiveness.

And we’re starting with a big one at our Hinterland Stage:

“DeepTech Breakthroughs: Rebuilding the Physical Foundations of Industries”

This panel brings together companies that are not just building software – but rethinking the physical infrastructure of tomorrow.

Why does this matter right now?
Because Europe’s future competitiveness will not depend on software alone but on whether we are able to build and scale the key technologies of the real world ourselves.

Meet the panelists:

🛰️ Matthias Lehna from Quantum Systems
Quantum Systems has become one of Europe’s leading drone and aerial intelligence companies, proving how dual-use technologies are reshaping security, defense, and industrial operations alike.

💎 Kevin Berghoff from QuantumDiamonds
QuantumDiamonds is turning cutting-edge quantum sensing into real industrial applications, enabling ultra-precise measurements that could transform semiconductor manufacturing and beyond.

⚙️ Maximilian Oligschläger from ERC System
ERC System is developing next-generation electric aircraft for medical transport — combining the speed of aviation with the flexibility of helicopters to rethink critical infrastructure.

This is a real conversation!

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.
And Action. 🎬

28/05/2026

🚀 🎇THE OFFICIAL REVEAL, OUR EXCITEMENT IS GROWING, BECAUSE: OUR PROGRAM IS LIVE.

If you’ve been checking our website regularly, you may have already noticed it: Over the past few days, the speaker, partner, panels, masterclasses, side events, round tables, app and so many programm parts were falling down like pieces into place and the puzzle of has been coming together.

Now it’s official and we can announce: The program of is live! There are a lot of checks we made:

✔️ Hinterland Stage
✔️ Founders Stage
✔️ Masterclasses
✔️ Roundtables
✔️ Side Events..

And yes: the Hinterland App is now live too for all ticket holders!
What started weeks ago with a few announcements has now turned into a full day of conversations, insights, pitches, networking and unexpected encounters.

From AI and industrial transformation to venture capital, energy, deep tech and Mittelstand innovation: June 18 is packed and a vision became a real agenda. So pick your pen and create your personal timetable for June 18th.
And honestly?

You’ll probably wish you could clone yourself. Trust us. But until you can, the app might be your operating system for the day: build your own schedule, explore sessions, save talks, navigate the venue and stay on top of everything happening across the conference.
So: start planning your day.

📅 June 18th, 2026
📍 Stadthalle Bielefeld
And Action. 🎬

StartupEcosystem

27/05/2026

Industry in Action.

At , we bring together the people shaping transformation where it actually matters: inside companies, across industries and in day-to-day ex*****on.

Please welcome to the stage:

🏭 Eduard Richard Dörrenberg is CEO & Managing Partner of Dr. Wolff Group, a fourth-generation family business behind iconic brands like Alpecin, Plantur, Linola and Vagisan. With roots at ETH Zurich, A.T. Kearney, INSEAD and Harvard Business School, he has led the company through 25+ years of consistent growth, global expansion and digital transformation.

🚆 Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, Manager and Member of the Supervisory Board
Dr. Sigrid Nikutta has served as Executive Board Member for Freight Transport at Deutsche Bahn AG and as CEO of DB Cargo AG for five years. Before that, she spent nearly ten years as CEO of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, leading the company to profitability for the first time in its history. From 1996 to 2010, she held several management roles at Deutsche Bahn AG. Since 2009, she also holds a doctorate in psychology from LMU Munich.

🤝 Florian Nöll – Global Venturing & EMEA Startups, Scaleups Leader, PwC Germany
Florian Nöll is a leading innovation ecosystem expert connecting startups, SMEs, and investors. As Global Venturing Leader at PwC and former founder of the German Startup Association, he enables companies to unlock growth through business model reinvention and strategic startup collaboration.

📰 Annette Weisbach – Business and Politics Correspondent
Annette Weisbach covers the latest developments and trends in the country's economy and politics as a business and politics correspondent. She has worked as a reporter, editor and moderator for various outlets, including Bloomberg. As a media training expert, Annette also helps professionals enhance their communication and presentation skills.

Different industries.
Different perspectives on transformation.

One shared reality: ex*****on is what makes change happen.

June 18th, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.

26/05/2026

Some people invest in startups. Others help shape an entire ecosystem.

🦸 At , we’re looking forward to welcoming Christian Miele, General Partner at Headline.

Christian has been active in the tech and startup ecosystem since 2010. First as a founder and angel investor, today as a full-time VC investor at Headline, one of Germany’s leading venture capital firms.

📚 His portfolio includes companies like Mistral AI as well as startups across Industry 4.0, healthcare and hospitality, including Sparetech, RobCo, PlanRadar, kenbi and NUMA.

Beyond investing, Christian also spent several years helping shape the broader startup ecosystem in Germany as chairman of the German Startup Association, where he worked closely with founders, investors and political decision-makers.

🔗 What makes his perspective especially relevant for Hinterland is the combination of topics he brings together: technology, entrepreneurship, industrial transformation and long-term company building.

And there’s also a regional connection: The Miele name has its roots here in the region and we’re proud to have the company as a part of the Hinterland Alliance.

We’re excited to continue the conversation live on stage at .

June 18th 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.
And Action. 🎬

24/05/2026

How to survive your conference day. ⚡️

Hinterland is intense. Back-to-back conversations. New ideas. A lot to take in.
So the real question is: How do you stay energized throughout the day?
We’ve got you covered (all in!).
So, don’t worry! And here is your personal guide how you be safe the whole day - without spending an euro, because we got you 😙

🌅 Start strong:
Coffee as your operating system – available all day long. Thanks to our great coffeepartner melitta.

Water, Bionade, soft drinks – always within reach.
Need a quick reset?
Fresh fruit across the venue.
Healthy snacks to keep you going between sessions.

pssst… And if you look closely: a few hidden treats at partner booths.

🍱 Midday matters:
From 12:00 to 14:00, lunch is served by gastico
You can choose between two vegetarian options, simple, fresh, no long detours. Available in the Food & Beverage Area and the Beer garden.

Energy dips happen.

That’s why you’ll find: Smoothies you actually work for (yes, the bike and rowing machine from techniker krankenkasse is back). Short breaks. Spaces to recharge.

☕And of course: coffee. Again. Hallelujah!

And when the day slows down:

From 16:00, we open the bar.
🍸Beer, wine,... time to continue conversations in a different setting. Or time to celebrate? The reason is up to you, we don’t judge, we just serve!

Our whole food and drink concept is designed to keep you focused on what really matters: the people, the ideas, the conversations. So don’t worry about expensive conference waters, coffees or lunches. Better be there!

June 18, 2026, Stadthalle Bielefeld.
And Action. 🎬

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Bielefeld

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https://hinterlandofthings.com/bio/

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