Markus Frank, Head of the Economic Department of the City of Frankfurt am Main and at the same time patron of the project, opened the evening: “Frankfurt am Main is well on the way to becoming an internationally recognised startup ecosystem. It is obvious which actors enable this: all the stakeholders we address in our project: startups, companies and investors as well as politicians,” explained City Councillor Markus Frank.
Ulrich Caspar, President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce since May 2019, explained his commitment to strengthening innovation. “Startups are important drivers of innovation. Our task is to provide them with the best possible support and to create optimal conditions for them at their location,” emphasized Caspar.
The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Anna Scheffold and Ali Pasha Foroughi (hallofrankfurt). Reza Eshtiagh, founder of PANALIS Solutions, and Kim Körber, co-founder of Inga GmbH, explained their needs for the ecosystem from the point of view of young start-ups. “Once again, we had an exciting round of talks with top-class participants. We are delighted that the project is picking up speed and has been so well received,” stated Markus Frank, who was delighted that the participants were able to network and exchange ideas after the official part of the event. The tenor in the evening was positive: “Frankfurt am Main has an up-and-coming start-up ecosystem that already ranks among the top 50 locations worldwide. With Frankfurt Forward we reach all central players and strengthen the location together,” reports Oliver Schwebel, Managing Director of the Frankfurt Economic Development Corporation.
