About us
The Käpsele Innovation Festival was born out of a genuine conviction: innovation needs space and opportunities for people to come together. In south-west Germany, global market leaders, hidden champions and innovative start-ups work together in a compact area.
Behind all this are people who think ahead, are passionate about their fields and have the courage to take on responsibility. And above all: they actually put their ideas into practice.
That is why we need a space where these doers can come together to forge new projects for the future.
Käpsele | [ˈkɛpsələ] | Southern German Alemannic for clever, shrewd people with creative ideas
We ourselves embody this very spirit:
We are a creative team from the Southern Upper Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH.
We kept it simple: and even the very first Käpsele Innovation Festival was a resounding success. It was sold out and received enthusiastic feedback from participants. That literally called for another, even bigger event.
We’ve since ambitiously developed the festival further, turning it into one of the most relevant innovation festivals in south-west Germany. We bring start-ups and SMEs onto the stage to network and think outside the box together. With speakers, panel discussions and masterclasses on all the topics that concern businesses today. From AI to robotics, from green tech to medtech, from ‘New Work’ to innovation in talent retention and succession planning.
Here, disruptive ideas meet pace and experience. Pioneers with courage. Allies for the day after tomorrow, who achieve more together than they would alone.
Our motto is: don’t wait – come along and help shape the future!
What makes Käpsele special?
We don’t whinge – we get on with the job.
- They’re out there: the people who build globally successful companies.
- The people who come up with the ideas that will make a difference tomorrow.
We have them right here: in Europe and in south-west Germany. And we bring them together: the role models from SMEs and start-ups.
That’s why we say: “NO CHAT, JUST ACTION!”
We’re all about putting ideas into practice straight away and getting started straight away. We want you to take new opportunities back with you to the office, your workshops and co-working spaces the morning after the festival.
Käpsele ask uncomfortable questions, take the plunge into the unknown and know that this is exactly where the truly relevant ideas for the future are born.
Käpsele love going the extra mile. Because Käpsele know there’s always more to be gained. That’s what makes the difference between a good idea and a great one – between an idea that’s merely implemented and one that brings about real transformation.
The best ideas emerge where different minds, experiences and perspectives come together – and Käpsele seek out precisely this kind of encounter. We seek out controversy. We seek passion and emotion on stage. Because in the interplay of the best ideas, we need all of you!
Our mission
We make innovation tangible and bring it to life.
We foster connections between SMEs, start-ups and research to generate tangible value.
We create spaces for guidance, solutions and inspiration in times of uncertainty and rapid change.
We give future-oriented topics space, depth, complexity and relevance, and create the framework for discussing them through constructive debate.
How did the biggest innovation festival in the South West come about?
It all began in 2023 with a question: what happens when the energy of a music festival meets the depth of innovation – right in the heart of South Baden? There was no master plan. But there was a handful of people with big ideas and a hunger for innovation who all agreed on one thing: the region needed a suitable format for this.
History of Käpsele
2024
Meet allies from the future
In the summer of 2024, this question became a reality. Freiburg welcomed a new event, the Käpsele Innovation Festival – bold, open and curious. Entrepreneurs, start-ups and scientists came together to discuss innovation and bring it to life. We were ‘overwhelmed’ by 900 participants, were completely fully booked and even had a waiting list!
In the tents of Freiburg’s “Zelt-Musik-Festival”, which hosted the first edition of the Käpsele Innovation Festival, this atmosphere was palpable: innovators came together for the first time. Hidden champions emerged. The needs of medium-sized enterprises met the solutions offered by start-ups. The challenges faced by young founders were met with the experience of established SMEs.
Käpsele was born. The initial spark had been ignited. As a space for exchange, inspiration and collaborative thinking.
2025
Out of the bubble, into the future
A year later, that spark had turned into a tangible glow. At the SICK Arena at the Freiburg Exhibition Centre, 1,200 people came together, united by one thing: the will to shape the future.
More stages, more voices, more perspectives. Amidst panel discussions, interactive stations and the first masterclasses, something emerged that cannot be planned: genuine networking. Collaborations began to take shape. Ideas found direction. Visions became tangible.
Käpsele has become a fixture for innovation in the south-west. A day that brought together regional businesses, start-ups, academia and industry.
2026
The future needs a spark
Käpsele has grown in size, influence and ambition. With every issue, the publication’s role has become clearer and it has become more relevant to the region. And it remains true to its core: the future is shaped when people come together, perspectives converge and ideas are put into practice. This perspective does not stop at national borders. Collaboration and exchange are increasingly extending into Switzerland and France.
The topics are becoming more challenging, just like the times we live in. Defence, digital sovereignty and cyber security have, in a short space of time, become fundamental issues for many companies. They affect competitiveness, resilience and strategic capacity to act. Giving these issues the space they deserve requires clarity and courage. Käpsele does not shy away from these debates. On the contrary. We create a framework in which even complex and controversial topics can be discussed constructively.
2027 – Let’s make history together!
Make a note of 1 July 2027 in your diaries for the Käpsele Innovation Festival 2027!