We are delighted by the huge interest shown in the Käpsele Innovation Festival. This demonstrates just how keen small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and the academic community are to engage with forward-looking topics and cross-sector collaboration, both in our region and beyond.
Käpsele Highlights 2024
Step out of the bubble – and join the future-makers!
On 15 July 2024, the very first Käpsele Innovation Festival kicked off – completely sold out, right in the heart of the Spiegel and Fürstenberg tents at the Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF). Under the slogan “Step out of the bubble – join the future-makers!”, around 900 interested attendees gathered to experience innovations in AI, the metaverse, robotics, medtech, social innovation, green tech and digitalisation.
- Premiere: the very first Käpsele Innovation Festival
- Completely sold out
- Around 900 attendees from across Baden-Württemberg and beyond
- On the grounds and in the tents of the ZMF
Highlight Panel 2024
Germany’s Käpsele: Three companies, three initiatives – one future!
What opportunities can companies seize to remain competitive and future-proof – are we ready for the future? This was discussed by:
- Zamina Ahmad – Founder and CEO, shades&contrast: the impact of data and algorithms on people, and how diversity drives high-performance results
- Alma Spribille – Founder of WEtell and business rebel: “If you criticise turbo-capitalism, you have to do things differently yourself”
- Wolfgang Grupp – entrepreneur, TRIGEMA: Manufacturing in Germany with a future – swimming against the tide
- Moderator: Julica Goldschmidt
The themed tents: Highlights 2024
Instead of a single stage, there were five themed zones in 2024 – each with its own focus:
- Haufe Group Tent: During the panel discussion ‘Watch out: how AI pioneers are transforming their industries’, Larissa Holzki (Handelsblatt), Christian Noll (baden.fm/Funkhaus Freiburg), Sara Egetemeyr (PENEMUE) and Peter Meißner (KOCH Freiburg) presented groundbreaking AI innovations that are redefining their industries. Also featured: hidden champions in the south-west, Storytale meets the library.
- Dr Falk Pharma Tent: “They’re here! The first medicines developed with AI” – Dr Christian Lenz (Pfizer Germany) and Dr Naghmeh Ghazaleh (Roche) spoke about AI in drug development. In the session ‘Healing through High-Tech: Where is the New Era of Medicine Heading?’, Inga Bergen, Prof. Dr Dr h. c. Frederik Wenz and Prof. Dr Christian Gratzke (both from the University Medical Centre Freiburg) shared their visions for healthcare.
- Freiburg Digital Tent: Deep-dive sessions, the metaverse, social innovation in SMEs
- Baden-Württemberg AI Alliance Area: AI data platform, FRAI.Accelerator, Green AI Hub
- baden.fm Tent: Networking party with exoskeletons to try
out Programme 2024
The Käpsele 2024 in pictures
A premiere that set new standards
The huge interest in the first Käpsele Innovation Festival showed that there is a strong desire in the region for cross-sector dialogue on future-oriented topics – and this inaugural event provided exactly the right platform for this.
“This shows just how keen small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and the academic community are on forward-looking topics and cross-sector exchange in our region and beyond.” – Hanna Böhme, Managing Director of FWTM
“The Käpsele provides plenty of inspiration for taking action. It opens up EU- and state-funded avenues for implementing our own projects.” – Dr Ralf Binder, Managing Director of Zukunft.Raum.Schwarzwald
The inaugural event was made possible by, amongst others, the Haufe Group, Dr Falk Pharma GmbH, the Baden-Württemberg AI Alliance and media partner baden.fm.
What was the Käpsele 2024 like?
Hannah Böhme
Geschäftsführerin, FWTM
Every day, we advise companies on how to turn their ideas into innovations and on how to foster an openness to collaboration with other organisations. Last year, we put these methods into practice ourselves, and the result is the Käpsele Innovation Festival
Michael Löffler
Referent für Wissenstransfer und Vernetzung, IHK Südlicher Oberrhein
Highlight: Interactive Stations
What does the future feel like?
Two stands attracted particularly long queues:
- YULLBE – Virtual Reality: offered virtual reality experiences where the boundaries of everyday reality were left behind and the impossible became possible. In a virtual world where everything looked deceptively real, visitors experienced things that everyday life does not offer – using only VR headsets and hand trackers, they moved freely around the space and took on the challenges. By Mack One Germany / Europa-Park
- Exoskeleton for logistics and industry: With the passive SoftExo exoskeleton, HUNIC has developed an extremely lightweight yet effective body-worn lifting and carrying aid. In collaboration with physiotherapists, sports scientists, designers and sceptics, a high-performance system was created: specialist staff received up to 21 per cent assistance when lifting and carrying loads, whilst ergonomic movement was promoted. By HUNIC GmbH
Also featured: an AI knowledge platform from KOCH Freiburg GmbH, AI avatars from Bican IT-Consulting, neural networks from SICK AG, 3D-printed shoe insoles at the Green AI Hub and a virtual flight simulator.
Experience stations 2024
Käpsele Programme 2024
The impressions are powerful – the content even more so. How Wolfgang Grupp shed light on the future viability of manufacturing, and which discussions surrounding AI, the metaverse and green technologies are transforming the economy.
Speakers 2024
Our Käpsele speakers for 2024 bring fresh perspectives, bold visions and a genuine spirit of renewal to the stage. Be inspired by people who don’t just imagine the future, but build it.
Käpsele Highlights 2025
From the very first Käpsele straight on to the next edition: take a look at how the festival has evolved by 2025.
Käpsele Highlights 2026
And here’s what’s happening next: the highlights from the Käpsele Innovation Festival 2026.