One of the biggest benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs in Cologne is the vast number of startup and tech events in the area. At these many events, experienced CEOs, founders, and investors in Cologne share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of startups.
In the blog post below, we’ve listed plenty of startup events and groups in the Cologne area for every stage of your startup, whether you’re testing your idea, looking to learn new skills, meet potential co-founders, find investors, or just meet new and interesting people.
Inspirational Startup Events
The are many inspirational startup events and Meetups in Cologne, where you hear interesting stories from experienced entrepreneurs and begin to meet others in the Cologne startup community. The great thing about these events is that they are open to the public and very welcoming to newcomers.
- Founder Institute events:
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 2:00am, Apr 29, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/369844
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 2:00am, May 06, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370096
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 2:00am, May 08, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/369791
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with Nathan Beckord: 7:00pm, May 12, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/369788
- Future-proofing CPG Brands: Key Strategies for Sustainable Growth: 4:00pm, May 15, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370956
- Launching and Scaling Startups in Europe: Insights from FI Founders: 7:00pm, May 19, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/369815
- Lessons Learned Raising from Top Silicon Valley VCs: AMA with Rajeev Behera: 6:00pm, May 29, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371201
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 7:00pm, Jun 02, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370548
- How to Build Your MVP Using Artificial Intelligence : 7:00pm, Jun 04, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371334
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 2:00am, Jun 10, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370858
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 7:00pm, Jul 07, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370319
- Cologne Startups
- Data Science Meetup Köln
- DevHouseFriday Chillout
- dmexco
- Entrepreneurs Club Cologne
- FinTech und InsurTech Meetup Cologne - Bonn
- Golang Cologne/Bonn
- IOTA Meetup Germany
- Köln ICO für Startups Meetup
- Rails Girls
- Smartistenten
- Startup SAFARI Cologne
- Startup Weekend Cologne
- Team HODL I Der Krypto Stammtisch
- Tech on Deck
- Tech Startups: Diversity & Openness
- Women Startups & Entrepreneurs Köln & Bonn
- World Shaping Program
Best Practices Startup Events
Cologne is home to a plethora of beginner knowledge-sharing events. These events are each focused on specific topics related to building a business, and feature expert speakers that share their best practices, tips for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Most of these events are free, but some may charge a small ticket fee that is definitely worth the investment.
- Angular Cologne
- Autonomous Driving Cologne
- Camunda User Group Rheinland
- Cologne Cloud
- Cologne Virtual Reality Meetup
- Cologne Web Performance Optimization Group
- CryptoGold Köln-BN-SU
- CryptoMonday | Bitcoin Cologne
- Design Thinking Meetup Köln
- Elm User Group Cologne
- inovex Meetup Cologne
- Köln eZ Platform Meetup
- Köln PHP Usergroup
- Kotlin User Group Cologne
- Office 365 Meetup
- PHP / Web-Entwicklung Meetup Köln
- Python User Group Köln
- Rust Cologne
- Startup Founder 101 Cologne
- Startup Grind Cologne
- Treffpunkt Semicolon
- WordPress Meetup Köln
- Write the Docs Rhineland
Events to Network and Form a Team in Cologne
When you're ready to start building a team, it's time to attend events, talk about your startup project, and meet people that share your interests in Cologne. While attending any of the events listed in this post can help you meet potential team members, the events below are especially useful.
- 12min.me Köln
- Business Women Network Cologne
- CoFoundersLab
- Cologne AI
- Cologne AI and Machine Learning Meetup
- Cologne CoFounders | Perfect your pitch - Avoid "ad nauseam"
- Cologne Salesforce Developer Group
- Digitale Leute Köln
- Domain Driven Design Köln/Bonn
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization
- Founder2be
- FounderDating
- Game Creators Cologne
- Pirate Summit
- STARTUP SUCHT
- STEM 4 Health Cologne
- Tech Shuttle
Builder-Focused Events and Hackathons in Cologne
If you have a technical skillset, or are looking to network and learn from people that have a technical skillset, then it is worth looking into the maker-focused events in Cologne. These include hackathons, technical Meetups, and other communities that foster people building products.
- 6th Installation - Hackathon at gcx
- Alexa Hackathon
- Arduino Meetup
- c4
- CocoaHeads Cologne
- cologne.innovate.healthcare
- Cologne Game Lab
- DingFabrik
- Google Home Hackathon
- Hackers/Founders Cologne
- Hack Institute
- Hack Your City Köln
- MGM Hackathon Köln
- OKLab Köln Meetup
- Open Data Day 2018
- open hack.lab //by hack.institute
- Open Source Audio Meeting Cologne
- React Cologne
- Softwerkskammer Köln
- Tech_Hub Köln
- Trust in Tech Cologne
Investor Networking Events in Cologne
If you already have a team and/or product, then you might be ready to start networking with investors in Cologne. There are many events in Cologne that gather angel investors (affluent people that invest their personal capital in early-stage startups or entrepreneurs, and generally provide only a small one-time investment to help the business grow), angel investor groups (networks, or syndicates, of angel investors who pool their resources together to invest more money than would typically be issued with a private angel investment), and venture capital firms (large institutional funds that provide large amounts of funding for later stage companies with impressive and proven growth), like the ones listed below.
- Angel Investment Netz
- Business Angels for Ventures Fund
- Business Angels Netzwerk Deutschland
- NRW Venture Forum
- Rotonda Business Angels
- Spätschicht
- StartupCon
Are you looking for expert guidance and feedback to build a startup in Cologne?
The Founder Institute is an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs, and teams, during the earliest stages of building a business. Through an intensive 3.5 month program, FI participants build their business through a proven structured process, and receive feedback and assistance from over 30+ successful entrepreneurs and investors in Cologne. Upon completing the program, Graduates join a global network of entrepreneurs and receive ongoing help to get funding and build their business. FI Graduates have raised over $1.85BN in funding, and are building some of the world's fastest growing companies.
Learn more about the Founder Institute at FI.co, join a free startup event in Cologne, or apply to build a startup in Cologne today.
