AI Hub NRW · Cologne & Düsseldorf

Learn, apply and connect with AI in NRW.

Webinars, masterclasses, hackathons, meetups and a community — on site in Cologne & Düsseldorf and online. The formats are led by practitioners from the STARTPLATZ ecosystem.

See upcoming events Explore the formats

AI Friday since 2023 · monthlyKI Campus · 400+ membersHackathons with 100+ participants

Partners & ToolsKPMGMicrosoft for StartupsHubSpotn8nElevenLabs

About the AI Hub

How we work at the AI Hub.

The AI Hub is part of the STARTPLATZ ecosystem — between startups, builders and companies. The formats focus on concrete use cases, guided by people who use AI every day.

See the formats

Hands-on

Working on concrete projects and use cases.

Community

A network that lasts beyond the individual sessions.

On site & online

Cologne, Düsseldorf — and online.

Practitioners

Led by people with hands-on AI experience.

Formats

The formats at a glance.

Masterclasses

Compact hands-on sessions on a single topic.

KI Campus

An ongoing hands-on space and community with 400+ members.

Meetups & AI Friday

Monthly in Cologne & Düsseldorf — share knowledge, meet people.

Hackathons

Build a prototype in teams — from idea to demo.

Webinars

Online sessions on current AI topics.

Inhouse & Enterprise

AI enablement programs for entire teams.

Numbers & proof

The AI Hub in numbers.

1,200+

Visits per month to the AI Friday series

110

Participants at the last AI Coding Hackathon

~80

Guests at ClawCon NRW

400+

Members in the KI Campus

AI Hackathon Cologne: the winning project of a 14-year-old

Recap of the AI Coding Hackathon Cologne — about Thimofej and his winning project built on an n8n workflow.

Read the recap

Who it’s for

Entry points by experience level.

Beginners

Understand AI and use it in everyday work — no prior knowledge needed.

For beginners

Builders

For everyone who is already building and working on automation and agents.

For builders

Companies

Embed AI in your team — with strategy and programs.

For companies

Instructors

Who leads the formats.

Jakow Smirin

CEO & Founder AI Hub · 10+ years of AI, builds with n8n every day

Lukas Stratmann

Chief Evangelist · Business psychologist with hands-on AI experience

Lorenz Gräf

Founder & Managing Director STARTPLATZ · Serial entrepreneur

Akram Mihyar

Chief AI & Operations Officer · Cologne

Maurice Guss

Instructor & Teaching Assistant · Cologne

See all instructors →

Looking for a certified AI training program?

Our independent sister organization, the AI Academy, offers AZAV-funded programs such as the KI-Manager — up to 100 % covered by the German education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).

To the AI Academy

Frequently asked

Good to know.

Do I need prior knowledge?

No. There are formats for absolute beginners as well as for experienced builders.

What do the formats cost?

Meetups and AI Friday are free. Masterclasses usually cost 90 € — for KI Campus members they are included.

Does everything take place on site?

It’s your choice: on site in Cologne or Düsseldorf, online or hybrid — depending on the format.

Where do I find certified training programs?

Funded, AZAV-certified programs (e.g. the KI-Manager) are offered by our sister organization, the AI Academy.

We’re a company — can this be done inhouse?

Yes. There are inhouse and enablement programs for teams and management.

Enter the AI Hub through the next event.

A meetup, a masterclass or a hackathon is a good way to start. Meetups and AI Friday are free. All dates are listed in the event overview.

See upcoming events For companies