The biggest startup hub in NRW

The home of
startups and AI
in NRW.

For startups, companies and everyone driving AI forward.

An ecosystem that grows startups and gets people excited about AI.

  • Accelerator
  • Coworking
  • Offices
  • Events
  • AI
1,500+
Startups
supported
€1.5+ bn
Invested
into our startups
250+
Events per year
in our ecosystem
Discover more
Our ecosystem

What would you like to discover?

Offices & Coworking
STARTPLATZ Coworking

Coworking and private offices — flexibly bookable in Cologne & Düsseldorf.

Cologne Offices Coworking
Düsseldorf Offices Coworking
Conference Rooms
STARTPLATZ conference room

Meeting, workshop and event rooms — bookable by the hour at both locations.

Events
STARTPLATZ event

Meetups, pitches and workshops — over 250 events per year across our ecosystem.

Corporate Innovation
Corporate Innovation Space

Innovation programs, AI Experience Days and Startup Scouting — for established companies.

Startup World
STARTPLATZ Startup Community

Accelerator, incubator and network — from idea to Series A.

AI World
STARTPLATZ AI Hub

AI trainings, workshops and hackathons — hands-on knowledge for teams and talent.

What's going on

News from STARTPLATZ

Rheinland Pitch #129
Pitch · Sep 28, 2026

Rheinland Pitch #129

5 startups pitch live · Cologne Mediapark
Mistral Meetup Düsseldorf
Meetup · Recurring

Mistral Meetup — Cologne & Düsseldorf

Open-source AI community · monthly, alternating between both cities
Startup BBQ #118
Community · Aug 20, 2026

Startup BBQ #118

Networking over BBQ · Cologne Mediapark
STARTPLATZ DNA

What makes us special

News

Upcoming events

AI Friday Cologne
Meetup · Aug 7, 2026

AI Friday Cologne — AI community & networking

AI community evening · Cologne
OpenClaw Night Düsseldorf
Event · Aug 17, 2026

OpenClaw Night: Raise Your Lobster

Open-source AI evening · Düsseldorf
ClawCon NRW
Meetup · Aug 11, 2026

ClawCon NRW: open-source AI & agents

Lightning talks · Cologne
AI Hub NRW

We're the AI hub of the Rhineland

Understanding AI isn't enough — we put it into practice. Four programs in the Rhineland: Accelerator, AI Academy, Hackathons and the Cologne–Paris builder community.

01 · Program

AI Accelerator

4-month program for 10 AI startups. Mentoring, investor access, pilot projects with corporate partners.

Apply
02 · Subsidiary

AI Academy

AZAV-certified, taught by practitioners. Four stages — entry, deep dive, specialization, staying current. Masterclasses, intensive programs, AI Campus and in-house for teams.

Discover programs
03 · Format

Hackathons

48 hours, working prototypes. Open, corporate and Hackathon-as-a-Service for companies.

Hackathons
04 · Community

Builder Community

Weekly AI Fridays, Mistral Meetups, AI Treffpunkt, ClawCon — if you build with AI, this is where you meet.

Community
Initiative · Cologne × Paris

Open-source AI: Cologne × Paris

We connect France's deep-tech strength (Mistral & Co.) with NRW's applied power. 3 hours by train between the two ecosystems — together we're building Europe's AI stack.

4,500m²Cologne
2,000m²Düsseldorf
Discover the initiative →
Paris meets Cologne — Open-source AI
Locations

Cologne and Düsseldorf — where NRW works

STARTPLATZ Cologne Mediapark
Cologne
Im Mediapark 5 · 50670 Cologne
Reception Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Members 24/7
Coworking Offices Conference Accelerator Event Space
STARTPLATZ Düsseldorf Medienhafen
Düsseldorf
Speditionstraße 15a · 40221 Düsseldorf
Reception Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Members 24/7
Coworking Offices Conference Innovation Hub

Stay in the loop

The STARTPLATZ newsletter: events, programs and what's happening in the NRW startup ecosystem. Once a month, no spam.