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
23–27 November · STARTPLATZ Düsseldorf

Five afternoons.
Five AI topics.

Plus four evening formats from 6 pm, including Rheinland Pitch Special AI.

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

Female Founders Summit Cologne
Event · Nov 16, 2026

Female Founders Summit Cologne

A day for women founders · keynotes, pitches, investor speed dating and networking
Mistral Meetup NRW
Meetup · Recurring

Mistral Meetup — Cologne & Düsseldorf

Open-source AI community · next date: Nov 16 Düsseldorf
AI Accelerator
Program · AI Accelerator

Batch #3 starts Oct 28

4 months of mentoring, investor access and pilot projects with corporate partners · applications closed
STARTPLATZ DNA

What makes us special

News

Upcoming events

Mistral AI: Europas souveräner KI-Stack von Chat über Coding bis Produktivbetrieb
Webinar · Nov 9, 2026

Mistral AI: Europas souveräner KI-Stack von Chat über Coding bis Produktivbetrieb

· Remote
AI Friday Düsseldorf: KI-Community & Networking
AI Friday · Nov 13, 2026

AI Friday Düsseldorf: KI-Community & Networking

STARTPLATZ AI Hub Düsseldorf · Düsseldorf
AI Coding Hackathon November 2026
Hackathon · Nov 20, 2026

AI Coding Hackathon November 2026

STARTPLATZ · Köln
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. Batch #3 starts Oct 28, 2026 · Applications closed

Learn more
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
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