Scaleup Landing Pad Hamburg

Being the second largest city in the world’s fourth largest economy and Europe’s designated #1 Large City of the Future, Hamburg offers the infrastructure to promote innovative and future-oriented projects.

The Scaleup Landing Pad Hamburg, a successful programme for attracting and settling international scaleups (fast-growing, internationally marketable knowledge- and technology-based startups) in Hamburg, was launched in 2022. So far, 13 scaleups from 10 countries have been selected to participate in the programme.

Approved scaleups are advised in the programme and encouraged to start a business and settle in Hamburg with the help of individual incentives & services, networks and support (single point of contact). The incentives are divided into Business Development, Location Consulting, Living & Workspace, and Business Services.

Scaling green technologies in Hamburg

Which green tech innovations help solve the most pressing urban challenges in mobility, logistics, energy and construction? As Germany’s mobility and logistics hub, the centre of the northern German hydrogen ecosystem and home to Europe’s largest inner-city development project, Hamburg is uniquely suited to scale green technologies. The landing pad makes gaining a foothold in Germany and Europe easier than ever.

Tailor-made services for international companies

Participating scaleups receive personalised one-on-one support tailored to their individual needs. To this end, they can choose from four components:

• Business Development: active matchmaking of scaleups with relevant business partners, support in initiating, finding funding and implementing pilot projects.
• Living & Workspace: up to 8 weeks of accommodation in a furnished flat in the centre of Hamburg and up to 8 weeks of co-working space / individual office.
• Location Consulting: market and location analysis, advice on organisational and process development, recruitment services to determine staffing needs and hire new employees
• Business Services: Marketing support and administrative support on issues such as visas & work permits, insurance, legal & tax, company registration, etc.

Hamburg Invest provides each participating scaleup with these personalised services and incentives free of charge via a curated network of external service providers with Hamburg expertise, with an equivalent value of up to €50K. In doing so, the landing pad supports the implementation of pilot projects by continuously identifying use cases with Hamburg partners.

Who can participate?

All scale-ups with innovative green tech solutions that:

• have a proven product-market fit in their home market
• are in a strong growth phase
• have not yet established themselves in Germany
• want to tap into the Hamburg ecosystem locally.

The application phase starts in Spring 2023

Interested scaleups can submit their application online via the Landing Pad website. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions. The initial admission phase and onboarding are expected to begin in spring. The services of the Landing Pad can then be used until the end of 2023.

Hamburg Invest runs the Landing Pad for the Hamburg Ministry of Economy and Innovation. They aim to make the city’s strengths and advantages visible to international scaleups and to foster innovation and future-oriented projects in Hamburg’s ever-growing innovative environment through their participation.