Tech Funding News attended High-Tech Gründerfonds’ Family Day in Berlin to capture key conversations on camera. HTGF’s largest annual event brings together portfolio founders, corporate partners, and outside investors for two days of planned meetings and focused talks.
This year’s theme, New Wirtschaftswunder, refers to the postwar economic recovery that made West Germany a leader in exports.
Tech Funding News covered the main-stage debate about whether a revival like this is possible today and whether it can be planned. This article looks at what happens beyond the panels: in one-on-one meetings and discussions where the theme becomes real action.
The short film shares perspectives from people in the life sciences, chemistry, and deep tech, allowing participants to tell their stories directly.
What they said
Dr Nikolaus Raupp, a partner in the Life Science & Chemistry Investment Team at High-Tech Gründerfonds, calls Family Day the clearest sign of progress in this sector. He shares the view of other speakers, who said that a revival based solely on public spending, without strong ties to the private sector, is unlikely to work.
“For many fields in many industries, success will never be achievable only with the cooperation of startups and investors. The corporate experience, the corporate networks, the corporate technological understanding, infrastructure, and many other things will be very important, especially in life science and chemistry,” he says.
For Dr Henriette Maaß, CEO and co-founder of NanoStruct, a new HTGF portfolio company working on rapid bacteria detection, Family Day delivered exactly that – a chance to “get to know the family” and meet “VCs, corporates, and also different startups all in one place.”
Linda Karger, co-founder and chief operating officer of biotech start-up Primogene, says the event works well because of its structure. “You had time to connect with people in one-on-one meetings and discuss on a deeper level, not just in group settings,” she says. This highlights the value of in-depth conversations.
Kristel Ridder, chief commercial officer of Mevaldi, says these formats translate directly into next steps: “We have made new connections with potential partners to test new applications. We’ve also connected with investors who could support us in upcoming rounds. This event shows the fantastic network HTGF has and the impact it can have on startups like us to bring innovations to the world and implement them.”
Philipp Arbter, co-founder and chief science officer of COLIPI, which makes alternatives to vegetable and fossil oils from renewable carbon sources using microorganisms, offers a clear sign of growth.
“The main outcome is that we connected with potential investors, and we will have follow-up meetings with them. We will also work with other companies on possible strategies. We learned a lot and stayed connected. That’s the main point,” he says.
Why you should watch
Economic forecasters suggest that around half to two‑thirds of Germany’s expected growth in 2026–2027 will come from higher public spending on defence and infrastructure, rather than private demand alone. At events like this, execution is less about big strategies and more about companies agreeing to product trials, LPs sending teams to meet founders, and investors setting up follow-up meetings.
None of the participants discussed their work in these terms, and it would be wrong to say they did. Instead, they talked about specific corporate partners, follow-up meetings, and teams that grew as earlier connections led to real results. Whether 2026 is called a New Wirtschaftswunder or not, this is what progress looks like from inside the room.
You can watch the full video above.
This article is part of our editorial partnership with High-Tech Gründerfonds.
