The Rhineland’s startup hub since 2012.
STARTPLATZ is the meeting point and first port of call for innovative startups and companies at the heart of the Rhineland startup scene — founded in 2012 in Cologne, and in Düsseldorf since 2015.
in Cologne & Düsseldorf
into our startups
in the ecosystem
200 m² became NRW’s largest startup hub.
STARTPLATZ was opened in November 2012 by Dr. Lorenz Gräf and Matthias Gräf (Gräf Holding GmbH) in Cologne — as the answer to a simple question: where do the Rhineland’s founders, investors and talent meet?
What began as the first coworking space in the Mediapark is today 4,500 m² in Cologne and 1,700 m² in Düsseldorf. Added to that came accelerator programmes, an AZAV-certified AI Academy and a community that together shape the Rhineland startup scene.
Today we are North Rhine-Westphalia’s AI Hub — the central point of contact for AI builders, founders and companies.
Six pillars, one ecosystem.
Coworking
Flexible desks and private offices in Cologne’s Mediapark and Düsseldorf’s Medienhafen — with the community right next door.
- FlexDesk from €180 / month
- 2nd Home with a fixed desk
- Team offices for 2–30 people
- Business address + mail service
Conference rooms
Professionally equipped rooms for meetings, workshops and events — bookable online by the hour.
- Rooms for 4–80 people
- Online booking, by the hour
- Hybrid setup (conference tech)
- Catering & service available
Accelerator
From the AI Accelerator and the NRW Founders‘ Scholarship to Rheinland-Pitch — structured paths through every stage.
- AI Accelerator (4 months)
- NRW Founders‘ Scholarship
- Rheinland-Pitch
- Mentoring & investor access
AI Hub
Builder community between Cologne and Paris. Open-source AI, devs, innovation teams — we build instead of just talking.
- Hackathons — corporate, open and as-a-service
- Mistral Meetup, KI Treffpunkt, ClawCon
- AI Fridays — weekly
- France AI initiative
Events & Academy
250+ events per year and AZAV-certified AI training — from beginner to masterclass.
- AI Manager full-time/part-time
- Masterclasses & bootcamps
- Meetups, breakfasts, BBQ
- AZAV funding available
Corporate
SMEs and corporates plug into the ecosystem — from the Business Club to tailor-made innovation.
- Business Club membership
- Corporate enablement & activation
- Innovation experiences
- Startup matching & deal flow
Cologne and Düsseldorf — we’re where NRW works.
Side entrance: Schanzenstraße 36
Reception Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Members 24/7
Reception Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Members 24/7
Where the Rhineland startup ecosystem meets.
Regular networking events connect startups, companies and investors — low-threshold and across every stage.
Member breakfast
One hour, one croissant, new faces. Open to all members — the most relaxed way to get to know the community.
Startup BBQ
When the weather plays along: grill on, beer open, pitch away. The summer classic on the STARTPLATZ rooftop terrace.
Rheinland-Pitch
Germany’s largest regular startup pitch series. Startups present, investors listen, the audience votes.
Press area
Logos, management photos, gallery and all press releases in one place.
Go to the press area →