As the central point of contact and service for the economy, the EWG - Essen Economic Development Agency promotes entrepreneurial commitment in Essen. With our range of services, we help to secure and create jobs in Essen and to constantly improve the framework conditions for the commercial success of Essen's economy. Whether for investment or expansion projects at the location, official approval procedures, questions about public subsidy programs, the establishment of international cooperation or when looking for real estate and land - we advise and support you with your projects - competently, confidentially and quickly. Numerous partners from business, associations and institutions, politics and administration are at our side. Together we form a strong network for your entrepreneurial success.

NRW.BANK is the state development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its mission is to support its owner – the state of North Rhine-Westphalia – in the completion of its structural and economic policy tasks. For this purpose NRW.BANK uses a wide range of promotion tools – from lowinterest promotion loans to equity financing to advisory services. It cooperates with all banks and savings banks based in NRW on a competition neutral basis. The clients of NRW.BANK benefit from favorable conditions as well as from long maturities and fixed interest periods. Regional seed funds and the “NRW.BANK.Venture Fund” support early-stage financing in NRW. Young high-tech companies are promoted with up to five million euros. In addition to that the NRW.BANK provides contacts to private investors within the “win Business Angels initiative”. Furthermore there is the “NRW.BANK.Venture Center”, a unit specialized in advising technology-oriented founders in universities and research institutions.

EIT RawMaterials, initiated and funded by the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology), a body of the European Union, is the largest consortium in the raw materials sector worldwide. Its vision is to develop raw materials into a major strength for Europe. Its mission is to enable sustainable competitiveness of the European minerals, metals and materials sector along the value chain by driving innovation, education and entrepreneurship. EIT RawMaterials unites more than 120 core and associate partners and 180+ project partners from leading industry, universities and research institutions from more than 20 EU countries. Partners of EIT RawMaterials are active across the entire raw materials value chain; from exploration, mining and mineral processing to substitution, recycling and circular economy. They collaborate on finding new, innovative solutions to secure the supplies and improve the raw materials sector in Europe. There are six regional Innovation Hubs in Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Poland and Sweden, called Co-Location Centres (CLCs) that represent different regional ecosystems connecting industry, research and education. EIT RawMaterials aims to significantly enhance innovation in the raw materials sector by sharing knowledge, facilitating matchmaking activities, developing innovative technologies and supporting business creation. EIT RawMaterials will generate a significant impact on European competitiveness and employment by driving and fostering innovation and empowering students, entrepreneurs and education partners driving towards the circular economy. This will result in the introduction of innovative and sustainable products, processes and services, as well as talented people that will deliver increased economic, environmental and social sustainability to the European society.

Evonik stands for attractive business and innovative prowess. Our corporate culture is geared toward results, profitable growth, and increasing the value of the company. Operating in over 100 countries, we benefit from close customer relationships and leading market positions. Over 32,000 employees are united by the understanding that no product is so perfect that you can't make it better.

Since 1981, we have built an expertise in product design applied across a broad portfolio of interface devices that are the “last inch” between you and your computer or your console game, digital music or home-entertainment system. With products sold in almost every country in the world, Logitech’s leadership in innovation now encompasses a wide variety of personal peripherals (both cordless and corded), with special emphasis on products for PC navigation, gaming, Internet communications, digital music and home-entertainment control. For each of our product categories, we study how our customers use their digital devices, and then our designers and engineers set their sights on how we can create a better experience with those devices – richer, more comfortable, more fun, more productive, more convenient, more delightful.

The RAG-Stiftung is a private foundation that was established in 2007. At the beginning of 2019, the RAG-Stiftung took over the responsibility for financing the perpetual obligations of the German hard coal mining industry in the Ruhr and Saar regions and in Ibbenbüren. In addition, the RAG-Stiftung supports numerous projects in the areas of education, science and culture in order to promote progress in the former mining regions. Further information on the RAG-Stiftung is available at: www.rag-stiftung.de

Silverpeak provides independent advice on M&A and financing transactions to outstanding growth technology companies. Our team has 150 years combined experience and over 200 completed deals in technology investment banking with deep domain expertise in Enterprise Software & SaaS, FinTech, Enabling Technologies, Business Services, Internet & Digital Media, Healthtech and Mobility. Our network of relationships and reach is truly global, serving clients across Europe and beyond: the vast majority of our deals involve counterparties from the US, Europe and Asia. In addition to our multi-national team, Silverpeak is a member of Globalscope, the international M&A advisor network, with people on the ground in over 45 countries across every continent.

The NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs consists of nine departments: I. Central Department II. Digitization of the State Administration III. Economic Policy IV. Innovation and Markets V Digitization and Economic Development VI. Energy VII. Climate protection VIII. Location marketing and development IX. Business law The organization chart of the Ministry contains information on the departments and units. A detailed overview of the tasks and responsibilities can be found in the business distribution plan shortly. The subordinate section of the Ministry of Economic Affairs includes the state-owned companies Information and Technology North Rhine-Westphalia, Geological Service NRW, Measurement and Calibration NRW (LBME) and the Materialprüfungsamt NRW (MPA). In addition, the Ministry carries out the technical supervision of the Department 6 "Mining and Energy" of the district government Arnsberg and parts of the Departments 34 of the district governments Arnsberg, Detmold, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Münster.

The canton of Vaud is one of the main centers for research and innovation in Switzerland, with the largest academic and technology campus in the country and several research centers as well as internationally known industries, particularly in life sciences, micro-nanotechnologies, ICTs and cleantech. The Office for Economic Affairs and Innovation (SPEI) is the official public organization that supports companies located within the canton of Vaud, especially those involved in sectors of advanced technology and industry. Indeed, SPEI advises entrepreneurs and puts them in contact with organizations that are appropriate to their specific needs. SPEI can also provide direct financial support.

The BioCampus Cologne (BCC) and the Rechtsrheinische Technologie- und Gründerzentrum Köln (RTZ) represent two well established hubs for innovative technology companies. Since 2020 both locations have been merged in a cooperative way to create one institution for fostering high-tech innovation within the Rhineland. André van Hall has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of both locations. This is intended to establish a far-reaching startup network and a sustainable business incubation. A hotspot for innovation and technology, directly in the beautiful Cathedral City of Cologne. More than 70 technology companies are supported, mentored and expanded by the cooperation. Among these companies are the highly innovative startups such as CEVEC, b.fab, Rimasys, BioEcho, BluCon or InfanDx. Not only startups have joined the company network, but also globally established companies such as Bayer, Lonza, Evotec or Myriad. The BCC offers space of over 40 acres for unlimited growth of a comprehensive high-tech cluster. For realising this vision, the BCC is constantly working on expanding and extending its office and laboratory buildings, as well as creating completely new buildings, ensuring that startups and technology com panies always have enough space to develop. The RTZ is a business incubator which is directly located in the center of Cologne. The RTZ has established itself as an incubation venue for startups with innovative ideas. In addition to the spacious laboratory areas, the RTZ also offers coworking space and a young community of innovative technology startups. BCC and RTZ are embedded in a versatile network of strong partners within the region Rhineland. The combination of all advantages between the BCC and RTZ, therefore, offers the ideal environment for future expansion, development and growth for technolo gy companies and furthermore supports the vision of establishing Cologne as an international hotspot for international technology & innovation.

KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung – the Economic Development Agency of Cologne – is a subsidiary of the City of Cologne. We are an enabler and supporter for all companies, founders, investors and project developers in Cologne. We were newly founded in 2019 as a municipal company and have been market-oriented and service-oriented from the very beginning. KölnBusiness is the link between the city administration and the business community. At the same time, we actively network together academic and research bodies with companies locally and in the wider region. With the Agenda for Cologne as a Business Metropolis, we set concrete priorities for our work. Together with the City of Cologne and our partners, we are tackling six strategic goals to ensure that the economic metropolis remains attractive to the national and international business community.

The Global Entrepreneurship Centre is an international scaling centre that invests in startups having a clear focus on Sustainability, Climate protection and Circularity. The GEC programmes are designed for promising sustech companies at different stages of their scaling journey, and support startups in reaching professionalized operations and long-term commercial success. The GEC also provides a pipeline of de-risked Sustech startups and co-investment opportunities in the fields of Agriculture & food, textiles, energy, mobility, building & living.

CleantechAlps, Western Switzerland’s cleantech cluster CleantechAlps is the platform dedicated to the development of the clean technology sector in western Switzerland. The region’s gateway to the cleantech field, its purpose is to bring together all the research organisations, industries and services that contribute to the protection and conservation of natural resources and the production of renewable energy. CleantechAlps is the region’s driving force for the development of the sector, promoting interaction between businesses and players in the field, and increasing their visibility. www.cleantech-alps.com/en

The mission: To provide a cross-channel connection between Life Sciences and the knowledge and networks of corporate financing and the capital market. Life Sciences have been a key topic of GoingPublic Magazine and VentureCapital Magazine for 20 years. Launched in 2014 four issues (print and e-Magazine) appear annually, accompanied by the newsletter LifeSciencesUpdate and the website www.plattform-lifesciences.de. Based on the three pillars –technology, financing, investment – the platform combines current topics of the life science industry with knowledge and network from corporate financing and capital markets. The mission: cross-channel communication (magazine – web – event) of Life Sciences, with knowledge and networks from corporate financing and the capital markets.