Demo Day | 16 February 2026

This Monday, we had the privilege of hosting our Demo Day.
What an incredible reminder of why mentorship and experience matter so much in the founding journey 🩵

Building a startup can feel like navigating the unknown. Ideas evolve, strategies pivot, challenges appear unexpectedly. What truly makes the difference is having experienced mentors, operators, and ecosystem partners alongside you. People who have walked the path before and are willing to share their insights, lessons, and honest feedback.

That is why this Demo Day meant so much to us. It was not just about pitches on stage. It was about bringing founders, mentors, investors, and supporters into one room and creating real connections that continue far beyond a single evening.

A huge congratulations to our winners:
🥇 1st place: UpGrid
🥈 2nd place: @LILY https://lnkd.in/dsikjgZR
You have earned this recognition, and we are excited to see what is next for you.

We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to all our partners and supporters who made this Demo Day possible. Your commitment, resources, and belief in early stage founders are what allow us to accelerate these startups and bring them to this stage.

Futury Maria Pennanen Robert Mangelmann Marco Fischer Dr. Christian Stumpf Andreas Hell Philipp Weber Ali Naderivarandi Dafna Gold Melchior Karolina Kristic Prof. Dr. Christian Landau Nils Stieglitz Vera Huebner

To every founder who stepped on stage, your courage to build, test, and present your vision is what drives this ecosystem forward. Hagen Lihl Rafael Roman Nick Bänninger Milan Wiedemann Leon Kaiser Lukas Stamenkoski Nikola Milkovski Hafiz Mama Herve EBLOHOUE Rahul Aildasani Wenxiu Rouven Kops Ben Bichbeimer Dennis Daiber

This is exactly why we do what we do 🚀

Date: 16 February 2026

Time: 18:30 – 22:00

Location: Frankfurt School, Audimax

Agenda:

18:30 – 19:00 Doors Open 

19:00 – 19:10 Welcome Speech by Karolina Kristic, CFO of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management  

19:10 – 19:20 Opening Remarks by Ram Shoham, Director of FS Entrepreneurship Centre 

19:20 – 19:40 Keynote Speech by Dana Kallasch​, CEO and Co Founder of Commodity Capital AG​

19:40 – 20:40 6 Startup Pitches 

20:40 – 21:00 Final Remarks and Winners Announcement 

21:00 – 22:00 Food, Drinks & Networking 

See you on-site!

Best,

Your FSEC Team