Science Slam

What Science Slam does

Science Slam is a Hamburg-based science communication platform founded in 2009 that organizes live Science Slam events in 30+ German cities. At each event, researchers deliver 10-minute public presentations in front of a consumer audience, typically held in clubs, theaters, and bars. The organization has curated a catalog of 17 scientific disciplines over its 15+ year operating history and maintains a YouTube library of more than 700 recorded presentations, providing a digital long-tail content asset alongside the live circuit. A flagship Deutsche Meisterschaft (German Championship) is scheduled for the Philharmonie Berlin in 2026, signaling a move upmarket in venue prestige.

The business model rests on two revenue streams: ticket sales to individual attendees (regular events priced at €11-€25, championship events at €9-€34 among other tiers) and corporate workshop bookings for institutions and companies (priced up to €440 per ticket for groups). The organization is privately held, founder-led with Dr. Julia Offe as primary contact, employs 12 people, and has not raised external funding. Distribution partnerships include the NDR Info Synapsen podcast and Uni-Polar, and the company has been recognized under the "Land der Ideen" initiative. Geographic expansion is ongoing via the 2026 Landesgartenschau event in Neuss.

Name

Science Slam

Legal name

Science Slam

Website

https://scienceslam.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Science Slam is a Hamburg-based science communication platform founded in 2009 that organizes live Science Slam events in 30+ German cities where researchers deliver 10-minute public talks. Revenue comes from ticket sales and corporate workshop bookings, supported by a 700+ video YouTube library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Science Communication Events

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ), Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

Keywords

• Science communication events
• Live science presentations
• Science slam competitions
• Corporate science workshops
• Science event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Event ticket sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to public Science Slam events held in various German cities. Events take place in clubs, theaters, bars, and cultural venues.
2. Workshop and corporate event bookings: Custom Science Slam formats booked by institutions and companies. Organizations can book special Slam formats for conferences, trade shows, or internal events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Science Slam organizes live science communication events in which researchers deliver 10-minute stage presentations of their own work at clubs, theaters, bars, and cultural venues across German cities; the audience votes to determine the winner. The organization sells tickets to these public events and offers custom Science Slam formats and training workshops booked by institutions and companies.

Product overview

Science Slam is a science communication platform and event series that organizes live Science Slam competitions across Germany. Scientists present their research in 10-minute talks on stage at clubs, theaters, and event venues. The core offering consists of monthly Science Slam events in major German cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Köln, München, Frankfurt am Main, Hannover, and others), regional and national championships (including the annual Deutsche Science-Slam-Meisterschaft), and Science Slam workshops. The platform also publishes recorded talks on its YouTube channel (over 700 videos) and offers a newsletter. No software-as-a-product, SaaS, or application product is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Slam Live Events
• Deutsche Science-Slam-Meisterschaft (German Championship)
• Custom Science Slam Event Booking

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of viewers annually at live events
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• NDR Info (Synapsen Podcast)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNDR Info podcast 'Synapsen' features Science Slam content and science communication, providing media exposure and cross-promotion of Science Slam events and researchers.
• Uni-PolarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting science communication initiatives.
• Land der IdeenminorOthersScience Slam has been recognized by the 'Land der Ideen' (Land of Ideas) initiative, which promotes outstanding German innovations and projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Science & Cocktails: Public lecture series pairing top scientists with nightlife venues, combining entertainment and research communication. Highly comparable proposition to Science Slam, operating a similar premium-venue evening event model.
• Pint of Science: International festival that brings scientists to pubs/venues for short, engaging talks for lay audiences. Closest direct peer to Science Slam: same evening-event format, casual venues, audience voting, and scientist-as-performer model.
• Nerd Nite: Global network of informal bar-based talks where experts present on science and other niche topics to public audiences. Same casual-venue, mixed-discipline, audience-driven talk format that competes for similar presenters and attendees.
• FameLab: International science communication competition in which researchers deliver short talks judged by the audience. Directly comparable format (timed talks, voting), with a more global tournament structure than Science Slam's regional-to-national championship flow.

Broad incumbents

• TED: Iconic global talks platform that helped popularize the 'short, accessible expert talk' format. Operates much broader (any topic, not science-specific) and at far greater scale, but the underlying live-talk-plus-video-library model informs Science Slam's content strategy.

Regional players

• Wissenschaft im Dialog: Germany-focused non-profit that organizes public science communication initiatives including events, competitions, and the Long Night of Science. Comparable in mission (German science communication events) but operates under a public-good funding model rather than ticket sales.
• Falling Walls: Berlin-based international science conference and break-through-platform hosting short talks by leading researchers. Overlaps with Science Slam in German venue and timed-talk format but targets a more academic/industry audience than public ticketed consumers.

Others

• Rhetorik & Wissenschaftskommunikation Consultancies (e.g., Wissenschaft kommuniziert): German training and consulting providers that teach researchers presentation and science communication skills. Complementary rather than competing: they train potential Science Slam presenters and partner with similar institutions as Science Slam's corporate workshop channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ScienceSlam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science-slam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Science Slam