Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab

What Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab does

Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab, legally organized as Campus Business Box e.V. (eingetragener Verein), is a non-profit innovation-events operator founded in 2016 and headquartered on Fraunhoferstrasse 13, 24118 Kiel, Germany (Schinkel über Kiel). The organization produces the Waterkant Festival — characterized internally as the largest innovation and future-focused festival in Northern Germany — alongside a parallel Waterkant Exhibition, a year-round Waterkant Events community programming track, and a digital Ticket Store operated via the Talque platform. Programming spans eleven festival stages and covers topics including digital sovereignty, energy, circular economy, succession leadership, democracy, future skills, open source, deeptech, AI & robotics, and startup education.

The product surface is built around physical and in-person programming rather than a software or platform business: events, exhibitions, workshops, panels, masterclasses, keynotes, investment sessions, and interactive future exhibitions. The underlying "technology" footprint consists of an event management and community-engagement layer (the proprietary Wix-based site and the Talque ticket store with multiple payment methods including Klarna, PayPal, Sofortüberweisung), integrated social content channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) and a Substack newsletter. No AI/ML systems, APIs, SDKs, or proprietary datasets are documented.

Revenue derives from three streams: per-attendee festival ticket sales, corporate sponsorship and partnership arrangements (60+ companies participate annually), and public-sector grant funding from Land Schleswig-Holstein and MFG 5 KIEL. The customer base spans five named segments — Creatives/TechFans, SME Teams & Corporate Leads, Decision-Makers from Science/Politics/Education, Startup Founders, and Students/Young Professionals — supporting an event-driven GTM motion where customers are acquired primarily through attendance, sponsorship outreach, and policy-network engagement. Marketing is multi-channel and largely organic (social, newsletter, earned regional media), with the leadership coming from a three-person Board of Directors and an extended volunteer 'Crew.'

Name

Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab

Legal name

Campus Business Box e.V.

Website

https://waterkant.sh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab is a Kiel-based non-profit that organizes Northern Germany's largest innovation and future-focused festival, alongside exhibitions, year-round community events, and workshops serving startups, SMEs, corporates, and policy decision-makers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Innovation festival
• Future thinking events
• Exhibition programming
• Community engagement
• Innovation workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Schinkel über Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Festival Ticket Sales: Primary revenue through sale of tickets to Waterkant Festival events including workshops, panels, masterclasses, talks, and exhibitions. Tickets are sold via the organization's own ticket store (Talque platform).
2. Sponsorship & Corporate Partnerships: Partnership revenue from companies (60+ companies participate) and potential sponsorship arrangements. Corporate teams and leads attend as a key customer segment.
3. Government Funding & Grants: Funded by MFK 5 KIEL and Land Schleswig-Holstein, suggesting public funding and grant revenue streams for innovation and future-focused programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab organizes the Waterkant Festival, the largest innovation festival in Northern Germany, drawing over 5,000 visitors annually and supported by 200+ partners. The lab also programs the Waterkant Exhibition and additional Waterkant Events, providing a community platform for entrepreneurs, SMEs, startups, students, corporates and public-sector stakeholders. Operations are funded through ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and public grants from the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the European Regional Development Fund.

Product overview

Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab is an event and exhibition organizer based in Kiel, Germany, operating since 2016. The organization runs a portfolio of interconnected offerings centered around innovation and future thinking: the Waterkant Festival (their flagship annual event, the largest innovation festival in Northern Germany), the Waterkant Exhibition (an interactive future-focused exhibition), and Waterkant Events (year-round community formats including workshops, panels, and masterclasses). They also operate a Ticket Store for digital ticket sales. The festival serves diverse audiences including creatives, artists, tech fans, SME teams, corporate leaders, decision-makers from science/politics/education, startup founders, students, and young professionals, covering topics such as digital sovereignty, energy, circular economy, succession leadership, democracy, and future skills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waterkant Festival Annual flagship innovation festival in Kiel, Northern Germany, attracting over 5,000 visitors and 200+ partners, designed for entrepreneurs, SMEs, startups, students, corporates and public-sector stakeholders to convene around future-oriented themes.
• Waterkant Exhibition Exhibition component of the Waterkant event portfolio, showcasing partners and innovators to festival visitors.
• Waterkant Events Recurring event programming and community meetups organized under the Waterkant brand beyond the annual flagship festival.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,600+ attendees annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpenCampus (Campus Business Box e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpenCampus operates as the organizing association for Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab. The organization hosts the festival, exhibition, and community events. Board members include Harm Brandt (Chairman), Claas Witthöft, and Christoph Krüger. OpenCampus facilitates connections between academia, business, and innovation communities in the Kiel region.
• Mediapartner (Regional Media)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media partners including broadcasting organizations that provide press coverage and media support for the festival events and programming.
• Land Schleswig-HolsteincoreOthersState government of Schleswig-Holstein supports and endorses Waterkant as a key innovation initiative for the region, providing funding and institutional backing.
• MFG 5 KIELcoreOthersMFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Schleswig-Holstein provides funding support for Waterkant Festival 2025, supporting innovation and future-focused programming.
• Charta der Vielfalt (Diversity Charter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterkant is a signatory of the Charta der Vielfalt, demonstrating commitment to diversity and inclusion in organizational practices.
• Digitale Knotenpunkte Schleswig-HolsteinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a digital hub by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, recognized as a key node in the regional digitalization and innovation network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bits & Pretzels: Bits & Pretzels is a Munich-based annual startup and founders festival combining talks, workshops, masterclasses, and investor matchmaking. It is the closest direct peer to Waterkant in terms of German-rooted, founder-and-tech-fan-focused multi-stage festival format with strong corporate sponsorship.
• NOAH Conference: NOAH Conference is a Berlin-based annual event bringing together internet entrepreneurs, investors, and corporates. Comparable to Waterkant as a German-rooted tech/innovation conference with strong corporate partnership monetization.
• Slush: Slush is a Helsinki-founded annual startup and tech event with deep startup-investor-corporate programming and venture track. Closely mirrors Waterkant's combination of startup education, investment sessions, and large speaker lineups at a multi-stage festival format.
• OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars): OMR is a Hamburg-based digital marketing and technology festival that draws tens of thousands of attendees, hundreds of speakers, and major corporate sponsors across multiple stages. Comparable to Waterkant as a large Northern German multi-stage innovation/digital event with corporate partnership monetization.
• TNW Conference: TNW Conference is an Amsterdam-based European tech event covering AI, sustainability, and future-of-work topics across multiple stages. Comparable to Waterkant on cross-sector future-focused programming and European tech-community positioning.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: TechCrunch Disrupt is a flagship startup-and-tech event featuring multiple stages, a startup exhibition floor, and an investor-focused pitch competition. Mirrors Waterkant's emphasis on startup visibility, investor access, and future-tech content.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Web Summit is one of the largest global tech conferences, drawing tens of thousands of attendees, hundreds of speakers, and major corporate sponsors. A broad-incumbent peer that competes for the same corporate sponsor and speaker pools as Waterkant.
• SXSW: SXSW is the benchmark multi-track innovation festival combining tech, music, film, and education. A much larger, broader-incumbent peer that demonstrates the scale-up trajectory and cross-sector programming model Waterkant aspires to in Northern Europe.
• Cebit / Hannover Messe ecosystem events: Hannover Messe (and the legacy Cebit brand) are large-scale German trade-fair platforms for technology and digitalization. Comparable to Waterkant as established German B2B platforms bringing industry, politics, and innovation communities together, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• South Summit: South Summit is a Madrid-based startup and innovation event with a strong emerging-market focus. Operates a similar festival-meets-investor-matchmaker model with multi-stage programming, primarily serving a different geographic market than Waterkant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/waterkantfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterkant-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterkant.festival
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterkant.festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Waterkant Futures Thinking Lab