Rise Of Ai

What Rise Of Ai does

Rise of AI (legal entity: AI for Humans GmbH) is a Berlin-based, family-owned conference and ecosystem platform founded in 2014 by Fabian Westerheide and Veronika Westerheide. The company organizes the annual Rise of AI Conference in Berlin — a deliberately curated, no-booth event capped at roughly 300 in-person attendees alongside 1,400–1,600 online viewers in recent editions — supplemented by an exclusive Leadership Dinner limited to 100 handpicked guests, year-round Rise of AI Virtual Chats hosted by Fabian Westerheide, and partnership packages for corporates. Its stated positioning is as Europe's trusted curated AI gathering for strategic dialogue on AI sovereignty, governance, infrastructure, and industrial adoption, distinct from large trade shows.

The company's core product surface is event-based rather than technology-based. There is no proprietary AI technology; the stack is assembled from off-the-shelf event and marketing SaaS — Eventbrite for ticketing, Swapcard, Hopin and vFairs for virtual/hybrid hosting, Airtable for participant management, Cloudflare for web delivery, and Mailchimp plus Sendinblue for email — with YouTube serving as an evergreen content library of past talks. Distribution runs through the riseof.ai website, LinkedIn (30,000+ community connections), Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, and PR partners PIABO and Petra Rulsch.

Revenue is generated through three streams: conference ticket sales (Premium Pass with Speaker Dinner, Singularity Pass conference-only, plus a free livestream tier), tiered corporate partnership packages that include keynote slots and GDPR-compliant attendee lists, and premium access to the Leadership Dinner. The company is bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, 1–10 employees) and serves four primary segments: enterprise AI leaders (Siemens, SAP, E.ON, RWE, Meta, AWS), AI researchers and practitioners (DFKI, Fraunhofer), policymakers (BMDV, European Parliament, Bundestag), and technology partners/sponsors. Reported 2026 engagement metrics include NPS +68, 89% attendee return intent, and a 4.96/5 organization score.

Name

Rise Of Ai

Legal name

AI for Humans GmbH

Website

https://riseof.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rise of AI is a Berlin-based, family-owned platform that organizes Europe's curated annual AI conference and speaker dinners, serving enterprise AI leaders, researchers, policymakers, and technology partners across the European AI ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Conference & Event Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• AI conference services
• Executive networking events
• Tech community platforms
• AI ecosystem building
• Strategic AI events

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference Tickets: Rise of AI generates revenue primarily through ticket sales for its annual conference. Two ticket tiers are offered: Premium Pass (includes exclusive Speaker Dinner and full conference access) and Singularity Pass (conference day only). Early Bird pricing is available. A free livestream option also exists for those unable to attend in person.
2. Partnership Packages: Corporate partners pay for partnership packages that include attendee access, visibility during the event, keynote slots for Premium Partners, and GDPR-compliant attendee lists with LinkedIn profiles post-event. Three partnership formats are offered ranging from community presence to premium visibility.
3. Speaker Dinner Access: The exclusive Leadership Dinner (night before conference) is included with Premium Pass or available through select partnerships, creating a premium tier revenue stream limited to approximately 100 guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Rise of AI organizes an annual AI conference in Berlin along with curated networking events (including an exclusive Speaker Dinner limited to 100 guests) and Virtual Chats webinar series. The company also sells B2B partnership packages that give corporate sponsors visibility, keynote slots, and GDPR-compliant attendee lists. It serves as a curated platform for strategic dialogue among Europe's AI leaders, founders, researchers, policymakers, and investors.

Product overview

Rise of AI is Europe's influential platform for the Artificial Intelligence industry, organized as a series of annual conferences and events. The core offering is the Rise of AI Conference held annually in Berlin, featuring multiple stages and content tracks including AI Future, AI Applied, AI Evolution, and AI Unicorn. The company also offers the exclusive Speaker Dinner (limited to 100 guests) the evening before the main conference, the Rise of AI Virtual Chats (online webinar series), and various partnership packages for companies seeking visibility within the European AI ecosystem. Two ticket tiers are offered: the Premium Pass (includes Speaker Dinner) and Singularity Pass (conference only). The company maintains a growing Alumni Network spanning 3,000+ attendees across all editions since 2014, with a current community of 30,000+ members. Rise of AI positions itself as a curated, high-quality networking and strategic dialogue platform rather than a large-scale trade show.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rise of AI Conference Annual flagship AI conference held in Berlin bringing together Europe's AI leaders, founders, researchers, policymakers, and investors for strategic dialogue, executive networking, and collaboration. Features multiple content stages including AI Future, AI Applied, AI Evolution, and AI Unicorn.
• Rise of AI Speaker Dinner (Leadership Dinner) Exclusive private evening gathering held the night before the main conference, limited to 100 handpicked guests including speakers, selected partners and curated attendees for intimate networking.
• Rise of AI Virtual Chats Online discussions and webinars featuring conversations between Fabian Westerheide and AI experts including investors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and futurists about the state of AI.
• Rise of AI Partnership Packages B2B partnership offerings providing corporate sponsors visibility during the conference, keynote slots for Premium Partners, attendee access, and GDPR-compliant attendee lists with LinkedIn profiles provided post-event.

Quantifiable outcome

• NPS +68 in 2026, 89% want to return in 2027, organization score 4.96/5
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KI Bundesverband (German AI Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKI Bundesverband and Rise of AI have entered into a joint cooperation with the goal of working to build, promote, and protect the German AI ecosystem. This partnership provides mutual benefit for ecosystem building and community expansion.
• Deep Tech AwardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRise of AI supports the Deep Tech Award as jury member for AI and with their network. Rise of AI's Fabian Westerheide serves as a jury member for the AI category.
• EventbritecoreTechnology or IntegrationEventbrite is the ticketing platform used for ticket sales. Customers pass personal data to Eventbrite during purchase, which is then shared with Rise of AI for event management.
• Sendinblue (brevo)coreTechnology or IntegrationGerman email marketing service used to communicate with speakers, guests, partners and potential guests via email.
• AirtablecoreTechnology or IntegrationUsed for participant management and admission control. Personal data collected during ticket purchase is stored in Airtable.
• CloudflarecoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb optimization and security service providing reverse proxy, pass-through security, and content distribution network for the Rise of AI website.
• SwapcardcoreTechnology or IntegrationEvent platform used for streaming virtual chats, Q&A, polls, and networking. Password and login data are NOT shared with Rise of AI.
• HopincoreTechnology or IntegrationEvent platform used for virtual event hosting, matchmaking, and networking.
• vFairscoreTechnology or IntegrationEvent platform used for virtual and hybrid event hosting.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing platform used for Rise of AI Family updates and newsletters.
• PIABO PRcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPR agency handling press enquiries about attending Rise of AI Conference, interviews with speakers, and media partnerships.
• Petra Rulsch PRcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPR contact for Fabian Westerheide as investor, thought leader, book author and AI ecosystem builder.
• KI ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRise of AI Summit partner and co-host of virtual chats. KI Park runs an open-innovation platform for AI projects providing companies access to applied AI challenges.
• Siemens AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplied AI Partner for Rise of AI Summit, supporting the industrial AI focus of the event.
• HuaweiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplied AI Partner for Rise of AI Summit.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Slush: Annual founder- and investor-focused tech conference held in Helsinki with a curated, community-driven ethos. Highly comparable to Rise of AI in audience composition (founders, VCs, operators), regional focus on Northern Europe, and event-driven GTM.
• The AI Summit (London): Enterprise-focused AI conference co-located with London Tech Week. Comparable as a B2B AI event targeting enterprise buyers, technology providers, and policymakers with sponsorship-driven economics.
• World Summit AI: Global AI conference series with editions in Amsterdam and other hubs. Closest direct competitor as a curated, enterprise-and-policy-oriented AI event, overlapping directly with Rise of AI's positioning and European base.
• OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars): Large annual digital and tech conference held in Hamburg, Germany. Comparable as a flagship German conference brand targeting senior decision-makers and combining large-scale production with curated networking.
• Bits & Pretzels: Annual startup and tech founders conference held in Munich with strong investor and enterprise participation. Comparable DACH-region positioning, founder-led identity, and curated community model.

Broad incumbents

• The Next Web (TNW) Conference: Annual tech conference previously held in Amsterdam with media and events model. Comparable as a European tech event brand combining editorial content, community, and ticketed gathering targeting digital leaders.
• CES (Consumer Technology Association): Large-scale annual technology trade show in Las Vegas. Comparable as a flagship industry gathering with enterprise and policy participation, but vastly larger and broader in scope than Rise of AI's curated niche.
• Web Summit: One of the largest tech conferences globally, held annually in Lisbon. Comparable as a European flagship tech gathering serving enterprise, startups, and policymakers, but at much greater scale and broader scope than Rise of AI's curated AI-only niche.
• Informa (Informa Tech / Informa Connect): Global B2B events and media group producing numerous enterprise conferences including AI and tech events. Comparable as a large-scale events business model with sponsorship and ticketed revenue across verticals.

Emerging players

• Hubspot INBOUND: Large annual conference combining enterprise decision-makers, product ecosystem, and curated content. Comparable in its annual flagship format, premium ticketing, and brand-driven community engagement, though anchored to a single vendor ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/riseof_ai
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCv-WbKyqe03Uecur_Phw0_w/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/RiseofArtificialIntelligence
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rise-of-ai
• Instagraminstagram.com/riseof.ai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rise Of Ai