The application process is easy: Follow the instructions in our online tool and submit all relevant information about your scaleup. Our expert jury evaluates every application and makes a decision on the fit of your business for the Landing Pad. So what are you waiting for? Apply now and take the first step towards scaling your business in Hamburg!

how to apply

Your greentech scaleup offers solutions in the fields of mobility, logistics, energy and construction? You can apply for the Landing Pad if your business...

... has a proven product-market fit in your home market.

... shows proof of a strong growth phase within the past two years.

... does not have a base in Hamburg nor headquarters in Germany.

... is able to actively participate in Hamburg’s ecosystem during the participation in the Landing Pad.

Apply Online

Get selected

Choose your Incentives

Join the Hamburg Ecosystem

Application Process

Application for 2024 will start on 4 March and last until 31 March. Please use our application tool to hand in your application details.

For further information about our programme make sure to sign up for our Landing Pad newsletter and stay up to date on all our latest news and calls for application. 

Jury Header

Dr. Phanthian Zuesongdham is Head of Division Port Process Solution and smartPORT Program Director, responsible for New Business Development for the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). She is an experienced lead digital strategist and transformation manager in the maritime and port industry. Before she worked with international organizations like UNESCAP, Lufthansa Cargo and BP. 

Dr. Phanthian Zuesongdham

Martin Jung is head of the department for innovation and business development at Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg), the regional development bank of the City of Hamburg. He is responsible for the financial support programs for startups and other business-driven innovation projects in Hamburg.  Before joining IFB Hamburg in 2013 he worked for 20 years as a researcher and consultant. As an entrepreneur he founded and ran his own company for more than ten years contributing to diverse entrepreneurship and SME initiatives on European, national and regional level. He studied economics in Hamburg, Newcastle (UK) und Monterrey (USA).

Martin Jung

Axel Hoops, LL.M. started his academic career within the cooperative Raiffeisen network with a dual study program at the ADG Business School. After completing his studies, he took over market management within an agricultural cooperative with a focus on purchasing and sales. In 2017, Mr. Hoops moved to Hamburg to join the Chamber of Commerce where, among other things, he supported the trade committee as well as small and medium-sized enterprises as a "future pilot" and project manager of the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Center in the digital transformation. In parallel, Mr. Hoops completed a master's degree (LL.M./Business Law) and began his teaching career as a freelance lecturer at the Nordakademie Hochschule der Wirtschaft and the ADG Business School. Since 2021, Axel Hoops has been Head of Department for Startups, Business Development and Finance at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, where he is responsible for the key topics of startups, the financial market and economic policy.

Axel Hoops

Paulo Kalkhake works for the Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. As Project Lead he is currently responsible for setting up GovTecHH – Hamburg’s public venture client unit. Previously, Paulo worked in various federal ministries on regulatory and economic issues in the wake of the digital transformation. Paulo studied in Mainz, São Paulo and Berlin. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance.


Paulo Kalkhake

Christoph Hüning is Managing Partner at NMA Venture Capital in Hamburg. NMA focusses on startup-driven innovation since 2015, when they started the next media accelerator and invested in 78 international early-stage tech startups from the media and marketing industry. Besides that, NMA is part of two EU-funded pan-European acceleration programs and offers advisory services around startup-driven innovation in various industries.
Before joining the NMA in 2017, Christoph worked as partner in consulting companies with a focus on the media industry and founded his own consulting brand for Digital Change Services. 
He has a degree in business mathematics from the University of Hamburg and shows a track record as consultant and entrepreneur in digital media and communication industries since 1999. 



Christoph Hüning

Heidrun Twesten, is an entrepreneur – Managing Partner Impacct GmbH since 2002. She supports companies in all stages from startup to blue chip and organizations as an executive advisor on capital market topics as well as in transformation processes and is a Designing Your Life Certified Coach (Stanford). As a mentor and business angel, she supports numerous national and international startups, accelerators, and mentoring programs. Heidrun is co-host of the German Podcast „EQUALIZER – DER Gründerinnen-Podcast“ and co-author of „Gründerinnen-Handbuch“ (female founders‘ handbook, by Springer Gabler 2022). Heidrun has been active in the startup ecosystem since 1996 and has already accompanied numerous companies to the stock exchange during the first German startup wave at the end of the 90s. As a board member, she was instrumental in building and scaling one of Germany’s leading investor relations agencies and subsequently founded her own IR consulting firm.


Heidrun Twesten

Christian Bartsch M.A. is a Representative for Senate and Ministry Affairs in Hamburg. He has a background in Sport and Political Science and has previously worked for various sports clubs, associations, Members of Parliament, and government ministries. Currently, he is employed at the Industrial Association of Hamburg with a focus on fostering industry and developing favorable conditions.


Christian Bartsch

Arno Baltruschat, Co-Lead and Venture-Clienting Expert at OTTO, brings a wealth of diverse experience to the jury. As the person responsible for scaling the venture client unit OTTO DOCK 6, Arno has demonstrated his ability to not only understand innovative concepts but also to implement them successfully in real-world applications. His entrepreneurial spirit shone through during his master's program when he co-founded an ed-tech startup and played a key role in scaling it over the next three years.
Arno's expertise spans a range of fields, including supply chain management, e-commerce, strategy, and innovation management. 
His academic journey, which took him from Osnabrück to Seoul and then to Lüneburg, has endowed him with a profound understanding of management and business development, as evidenced by his Master of Science degree.

Arno Baltruschat

Hannah Pregla works at Plug and Play Tech Center, contributing to the Ventures Department by sourcing, analysing, and fostering collaborations with startups across diverse industries, with a specific focus on Supply Chain, Energy, and Sustainability. 
Prior to joining Plug and Play, Hannah completed a Bachelor's Double Degree in International Business Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen and the University of Valencia and gained work experience in digitalisation projects and sustainability consulting in various industry applications.

Hannah Pregla

Aileen Schmuck

Dorothea Ringe heads up the DESY Startup Office. She holds a Masters
degree in economics from the London School of Economics and a PhD in
economics from the University of Hamburg. She started her career in
entrepreneurship education and startup consulting at the University of
Oxford's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where she developed
entrepreneurship education programmes and started the student incubator
the Oxford Launchpad. At DESY, her team is running the startup consulting,
education and networking activities for DESY and the wider Science City
Bahrenfeld entrepreneurial ecosystem.


How to apply

Who is eligible to apply?

Apply Online

Get selected

Choose your Incentives

Join the Hamburg Ecosystem

Application Details

Our Expert Jury