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With our International Matchmaking we create and utilize synergies between startups, corporates, investors and politics on an international level.
The International Matchmaking was born out of the vision to support Frankfurt startups in international networking and to attract startups from all over the world to Frankfurt am Main as a location.
"The goal of International Matchmaking is to connect key players from two international startup ecosystems and to promote innovation across industry and country borders," states former City Councilor Markus Frank, Head of Economic Affairs of the City of Frankfurt am Main and patron of Frankfurt Forward.
The third International Matchmaking will take place in November and December 2022: Frankfurt x Tel Aviv.
After our first two International Matchmakings in 2020 with Tallinn and 2021 with Lyon, we are now heading to Israel.
Together with partner Tel Aviv, the two startup ecosystems will be explored by participants on a local and national level. Tel Aviv is one of the hottest startup cities in the world and offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of support for startups.
There will be exclusive, semi-public and public programme items.
During the two months, participants can expect numerous virtual programmes, accelerator sessions, panel discussions, pitches and, of course, plenty of networking opportunities. While some of the events, e.g. the 1:1 CEO/VC Lunch, are exclusively aimed at the participating start-ups, the evening events also offer fresh impulses and innovative best practices for the general public. To ensure an authentic programme, the events are organised proportionately by Frankfurt Forward and proportionately by our international cooperation partner. In addition, we work closely with local experts and organisations.
Preliminary program
Tuesday, November 8th
16:30 – 17:30 GER / 17:30 – 18:30 TLV I Kick Off
Grab yourself a coffee & get to know the International Matchmaking team. In our interactive welcome session, we’ll jointly kick-off the exchange. Our aim is to get to know each other better, to quickly guide you through the program and clarify open questions.
• Official welcome by Stephanie Wüst, Head of Economics Frankfurt Cityand Ofira Yochanan Wolk, Councilmember, Tel Aviv Municipality
• Organizer: Introduction Team Frankfurt Forward & Team Tel Aviv
• Startups: 30 sec. startup introductions
• Program: What happens within the next weeks and Q&A
This event is exclusive for our participating startups.
Wednesday, November 16th
14:00h GER / 15:00h TLV | Panel discussion: Cooperating with Corporates
Panel discussion organized by our partner city Tel Aviv.
Learn about the strategic, legal, and cultural aspects of cooperation with multinational corporations in a special webinar produced by Tel Aviv Techand the Start Alliance of leading global startup cities.
This is a public event.
Register here.
Thursday, November 17th
16:30 GER / 17:30 TLV I How to scale a company in Germany
Kompass will provide an overview on how to found and scale a business in Germany as well as on the main challenges and lessons learned.
Interested startups can register here.
Tuesday, November 22nd
16:30 GER / 17:30 TLV | Startup Ecosystem Frankfurt: Community Insights
The Frankfurt startup ecosystem comes together to have a discussion on offers and possibilities for startups in the region. We will deep-dive into the ecosystem´s structures and how the respective startup can benefit from these structures. We’ll go into the specifics of Frankfurt, but also the similarities to Tel Aviv. Insights will be e. g. given by
• HugoPaquin, TechQuartier Frankfurt
• Carolin Wagner, Station Frankfurt
• Dr. Detlef Terzenbach, StartHub Hessen
• Prof. Dr. Klaus-Michael Ahrend, Hub31 Startup- & Gründerzentrum Darmstadt
• Tobias Kehl, Hessian AI
Interested startups can register here.
Thursday, November 24th
16:30–17:30h GER / 17:30-18:30h TLV | ACCELERATOR SESSION: How to build and scale a company in Tel Aviv.
Accelerator session organized by our partner city Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv unicorn – Perimeter81 founder will share his experience on how to scale in Tel Aviv Gaby Kaminsky, Managing Director at CityZone, will demonstrate how a living lab for people, local government, corporates and entrepreneurs tackling urban challenges and assisting startups to grow and more.
Register via info@frankfurtforward.com.
Thursday, December 1st
16:30 – 17:30 GER / 17:30 – 18:30 TLV I Panel Discussion – Ingredients for a successful Startup ecosystem
In an international panel discussion, we‘ll have a closer look at the Frankfurt and Tel Aviv approaches to innovation and strong startup ecosystems.
• Talent and culture: What is Chutzpah all about? How can a venture mindset be fostered or even institutionalized?
• Financial strength: Does the density of financial institutions, capital providers and corporates lead to a strong financing chain? What’s the secret to attracting international investors?
• Short ways and strong networks: How do we successfully convert contacts into clients, partners, and investors? How do concepts like startups meet middle class as well as mentoring boost innovation?
This event will be streamed live.
Register here for more information regarding the speaker of the event and participation options.
Tuesday, December 6th
12:00 GER / 13:00 TLV | Exclusive Highlight: CEO / VC Lunch
In an exclusive virtual lunch, the participating startups from FrankfurtRhineMain and Tel Aviv meet an individually matched CEO/VC from the respective partner country.
This event is exclusive for participating startups.
Wednesday, December 7th
16:30–18:00 GER / 17:30-19:00 TLV | International Matchmaking Wrap Up
Step aside coffee it‘s time for some wine and virtual schmoozing. In our last session we will wrap up all the knowledge we shared and enjoy a special guest sharing its insperational talk on the strength of communities.
This event is exclusive for participating startups.