12.03.2026
South by Southwest - SXSW 2026
BERLIN HOUSE: Party, Pitches & Perspectives
BERLIN HOUSE brings the energy of Berlin to Austin for a full day of bold ideas, creative tech and global connections. Join inspiring conversations, discover standout startup pitches, and experience how Berlin’s innovators shape the future. Meet creators, founders and partners from across the world - then close out the night with an authentic Berlin rave featuring Anja Schneider, JOPLYN, Martin Eyerer and more.
Location
The BERLIN HOUSE is located in the heart of downtown Austin: German Haus @
SPEAKEASY, 412 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
Program overview
March 14
Music Lounge:
Detailed program
March 14
11:30 am:
BERLIN HOUSE doors open
12:00-12:45 pm:
Tacos & Talent: Berlin Calling - The Work Culture Behind the Creative Capital of Germany
Exclusive Workshop
Berlin is a creative city with real career pathways-across design, music, film, gaming, media, and creative tech. In 45 minutes, we’ll break down what the work culture looks like on the ground: international teams, community-driven networks, and fast, collaborative ways of building projects.
Walk away with concrete entry points, practical resources, and a clear sense of how to plug into Berlin’s ecosystem - served with tacos.
Speakers:
12:45-1:00 pm:
Opening Words by Stefan Franzke
1:00-2:30 pm:
The Business of the Night: Culture, Capital & Cities After Dark
Presentation & Discussion
Drawing on the NTER 2026 – Nighttime Economy Report, this panel explores how nightlife and the nighttime economy function as critical urban infrastructure - driving talent attraction, cultural innovation, investment, and economic resilience.
Using international case studies from Europe and North America, the discussion connects culture, technology, governance, and capital. We will dive into nighttime governance, global strategies, community-led nightlife, inclusion, cultural infrastructure, and data-driven measurement of the nighttime economy.
Speakers:
Moderator:
Lutz Leichsenring (Co-Founder, VibeLab │Berlin)
2:45-4:15 pm:
Unboxing The Future: From Purpose to Performance
Presentation & Discussion
How to scale without selling out?
Berlin has a bold cultural DNA, and it has become a home for teams turning impact into real, growing companies.
This session unboxes the Berlin advantage: experimentation as a habit, open networks as infrastructure, and a human way of building that makes high performance sustainable.
On stage, you’ll get a 360° view from Berlin and the U.S: across key founders, impactful investors, public leaders, corporates, and creatives, sharing different perspectives of how purpose can be turned into performance.
Unboxing The Future is a Berlin-based live talk show where entertainment turns complex topics into clear takeaways, featuring live electronic music jam sessions with the guests and the audience. The room opens up quickly. The conversation gets real. The insights stick.
Join the conversation, and come jam with us!
Speakers:
- Christian Strowa (Director, DAAD North America/ Director, DWIH New York)
- Annie Hardy (Global AI Architect and Futurist, Cisco)
- Genny Wood (Music Fest Programmer, SXSW)
- Niko Woischnik (CEO, Tech Open Air (TOA)/ Angel Investor)
- Rohit Bhargava (Founder, Non Obvious Bestselling Author of 10 books)
- Anja Schneider (DJ, producer, radio moderator, label boss, Sous Music)
Moderators:
4:30-5:30 pm:
Ecosystem-Building in Creative Technologies – From Institutions to Living Networks
Panel Discussion
Sustainable ecosystems: how they emerge, grow, and remain viable
How can structures be built that have an impact beyond individual actors, funding periods, or hype? What role do strategic community management, shared governance, trust, ownership models, talent development, physical and digital infrastructure, and long-term financing mechanisms play?
The panel will examine which elements actually make an ecosystem sustainable: clear roles instead of concentration of power, cooperation logic instead of silo thinking, reinvestment models instead of short-term exploitation strategies, and a social infrastructure that enables trust and collaboration.
The focus will be on ecosystems in the field of creative technologies - i.e., at the intersection of culture, technology, business, and politics. This is where it becomes particularly apparent how fragile structures can be when commercial success grows faster than governance, fundamental values, and community.
In this context, SXSW functions not only as a stage, but as a real-life prototype of a globally networked, hybrid ecosystem - with all its opportunities, economies of scale, and areas of tension between community, market, and platform logic.
Speaker:
Moderator:
Karolin Hewelt (COO Dentsu Creative Germany & Co-Founder RCKT)
5:45-6:45 pm:
Berlin Innovation Pitch Session – With Jury Picks
Company Pitches
Don’t miss 15 outstanding and forward thinking Berlin companies as they take the stage for a fast paced showcase session.
Unlike a traditional startup pitch, this format gives our delegation the space to briefly present who they are, what they do, and what they are looking for in the U.S. market.
A curated jury will be onsite to highlight standout insights and select their Jury Picks, offering the audience additional perspectives on Berlin’s most promising innovations.
Are you interested in meaningful business connections, innovation partners, or the next breakthrough coming out of Berlin’s tech ecosystem?
If so, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know the Berlin delegation live on stage.
Jury:
Moderators:
Carl-Philipp Wackernagel (Head of Marketing, Berlin Partner) and Anna Wiese (Manager International, Berlin Partner)
Prize of This Year’s Pitch Session: IFA NEXT Exhibition Space
The winner of this year’s Berlin Innovation Pitch Session will receive an exclusive IFA NEXT Exhibition Space (4.-8 September 2026, Berlin). This award offers the winning team the opportunity to showcase their innovation at IFA – one of the world’s leading platforms for technology, consumer electronics, and future-driven ideas. The dedicated exhibition space provides maximum visibility, access to an international industry audience, and valuable opportunities to connect with key stakeholders and accelerate growth on a global stage.
6:45-8:00 pm
Break & Apéro
8:00 pm - 2:00 am:
Music Night Lineup
Official SXSW Music Showcase
Close out the night with an authentic Berlin rave featuring JOPLYN, Anja Schneider, suxx puxxy, and more.
Music Lineup:
Berlin Delegation
Are you an entrepreneur or executive in tech? Are you looking for meaningful business partnerships? Or are you looking for the next big thing in tech? If so, use this opportunity to get to know our delegation of startups and scaleups from Berlin:
Contact
All questions regarding:
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Header Photo: MJ Tangonan on Unsplash
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