Konnectika
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← RecapsRecap · Edition 01

That was Cologne.

Thu, 24 Sep 2026Heising und AdelmannCologne

Around 100 exclusively invited guests came to Heising und Adelmann on 24 September. This is what the first evening looked like.

01

Numbers

The evening in numbers.

~100

exclusively invited guests

05

speakers on stage

02

panel rounds

15

brands and partners in the house

The evening

From set-up to open end.

4 pm

Set-up.

01 / 06
The logo wall is being positioned in the courtyard
The KONNECTIKA sign is being put on the door
The courtyard and stage before doors open
6 pm

Arriving.

02 / 06
A woman in a red suit walks through the hallway
Guests in the hallway by the bar
A handshake at the entrance
At the door

Signing.

03 / 06
A hand signing the board
Guests waiting at the signature board
The full board with all signatures
7 pm

Stage.

04 / 06
Panel round on stage at night
View over the audience towards the stage
The audience applauds
In between

Food and modules.

05 / 06
A bowl from the flying food
Two guests at the boxing machine
Burgers on a tray
10 pm

Open end.

06 / 06
DJ SINÈ at the decks
Two women laughing over a glass of wine
The courtyard at night
02

Voices

Voices from the stage.

Excerpts from the panel talk on 24 September 2026, translated from German.

01 Mathilda Paatz

If you don't dare to try, how will you ever know?

Mathilda Paatz

F1 Academy · Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy

Benedikt Höwedes, World Cup winner 2014 · Founder of Matchpoint02 Benedikt Höwedes

Who am I outside of sport? At some point that question comes up.

Benedikt Höwedes

World Cup winner 2014 · Founder of Matchpoint

03 Léa Krüger

Sport is a part of us, but it is not everything.

Léa Krüger

Former professional fencer · Founder of „Mehr als Muskeln“

Florian Winter, CEO Ringside Zone04 Florian Winter

Boxing has taught me more about my life than any textbook.

Florian Winter

CEO Ringside Zone

Sven Froberg, Media entrepreneur · Producer05 Sven Froberg

This kind of networking is so incredibly important.

Sven Froberg

Media entrepreneur · Producer

Julian-Luca Schäfer, Host06 Julian-Luca Schäfer

I'm actually not a host, I'm a football commentator. You probably don't know my face, but maybe my voice.

Julian-Luca Schäfer

Host

03

Opening

What it is about.

The founders on stage after the closing

Many athletes don't see what opportunities their own path can open up for them. That is what we want to change with KONNECTIKA.

Nelvie Tiafack

Host & co-founder

I am living one of my dreams right now.

Cedrik Mvondo

RHYSE Global · co-founder

Connections

What came out of the evening.

KONNECTIKA is meant to bring together people who would not meet otherwise. That happened several times on this evening.

  • 01A question from the audience, and the panel answers right away: “I'll take care of it. Let's talk about it in a minute.”
  • 02After the inspiring insights from Mathilda Paatz, an entrepreneur in the audience asks how he can support female racing drivers.
  • 03A multiple world and European champion talks to Léa Krüger about how to market herself.

Our vision is working out right here, on the spot.

From the founders' closing
04

Brands

In the house.

These brands and partners were on site with products and stands to try out.

  • RHYSE GlobalRHYSE Global
  • NEV®NEV®
  • Creapure®Creapure®
  • ESNESN
  • AV8AV8
  • OrthomolOrthomol
  • WINNASWINNAS
  • MATRIX · Johnson FitnessMATRIX · Johnson Fitness
  • nykraftnykraft
  • B2U.B2U.
  • Makker GroupMakker Group
  • featurepasssteuerberaten.deDie Folienritter
05

Thank you

Thank you, Cologne.
Group photo of the speakers and founders in front of the logo wall
The full signature board at the end of the evening

Thank you to every guest who came. Thank you to Benedikt Höwedes, Léa Krüger, Mathilda Paatz, Florian Winter, Sven Froberg and Julian-Luca Schäfer. Thank you to our partners and to the team at Heising und Adelmann.

06

What's next

Edition 02 is coming.

The newsletter will be the first to say when and where it continues.

Get in TouchMagazine for edition 01View event