PIRATE Summit

Startseite
Deutschland
Cologne
PIRATE Summit

The most unique startup conference. Raw, authentic and real. Brought to you with love from Cologne. Twitter:
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PIRATE Summit brings together the movers and shakers of the digital world. We’re Europe’s largest invitation-only conference for early-stage startups, investors, and corporate executives. The PIRATE Summit represents true grassroots entrepreneurship: authentic, crazy & real.

03/09/2025

Last Thursday, Odonien lit up again for PIRATE Night.

The rain tried us (because of course it did, God is a pirate ⚓️), but it didn’t stop nearly 500 of you from showing up and making it unforgettable.

What went down?
✨ Talks and workshops that hit on this year’s theme hashtag
🚀 Startups showing us where AI might take us next
💬 The very first VC Think Tank: no panels, no pitches, just real talk
🔥 Fires, music, and the kind of community energy you can’t fake

None of this happens without the people. Founders, investors, makers, dreamers. The wild Odonien crew. And partners like .bank who helped us bring it all to life.

PIRATE Night isn’t about fluff or VIP lists. It’s about connection, surprise, and moments you’ll carry with you.

Thanks for being part of it. Until the next one. 🏴‍☠️

28/08/2025

🔥 Tonight’s the night. PIRATE Night is here.

The crew is already on-site at Odonien, getting everything ready for you. We're setting the space for the community to gather and connect.

Here’s what you can expect when the gates open:
✨ Matchmaking between founders and investors
🔥 Campfires that spark real conversations
🎤 Keynotes and talks to stir your imagination
💡 Surprises, sparks, and experiences you won’t see coming
🎉 The legendary PIRATE Party

We open the doors at 5:00 pm, and the event starts at 6:00 pm. Don't miss it.

We can't wait to see you all.

If you don't have a ticket, you still have time to get one. Check out our website.

21/08/2025

PIRATE Night isn’t the kind of event you just show up to. It’s something you bring yourself to.

If you’re coming, let your people know.

It’s simple: upload a selfie, pick your frame, and share it with the world.

means no BS. No VIPs. Just real people, real energy, and maybe one connection that changes your path. Or one moment that changes how you see the world.

Huge thanks to the team for bringing this to life.

06/08/2025

End of August - for three days - Rhineland tuns into a stage for founders, investors and builders to celebrate entrepreneurship.

Here’s what’s happening:

📍August 26 – VC Lunch in Cologne
100+ investors from across NRW. A great way to deepen your investor network. Investor-only. Organized by .vc.

📍August 27 – Startup Open Air in Bonn
A full-day open-air festival by .de, built for builders.
Workshops, founders, tech, community. Lots of like-minded people in one place.

📍August 28 – VC Think Tank + PIRATE Night in Cologne (in Odonien)
First: a curated, off-the-record gathering for VCs. No panels. No keynotes. Just real conversations about what actually matters in venture today. The big funds are already confirmed.
Then: PIRATE Night - with keynotes, fire, music, networking, and that PIRATE energy you’ve heard about (or experienced).

We’re calling it: The Rhineland Startup Days. Will you be there?

End of August - for three days - Rhineland turns into a stage for founders, investors and builders to celebrate entrepreneurship.

04/08/2025

Peer groups are a big thing for entrepreneurs. Much less so for investors.

That’s why we are excited that we’re hosting one at PIRATE Night this year.

A few folks from the VC ecosystem approached us about creating a VC Think Tank at PIRATE Night (Aug 28th) - and we decided to make it happen.

This isn’t your typical pre-event. It’s a curated gathering of leading investors from across the region.

World Fund, HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds, coparion, Anthropia Ventures, Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures - and many more - have already confirmed.

So what to expect?

No panels. No pitches. No keynotes. Just open, off-the-record conversations about what actually matters in venture today.

The agenda will be shaped on site by the people in the room. There will be breakouts with real talk and trusted, peer-level exchange.

It's VC-only - no service providers, no startups.

We're hosting it at Odonien (the PIRATE Night venue), with early access before the doors officially open. (Note: The Think Tank is free, but you’ll need a PIRATE Night ticket to take part.)

Space is limited. If you're a VC and want to join, apply via the link on our website.

Hope to see you there.

01/08/2025

We’re giving away 10 free startup booths at PIRATE Night.

What you'll get:
🎟️ 2 tickets
🧱 A booth
👀 A ton of visibility with VCs, founders & ecosystem shapers

You don’t need a fancy deck. Just tell us how showing up here helps your journey. (Note: We have a soft spot for startups that bring something special to PIRATE Night - with things to touch, taste, try, or experience.)

Apply now (link on our website). We’ll pick 10.

This initiative is supported by .bank - helping make PIRATE Night more open and accessible to early-stage founders.

31/07/2025

We’ve always said PIRATE Night is for everyone, but this year, we’re actually starting to build for that.

For the first time, we’ve taken a real look at what inclusion means at our event. Is Odonien the perfect venue? No. But with some creativity (and stubbornness), we’re doing our best to make it a good experience for everyone.

So we brought in the incredible team from inKlub. They walked the space with us, asked the right questions, and helped us create something we’ve never had before:
👉 An Accessibility Guide for PIRATE Night

It's a first for us. Not everything will be perfect but we’ll do our best.

Here’s what we’ve put in place:
- Step-free entry
- Accessible toilet
- A quiet space to rest
- Assistance dogs + companions welcome
- And yes, uneven ground, but wheelchair users have done it before

Want to see the space?
📸 Check the “PN Accessibility” story highlight on .eu
📄 Check our website for the full Accessibility Guide

And if you’ve got specific access needs, just tell us. We’re offering free tickets for you and a +1 companion.

We’re still learning and don't want to overpromise. But we care deeply and we’re making space. Literally.

Big thanks to .bank for supporting PIRATE Night and helping make this possible.

15/07/2025

We keep getting asked if PIRATE Summit is coming back.

Short answer: no.
Longer answer: it doesn’t need to.

What made PIRATE Summit special was never the format or the speakers or the program.

It was the people, the atmosphere, the energy.

The realness. The moments between things.

The deep convos in the corners. The quiet “I needed this” feeling that every founder knows.

We don’t want to replicate it. We want to give it space to evolve.

So we're doing PIRATE Night instead: One night. A big open space. Fires. Music. Food.

And most importantly: the people.

It’s not the Summit. It’s what happens after.

We’re building it for founders who value connection over noise. Reflection over hype. Depth over polish.

And honestly - we hope you’ll love being part of it as much as we love creating it.

Supported by .bank, we’re building this night to spark real conversations and deep connection.

10/07/2025

This year, we’re trying something different with PIRATE Night.

No one sails alone!

Because honestly - what’s the point of a night like this if you don’t share it with someone?

The best moments are shared.

They happen over a drink, in a corner conversation, when you bump into someone you forgot you missed, or introducing your weirdest, smartest friend to someone you just met.

So yeah: two tickets minimum. Not a gimmick. Not a sales trick.

Bring your co-founder, your investor, your mentor, your community.

Or just bring that one person you’ve been meaning to catch up with outside of Slack, LinkedIn or Zoom.

Because when you step out of the usual, something shifts.

The conversations hit different.

And the connections do too.

We’re glad to be making space for all of that — with the support of .bank, who’s sponsoring this night of real connection and shared momentum.

So - who are you bringing?

02/07/2025

AI gives us super powers.

It’s speeding up everything we do - helping us build faster, automate smarter, and rethink what’s possible.

But at the same time, it’s disrupting our pace, our processes, and the way we work together.

We’re not here to fear or fight AI. Far from it.

But in this moment of rapid change, one question bubbles up: We have to decide what stays human.

True choice. Real agency.

Knowing when to pause and ask, “Is this my decision, or just what the algorithm wants?”

That’s the challenge - and the opportunity - at the core of this year’s PIRATE Night theme: .

We’ll question. We’ll argue.

Not because machines are the enemy - but because we believe the future belongs to those who hold the wheel, consciously and intentionally.

It’s not humans versus AI.

It’s humans with AI — as long as we never stop steering.

🔥

30/06/2025

It’s happening again: PIRATE Night. August 28. Odonien, Cologne.

We weren’t sure we’d bring it back. But after last year? There was something in the air.

You felt it. We felt it.

It wasn’t the fire barrels. Or the music. It was the people. The hugs. The honest conversations.

The weird startup magic that doesn’t happen in meeting rooms or pitch decks.

This isn’t PIRATE Summit. We’re not trying to recreate that.

But the energy? The connection? That thing you can’t quite name but still miss?

That’s what we’re doing.

For one night. With intention.

This year’s theme: . Because AI is changing everything. And we want to talk about what we’re keeping human.

Come if you're tired of pretending.
Come if you want real talk, a great atmosphere, and people who get it.
Come if you're building something, and want to feel why again.

One night. 400 people. Just the good stuff.

We'd love to see you there.

Adresse

Im Mediapark 5, C/o STARTPLATZ
Cologne
50670

Webseite

http://www.piratesummit.com/

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