Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Duisburg
AI StartUp Festival 2024 of the ZaKI.D
Experience the future of artificial intelligence up close: This will be possible at the ZaKI.D AI StartUp Festival, a highlight of RuhrStartupWeek 2024. On September 25, 2024, participants will meet visionary founders, experts and up-and-coming talents from Duisburg and the surrounding area as well as projects with a focus on AI.

The AI StartUp Festival of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Duisburg (ZaKI.D) offers its visitors inspiring lectures and exciting discussions on the topics of artificial intelligence and start-ups. It will celebrate its premiere on September 25, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fraunhofer-inHaus-Zentrum (Forsthausweg 1, 47057 Duisburg): “We are delighted to be able to host the first ZaKI.D AI StartUp Festival in Duisburg and thus make a tangible contribution to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the region,” says Wolfgang Gröting, Head of the Fraunhofer-inHaus-Zentrum.
Talks and networking
Visitors of the festival can expect contributions from research and business. Sascha Devigne from STUDIO 47 will present successful AI solutions in the media industry. Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe from the University of Duisburg-Essen will talk about AI entrepreneurship. Of course, founders themselves will also have their say: Alesia Kunts will talk about her path to becoming founder and CEO of LearnSlice, as will Dr. Uwe Grünefeld, founder and CTO of GenerIO.ai.
In addition to exhibitions and prototypes on artificial intelligence from exhibitors such as the start-up center FACE@RUB, the bots store Bot World and the Duisburger Versorgungs- und Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVV), participants of the festival can expect numerous networking opportunities with start-ups, sponsors and AI service providers. “Networking with other innovative minds and sponsors is essential for the success of start-ups. The KI-StartUp Festival is therefore the perfect place to make such valuable contacts,” says Jonas Doese, research assistant in the ZaKI.D project and organizer of the festival.
For more information and to register, visit the KI-StartUp-Festival website.
ZaKI.D
The Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Duisburg (ZaKI.D) is a pioneering project of the city of Duisburg. It was the first project in the 5-location program to receive funding of around 18 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIKE). The project focuses on using artificial intelligence (AI) on very small devices such as sensors. This can avoid data protection problems, conserve valuable resources and offer new services directly in devices or machines. The aim is to help small and medium-sized companies in the region to integrate AI into their operations and products.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, the University of Duisburg-Essen and KROHNE Messtechnik GmbH are working together on the project.
