Exchange, cooperation and community: IGNITE meets START Hamburg in Lüneburg

On Saturday, 27 April 2025, the Ignite Startup Club welcomed visitors from Hamburg: START Hamburg was our guest in Lüneburg. The meeting was not only the result of an inspiring exchange at the ChefTreff summit on the two previous days – it was also the beginning of a new, personal relationship between two student startup communities.

START Hamburg had its own stand at ChefTreff – and, just like us from Ignite, was out and about at the event to gather new impulses for the student founder scene. In conversations it quickly became clear that there are not only many shared interests and ideas but also very concrete points of contact where our initiatives can learn from each other and grow together.

Especially nice: some START members originally come from Lüneburg or study at Leuphana. All the more fitting that during the visit they wanted to show “their city” to their colleagues from Hamburg – a meeting on equal footing, with a real sense of community.

Originally a joint workshop was planned – but, as sometimes happens, the plans changed at short notice. Some had to cancel spontaneously, others could join later. We quickly adapted the format and met for a relaxed evening at Mälzer am Stint. Over drinks and good food we quickly got into an open exchange – about our initiatives, our experiences and how we actively shape our communities.

Afterwards we took the opportunity to show our guests from Hamburg around Lüneburg: a short city tour including a visit to Utopia, a creative place for makers, ideas and social innovation.

Thinking about the future together

The content part of the meeting was especially exciting: in a relaxed atmosphere we talked about possible forms of cooperation.
How can START Hamburg and Ignite benefit from each other?
Which joint projects could we realize?
And how do we manage to connect student entrepreneurship more strongly across locations?

It was exactly these conversations that made the meeting so valuable – because they showed: When student initiatives join forces, real impact is created.

The visit from START Hamburg was an inspiring impulse for us and made clear how valuable personal encounters are for the startup community.
We look forward to everything that may come out of it – and to the next meetings, whether in Lüneburg, Hamburg or wherever our ideas take us.