CityTech RUHR, Germany’s largest international smart city startup challenge, was launched in March 2020 as a prestigious innovation sprint to identify and implement solutions to solve specific challenges of participating cities from the Ruhr Metropolis.

More than 100 international startups from 27 countries on 4 continents applied with their solution ideas to solve the challenges issued by the cities of Bochum, Bottrop, and Hagen. Three finalist startups were selected in June, following a 4-month piloting phase that started in July and was successfully concluded at the end of October in all three cities.

Three success stories: The smart city pilot projects

In its first edition, the CityTech Ruhr challenge has proven to be an inspiring and innovative format that enables fruitful collaboration between local governments and international smart city startups to tackle existing urban challenges in different verticals and to drive smart city innovation.

At the Innovation Day on December 2, the participants will present their exciting results. Register now!

Are you an entrepreneur who is not afraid of challenging yourself in solving the REAL problems and making impact? Do you want to understand the local challenges that German cities in the Ruhr area struggle with? This is your chance to win a PAID pilot in the City of Cities and solve a significant challenge! Join CityTech RUHR to solve the challenges, receive funding for the implementation and pilot, and create a great solution that other cities will need as well!

The metropolitan Ruhr Area is the largest urban area in Germany and the third largest in the European Union. It consists of 53 cities within Ruhr and it is strategically located in a very important industrial part of the country.

We will make sure you have fun, learn and share know-how with other like-minded entrepreneurs, get access to high-level mentorship, get to know the Smart City world that is worth over $400 billion worldwide!