TL;DR. On 30 September 2026, the first Start-up BW Family Day of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs took place at the L-Bank in Stuttgart. Around 250 representatives of the start-up ecosystem came together. Marlene Bleek and Philipp Heideker were there for Sleak. Together with Annalena from NXTGN, Philipp talked about how Sleak experienced the Match Arena and what came out of it. This post sums up the evening and our experience.
How often does a matching event between start-ups and companies actually lead to a project? Many founders know formats where you exchange business cards and never hear from each other again. For Sleak, the Match Arena by NXTGN was different, and that is exactly what we were invited to talk about at the Start-up BW Family Day.
This year, the state of Baden-Württemberg hosted the Family Day for the first time. Start-up hubs, accelerators, funding and financing partners, consultancies and companies met at the L-Bank in Stuttgart. Marlene and Philipp were there for Sleak.
What Is the Start-up BW Family Day?
The Start-up BW Family Day is a gathering of the start-up ecosystem in Baden-Württemberg, hosted by the state's Ministry of Economic Affairs. The first edition took place in 2026 at the L-Bank in Stuttgart, with around 250 participants. Topics on the agenda included financing, strengthening the investor landscape and venture clienting, meaning strategic partnerships between start-ups and established companies.
What Is the NXTGN Match Arena?
The Match Arena is NXTGN's business matching format, which brings technology-driven start-ups together with mid-sized companies that have a concrete need for innovation. NXTGN is the Startup Factory for Baden-Württemberg and aims, among other goals, to initiate 1,000 collaborations between start-ups and established companies by 2030.
The difference from many other formats: companies come to the table with a real problem. Start-ups therefore pitch against a concrete question.
What Did Sleak Talk About at the Family Day?
At the Family Day, Philipp told the story from a start-up's point of view: how Sleak experienced the Match Arena and which projects came out of it. Annalena from NXTGN set the scene with a short introduction to NXTGN and the Match Arena concept.
For Sleak, the Match Arena was a format in which a first conversation could quickly become a concrete collaboration. That is the experience we wanted to pass on to other founders and companies at the Family Day.
| Traditional networking event | NXTGN Match Arena |
|---|---|
| Open networking without a set topic | Companies bring a concrete need |
| Start-ups give a general pitch | Start-ups respond to a concrete question |
| Follow-up depends on chance | Matching is the purpose of the format |
The difference lies in the starting point. When a company arrives with a clear question, the first conversation is already a working conversation.
Does a Format Like This Replace Your Own Sales?
No, but it shortens the path to the first serious conversation considerably. A matching format brings a start-up and a company to the same table. Whether a project comes out of it still depends on the product, on trust and on a good follow-up.
The same applies to companies. Venture clienting only works if someone inside the company drives the project forward after the event. The format opens the door. The work begins afterwards.
Why Is Baden-Württemberg Important for Sleak?
Baden-Württemberg is a region in which we, as a team from Munich, deliberately want to keep growing. Customers such as Würth already work with Sleak here, and formats like the Match Arena or the Family Day make it much easier to reach companies.
Thank you to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs and the L-Bank for organizing the event, and to Annalena and the NXTGN team for presenting with us.
FAQ
What is the Start-up BW Family Day?
The Start-up BW Family Day is a gathering of the start-up ecosystem in Baden-Württemberg, hosted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The first edition took place in 2026 at the L-Bank in Stuttgart with around 250 participants.
What is NXTGN?
NXTGN is the Startup Factory for Baden-Württemberg. It brings technology-driven start-ups together with established companies and investors, among other things through the Match Arena matching format.
What does Sleak do?
Sleak is an AI that develops employees and builds business-critical skills in companies. Employees learn in dialogue with Sleak and practice important conversations in realistic simulations.
