Dear Alumni,
On November 14, 2025, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar invites you to its first Innovators Homecoming. This new event format brings together alumni, students, and staff who are driving fresh impulses through ideas, start-ups, or creative projects – in business, design, technology, or society. Whether through their own entrepreneurial journeys, visionary project ideas, or transdisciplinary perspectives – the Innovators Homecoming creates space for connection, exchange, and inspiration. It highlights the many ways in which innovation and entrepreneurship are lived at our university – past and present, within the student context and far beyond. We are looking forward to the first Innovators Homecoming at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar!
Weaving Connections. Shaping the Future.
Inspired by the weaving workshop of the historical Bauhaus – once a place shaped by visionary women who, despite patriarchal and structural limitations, thought innovatively and wove their own futures – its foundational spirit serves as a guiding thread for the first Innovators Homecoming of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Today, we understand networking as a conscious act: open, interdisciplinary, and based on equality. The Innovators Homecoming seeks to create a living fabric of ideas, experiences, and perspectives – for and among alumni, students, and entrepreneurs. Here, threads of art, research, technology, and entrepreneurship intertwine. From these connections, impulses for a new, collaborative shaping of the future are meant to emerge – driven by courage, a spirit of innovation, and the power of connection.
Programme for the Innovators Homecoming
1:00 PM:Exhibit in the foyer of the University Library
A curated selection of outstanding start-up initiatives and projects that have emerged from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Our speakers
Paul Foeckler, co-founder of Mendeley and Blueberg Scientific
Gesa Hansen, designer and founder of The Hansen Family
Jens Wille, CEO of Ubilabs
Dr.-Ing. Nathalie Jean-Baptiste, CEO of the Julius Baer Foundation
From 3:00 PM: Open Meet & Greet
Following the keynotes, we invite you to an informal Meet & Greet in the foyer – accompanied by pretzels and drinks.
From 5:00 PM:Network meeting with registration
A separate network meeting offers Alumni and Members of the University who are active in the field of founding and innovation the opportunity for specialisation in a small group. Click here for the > REGISTRATION.
Introducing our speakers
We are delighted to welcome outstanding individuals who return to Bauhaus-Universität Weimar as alumni – to share how deeply their time here has shaped them and what significant developments have emerged from it. Whether in science, design, technology, entrepreneurship, or societal transformation: our guests embody creative ambition, innovative strength, and the courage to open up new perspectives – in the spirit of a contemporary Bauhaus that thinks openly, critically, and across disciplines.
Paul Foeckler – Pioneer in Science Technology & Passionate Entrepreneur
Paul Foeckler is co-founder of the renowned platform Mendeley, a milestone in the digitisation of scientific work processes. Founded in 2007, the start-up was acquired by Elsevier in 2013 and is now considered one of the leading tools for literature management in research. Paul Foeckler played a central role in growing the team and product development. As a graduate of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar with a dual background in computer science and economics, he combines in-depth expertise with entrepreneurial spirit. With Blueberg Scientific, he recently launched another start-up that as a first step supports scientists with publishing in scientific journals more easily, quickly and with a higher chance of success – an innovative step towards faster visibility of scientific work. LinkedIn-profile
Gesa Hansen – An International Design Signature with Bauhaus Roots
Designer Gesa Hansen combines craftsmanship, sustainability, and aesthetics at the highest level. As the founder of the furniture brand The Hansen Family, she creates timeless pieces defined by Scandinavian minimalism and emotional depth. After studying at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and Nagoya Design University in Japan, she gained experience in various design studios in Tokyo as well as at Jean Nouvel in Paris. Her work has been honored with the Red Dot Design Award and the Good Design Award. In both 2022 and 2023, Architectural Digest named her one of the 100 most influential designers worldwide. Collaborations with brands such as Villeroy & Boch, Skagerak, and Fritz Hansen reflect her international success. LinkedIn-profile
Jens Wille - Ubilabs: Making Data Tangible with Data and Location Technology
Ubilabs embodies a pioneering spirit at the intersection of data, location, and cloud technology. The company was founded in 2007 by alumni Jens Wille, Martin Kleppe, and Michael Pletziger and has since specialized in data visualization and location intelligence. Ubilabs develops innovative software solutions and advises clients such as Google, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Deutsche Bahn on how to make complex data tangible and usable. Cloud technologies are utilized to efficiently process even large amounts of data and transform them into valuable insights. Under the leadership of its three founders and owners, Ubilabs today employs around 40 experts and is known as a leading Google Partner in the field of Location-Based Services and Data Analytics in German-speaking countries. Managing Director Jens Wille is also actively involved in the Entrepreneurs' Organization to specifically promote innovation. LinkedIn-profile
Dr.-Ing. Nathalie Jean-Baptiste - building bridges between Research and Philanthropy
Nathalie Jean-Baptiste embodies a visionary connection between science and social impact. A doctoral graduate of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, she now serves as Deputy CEO and Head of Programs at the Julius Baer Foundation. As an internationally recognized expert in urban infrastructures and social equity, she offers a crucial perspective on sustainable innovation across continents. Her focus goes beyond traditional start-up narratives, putting at the centre people and inclusive systems and with a clear and lasting impact on the future. LinkedIn-profile
REGISTRATION for the Networking Evening
from 5 pm: NETWORKING EVENING at the Bauhaus Museum Weimar (by > ONLINE-REGISTRATION only)
A separate networking event offers alumni and members of the university who are active in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation the opportunity for in-depth exchange in a smaller, more focused setting. Please register ONLINE-REGISTRATION by October 14, 2025 at the latest – limited capacity!
If you have any questions regarding the Innovators Homecoming, please contact Lisa Hilpert, Coordinator for Alumni- and Network Management, Gründungswerkstatt neudeli, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Phone: +49 (0) 36 43/58 39 15; Email: lisa.hilpert[at]uni-weimar.de.
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