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found📍should you quit your job to build right now?
Your weekly guide to Hamburg's startup and tech scene — events, jobs, and opportunities.
Kyrylo Korsun
February 23, 2026
Editor’s Note
Hey, dear reader!
Lately, I've been having many conversations with folks from our community about the job market, and the same tension keeps coming up. People are holding tight to their jobs right now. The market is unpredictable, companies are cautious about hiring, and quitting to "just try your thing" feels riskier than it did a few years ago.
But here's the other side of that: the cost of building and marketing software has dropped to near zero. More startups are being created in Germany, VC money is flowing back in, and the EU is moving ahead with EU.INC. Every sign points to now being the right time to start something of your own.
So how do you navigate being stuck in the middle?
The Silicon Valley narrative says: quit your job and go all in. But that playbook was designed for a market where getting rehired was always the fallback. That safety net is thinner now. Maybe going cold isn't the move — but staying put forever isn't either.
If you're in this dilemma, here are the three paths I see:
1. Go all in — if you have a safety net. If savings, your partner's income, or family support gives you 12+ months of runway, this might be the moment. Building has never been cheaper.
2. Build your own runway, then negotiate your exit. Work out an Aufhebungsvertrag with your employer, and you may be able to collect ALG for up to a year plus a Gründungszuschuss for starting your business
3. The day-job-to-founder path. Don't quit yet. Build on the side. Switch to part-time if you can, apply for EXIST or IFB Innovationsstarter. Once the grant lands, you can make the jump on your terms.
This was the path I chose with my previous startup, and most people in our incubator were doing the same. Keeping their job while working on the plan in parallel. Getting your business and financial plan ready and opening a company takes roughly 6 months, but it's very doable. And when you finally quit, you step into it with a plan, a company, and ideally your first grant already in place.
If you're sitting in this right now, you're not alone. And there are real ways through it — you just have to find the one that fits where you are.
Which path are you on?
Save the Date 🗓️
The events I'm most excited about in the weeks ahead.
March 10
Impact Academy: Understanding the Startup Funding Landscape (German) — Navigate Hamburg's full funding landscape — grants, investors, and programs — at this free workshop for founders.
March 18
Hacking Retail Vol.2 (English) — Get real talk and sharp insights on the future of retail from practitioners shaping the industry, plus curated networking — limited spots.
March 22
Agentic Conf Hamburg (English) — Dive deep into agentic AI at Hamburg's dedicated conference on the technology shaping the next wave of software development — tickets from €79.
Weekly Picks📍
All the events on my radar for this week.
This Issue’s Gem 💎
February 26
10x Impact with AI Agents (English) — Get hands-on practitioner insights on AI-agent-powered development — Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and real-world workflows — from 199-strong community at OTTO Hamburg.
AI Everywhere 🤖
February 27
AI at Work: When ‘Faster’ Quietly Becomes ‘Sloppier’ (English) — A panel of founders and tech practitioners gets honest about real-world AI failures, trust issues, and verification loops.
Tech Bite 🧑💻
February 25
12MIN.ME | FOCUS: INNOVATE #3 (German) — Experience three rapid-fire 12-minute talks on DeepTech decision-making, spatial music AI, and hydrogen aviation at Tempowerk — free from 7:12 PM.
February 28
Hamburg Hackathon: Innovate the Skies & Beyond (English) — Build real travel and aviation solutions using Gemini 3.0 and live Aviation APIs at this full-day hackathon for up to 80 participants at SAE Institute Hamburg.
Startup 101 🔨
February 24
Female Power: Less Doubt, Clear Decision – Is Entrepreneurship Your Next Step? (German) — Discover your entrepreneurial path at this workshop for women at Universität Hamburg — overcome self-doubt and decide if starting a business is right for you.
February 25-26
ZAL Innovation Days 2026 (English/German) — Explore the future of aviation at this two-day innovation conference in Hamburg bringing together researchers, startups, and industry experts for live demos.
February 27
build fridays (English) — Ship product alongside fellow founders at this weekly coworking session at Wunder Mobility — bring your laptop, demo your work, and get unstuck together.
Get Inspired ✨
February 24
Social Entrepreneurship Forum Hamburg (German) — Explore impact partnerships, funding models, and scaling strategies at this all-day conference for social entrepreneurs at Körber-Stiftung.
February 25
Health Network Apéro (German) — Connect with health startups, MedTech enthusiasts, and life sciences specialists for authentic cross-sector conversations at RoofDrop Bar.
February 26
Climate Coffee (English) — Connect with climate founders, investors, operators, and researchers over a relaxed free gathering for Hamburg's climate solution builders.
Every Saturday
Founders Running Club (English) — Energize your weekend with fellow entrepreneurs during a judgment-free 5K run followed by coffee and meaningful networking conversations.
Open Calls 📣
Grants, programs, and opportunities waiting for your application.
DeepTech StartAperitivo — Pitch to investors at this Hamburg Investors Network event on April 23 at betahaus. Pre-seed to Series A deeptech startups. Apply by February 26.
The Migrant Accelerator — 12-week program for migrant founders in Germany at MVP or early traction stage. Mentorship, community, and potential EXIST support included. Apply by March 1.
StartUp Days Lübeck — Call for Speakers — Share your founder learnings on stage at this annual startup event in Lübeck on June 3. Apply by March 15.
Job Picks 💼
Best job picks at Hamburg startups and tech companies.
AI Automation Engineer at quantilope, a market research SaaS company (Series B, $28M).
Head of Product at goodBytz, a food robotics startup (Series A, €12M).
Junior Inside Sales Manager at HelloBetter, a digital mental health startup (Series B, €31M total).
That’s a wrap!
Check out the tune of the week from the found playlist
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See you next week,
Kyrylo from found Hamburg