Join us at the Entrepreneurship Summit 2025 for our panel discussion with the topic:
Sustainable materials of tomorrow – entrepreneurs shaping change
How can we achieve the transition to a sustainable economy for all materials?
What role do innovative, science-based start-ups play, and who is driving this transformation forward? In this panel discussion, we bring together founders and driving forces from the world of green chemistry with industrial engineers, business talents, and future shapers.
The focus is on transforming the chemical industry – a sector that, more than almost any other, consumes vast amounts of resources and energy and has a significant (both positive and negative) impact on human and planetary health. But the path toward truly resource-efficient and circular solutions requires more than just good ideas: it needs scientific technologies (deep tech), business expertise, scalable business models, and pioneers who bring science and entrepreneurship together.
Our panel guests work hard on new, sustainable materials through their start-ups – will share insights into their personal entrepreneurial journeys, their science-based innovations, and the challenges of entering the market. They will show how ecological impact and economic success can go hand in hand – and why now is the time to take action.
Who should attend?
Anyone who finds the sustainable potential of technological breakthroughs exciting and wants not just to witness, but to actively shape and steer the transformation of industry into entrepreneurial channels. Be inspired to take an active role in science-based start-ups – as a co-founder, business developer, investor, or strategic supporter.
Our panelists:
Annekathrin Grüneberg, Co-Founder mujo lab OHG
Annekathrin specializes in developing sustainable packaging solutions based on brown algae. Since 2018, she has been working on creating compostable, flexible packaging films that offer a future-proof alternative to plastic. Her start-up mujō has received multiple awards, including as a winner of the “What Design Can Do – Make it Circular Challenge” and as one of Germany’s Cultural and Creative Pilots. The research project “Seaweedpack” is currently funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the KMU-innovativ: Bioeconomy program.
In addition to her work as an entrepreneur, she is an experienced Design Thinking coach, guiding companies through innovation processes. With her many years of experience in STEM education and her involvement with the WeQ Institute, she brings a deep understanding of creative learning methods and future-oriented skills.
Hoang Anh Nguyen, Chief Growth Officer ecoLocked GmbH
Hoang is spearheading the company's mission to transform buildings into carbon sinks . His strategic vision aims to expand ecoLocked's market reach and forge vital partnerships. ecoLocked mission is developing and producing biochar-based carbon negative building materials to reduce the CO2 footprint of the built environment.
Beyond his role at ecoLocked, Hoang is actively involved in driving sustainability within the construction sector. He serves as a spokesperson for Sustainability Innovations & Startups at the solid UNIT e.V. network and is a board member of the Bundesverband Digitales Bauwesen (BDBau). Previously, from 2021-2023, he chaired the Urban Development Committee in Berlin-Mitte, gaining deep insights into bureaucratic processes and public engagement for major projects.
Dr. Rhea Machado, CEO Porelio GmbH
Rhea is a founder, mother, and chemical engineer by conviction. Ever since she was six years old, she wanted to be an inventor – today, she is CEO of the Berlin-based start-up Porelio, which develops high-performance adsorbent materials to remove PFAS (“forever chemicals”). She earned her doctorate at BasCat – a joint lab of BASF and TU Berlin – and has since combined scientific depth with entrepreneurial execution.
As the mother of a two-year-old daughter, she knows what’s at stake if we fail to remove pollutants from our environment. With Porelio, her mission is not just to scale a product, but to take responsibility – for water that stays clean.
Moderated by
Dr. Katrin Streffer, Business Manager greenCHEM
Katrin has founded several companies in the field of sustainable chemistry and has been working as a senior manager in the chemical industry for 20 years. She is currently part of the greenCHEM consortium as a business manager. She studied chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin, earned her doctorate in analytical biochemistry at the University of Potsdam, is the author of numerous publications, is married, and is the mother of two children.