Hey, dear reader!
Hugo and I are looking for a Content Creator (Instagram) to help us take found to the next level. If you follow tech trends, know how to create appealing content, and have drive for new media, talk to us! Or forward it to someone who might be a good fit.
Last week, we had a lively discussion in our WhatsApp community where Ian raised a question of picking the right name for your startup:
How long did it take you to come up with your company/brand name? I feel like in the tech/ai world anything that sounds remotely good and rememberable is already taken, or there is another company sounding too similar.
For many it's not only about obvious technical aspect like online visibility or domain availability but also about the sound, vision, and associations the name communicates.
So what are the techniques local founders use to pick a name that lands?
Check the collisions before you fall in love. Taken names, trademarks, SEO, domain price. Anori Tech, who build battery management systems, found their name was already gone, so they added "Tech", and made sure the brands already using it weren't in their space.
Let the name come from the thing itself. The founder says he could never have thought of Franzbrötchen, his Hamburg city guide app, if he hadn't lived here for so long. One practical tip: if the App Store is where people find you, keep it short enough to leave room for a keyword.
The meaning can come later. ALLMO, an AI search analytics tool, took LLMO, the closest thing their emerging category had to a name, added a vowel to make it sayable, and then decided the A stood for Applied.
I’ve added more stories and practical tips from our community, so check them out. Reply to this email, if you want to share what helped or inspired you.
Save the Date 🗓️
The events I'm most excited about in the weeks ahead.
Tuesday, August 18
MAKE AI WORK Monthly Meetup #1 (German) — Swap real AI implementation experience with founders and operators in a first edition built on practice, not buzzwords.
Wednesday, August 19
Impact Lunch: Körber Start-Hub Edition (German) — Meet young impact founders over a vegan lunch that opens with a short talk and turns into open exchange.
Wednesday, August 19
Mutabor BrandTalk: AI Labelling (German) — Unpack what mandatory AI labelling means for brands and creative work with people who deal with it daily.
Thursday, August 20
AI Afterwork (English) — Talk AI over food and drinks on a rooftop with the city's practitioners as the summer evening cools off.
Wednesday, August 26
THE ROAST ROUNDS (English) — Put your pitch in front of a room willing to tear it apart, and get the blunt feedback nobody gives you politely.
Weekly Picks 📍
All the events on my radar for this week.
This Issue’s Gem 💎
Wednesday, August 12
Co-Founder Matching: Inkubator Edition (German) — Meet other under-30 builders looking for a co-founder and leave with a team instead of a solo idea.
AI Everywhere 🤖
Saturday, August 15
agentic coding studio (English) — Build with coding agents for a full morning alongside other developers, with a format designed so you ship something by the end.
Sunday, August 16
Claude Code Sunday For Beginners (English) — Get hands-on with Claude Code from scratch over Sunday coffee, no prior agent experience needed.
Tech Bite 🧑💻
Thursday, August 13
The Garage (English) — Watch robotic arms and physical AI systems do actual work at a demo-first evening for people who like hardware as much as models.
Startup 101 🔨
Friday, August 14
build fridays (English) — Work on your startup alongside other founders for the afternoon and end the week with real progress instead of a to-do list.
Wednesday, August 12
Female Founder's Breakfast (German) — Bring your startup questions to a small breakfast circle of aspiring and active female founders and leave with answers and contacts.
Get Inspired ✨
Wednesday, August 12
Hamburg Global Innovators Circle Summer Party (English) — Swap Germany life hacks with international founders at the 17th edition of this outdoor community party, with BBQ grills and an 85% solar eclipse at dusk.
Thursday, August 13
12min.me IGNITE #121 (German) — Three 12-minute talks from founders and operators, including exaere's CEO, followed by open networking over drinks.
Thursday, August 13
AI Beavers Summer BBQ (English) — Spend a no-agenda evening with Hamburg's AI builder crowd over barbecue, drinks and a DJ set, with no talks and no pitching.
Saturday, August 15
Founders Running Club x Longevity Cities (English) — Run a relaxed 5K with founders, investors and tech people in a special longevity edition, with a shorter 3K option and coffee after.
Open Calls 📣
Grants, programs, and opportunities waiting for your application.
SPRIND Funke: Quantum-Driven Intelligence — For technical teams working on sensing, data fusion, autonomy or ML on hard physical data. Up to €200,000 in Stage 1 and a further €100,000 in Stage 2, non-dilutive, from Germany's federal agency for breakthrough innovation, with up to 15 teams starting on September 20. Real or simulated quantum sensor data both count, so you do not need your own hardware. Deadline: September 6.
Eurostars Call 11 — For SMEs with an R&D project and a partner in another Eurostars country. Public grant funding for international collaborative R&D in any field, paid out by your national funding body, with an innovative SME required to lead the consortium. Worth starting now if you already have a partner in mind, since you need at least two independent entities from two countries. Deadline: September 10.
Job Picks 💼
3 open roles worth a look this week.
Content Creator at found, a rapidly growing founder community and independent startup media taking Hamburg's startup scene to the next level.
Senior Backend Developer at Logicc, an AI startup building a GDPR-compliant platform that gives regulated industries secure access to LLMs.
Product Manager at Phrase, a localization SaaS company whose platform is used by Uber, Shopify, Bosch and Lufthansa.
Want to feature your job and put it in front of 1.300+ readers? Submit it here.
That’s a wrap!
Check out the tune of the week from the found playlist
🏄♂
Share found Hamburg with your friends
See you next week,
Kyrylo from found Hamburg