Notes from Future Tech Fest: The Human Side of Innovation

A hall full of “AI can do this for you” pitches, and what stole my heart? A clock.
Not a screen. Not a bot. A beautifully simple object that helps people feel time better.

Düsseldorf became the hub

FTF took over Areal Böhler on 11 September 2025, the official highlight of Startup Week Düsseldorf—a loud, ambitious celebration of tech and entrepreneurship across the city.

I joined Ranga Yogeshwar’s talk—“Wie Innovation die Gesellschaft verändert.” As always, he translated complexity into common sense, reminding us that progress is only progress if it serves people.

What actually stuck

Between robot demos and generative everything, I kept drifting toward the semi-offline gems:

That clock—an accessible, analog-adjacent way to make the abstractness of time tangible. Design doing what design does best: lowering cognitive load, widening inclusion.
Oberheim speakers—gorgeous, horn-loaded systems now finding homes in listening bars here in Düsseldorf; proof that craftsmanship still wins when the brief is “goosebumps.”
Local energy—conversations with green-IT founders, digital-literacy advocates, and the city’s own doers. I even caught up with David from THE DORF, the magazine that documents Düsseldorf’s creative pulse with care.

A useful pattern

Walking the expo, a simple pattern emerged:

Hype scales. Care endures. AI is accelerating; fine. But objects with intention—built to be repaired, understood, and loved—create longer arcs of value.
Local beats louder. The best conversations weren’t on stages; they happened between neighbors building climate-positive infrastructure and practical digital skills.
Interfaces matter. Whether it’s a time-telling clock or a hi-fi system tuned for a room, good interfaces dignify the user. That’s where trust (and adoption) starts.

Why I’m excited

FTF was big, yes. But more importantly: it was kind. The people I met—in green-IT, digital literacy, and independent entrepreneurship—weren’t just pitching features. They were stewarding futures. That’s the work worth championing in the months ahead.

If you’re building human-centered tech in the region—or experimenting with tactile, locally made products that reduce complexity rather than add it—let’s compare notes. Düsseldorf has the ingredients. Let’s cook something useful.