Matthias Hornberger - #DigitalMindsKA, the people behind karlsruhe.digital
The initiative karlsruhe.digital arose with the collaboration of nine expert groups, over 25 institutions, and over 50 ICT companies. Together they pursue the vision for Karlsruhe to become a motor of digitalization – for competitiveness, quality of life and sovereignty and hence be a pioneer with regard to digital topics. a driver of digitalization It pools expert knowledge, promotes networking and addresses issues holistically in order to actively shape the digital future of the city.
And behind it all are people. People who are committed, who are passionate about something and who use their time, their ideas and their expertise for precisely this reason. We want to make visible who these people, the digital minds, are. Once a month, we ask the digital minds what drives them and what visions they have.
In the eleventh part of our #DigitalMindsKA series, we visit Matthias Hornberger, CEO of CyberForum.
A visit to Hoepfner Castle: where Karlsruhe’s digital future is being created
It’s a frosty winter’s day in Karlsruhe, and with every breath we take, a subtle hint of frost appears in the cold air as we take the streetcar towards Hoepfner-Burg. The striking building, which is home to the CyberForum, among other things, stands out impressively against the clear, wintry sky.
As soon as we arrive, the elevator closes its doors right in front of us. So we take the light-flooded stairwell instead. The clear winter sun shines through the high windows and bathes the historic brickwork in a warm light. On the way up, we keep discovering fine architectural details – subtle traces of the connection between past and present.
Karlsruhe as an IT location: opportunities and challenges
When we arrive upstairs, Matthias Hornberger is already waiting for us in a glass meeting room. The Chairman of the CyberForum – a key figure in Karlsruhe’s digital community for decades – welcomes us with a friendly smile and a hot cup of coffee.
For Hornberger, Karlsruhe is one thing above all: a high-tech location that benefits everyone. Leaning back and relaxing, his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, he answers our opening question about his first association with the city. Winter light falls through the glass walls of the meeting room onto the table as he thinks for a moment – a quick glance out of the window, followed by a decisive nod: “But it’s also a city that stands out for its quality of life.
For him, this quality of life is not just about the city itself, but also its surroundings. The proximity to the Black Forest, Kraichgau, the Palatinate and even Switzerland offers ideal conditions for a fulfilling life. “You know, when I first came to Karlsruhe, a survey was being conducted: ‘What is Karlsruhe known for? Possible answers were ‘City of Law’, ‘KSC’ or the ‘Gasometer at the highway junction’.” He smiles. “Today, however, Karlsruhe is primarily perceived as an IT city – and at the same time as a city with a high quality of life. For me, this is a wonderful compromise between urban life and proximity to nature.”
From investment banking to digital pioneer
Incidentally, Hornberger is not entirely innocent of the fact that Karlsruhe is at the forefront of digitalization today. He worked in investment banking for ten years before finally switching sides – and coming to Karlsruhe. “Back then, web.de asked me if I would like to accompany their IPO as Commercial Director. That was an exciting time.” Hornberger smiles. “However, the circumstances were not easy. The IPO was just 14 days before the collapse of the Neuer Markt, which meant that many companies had to cease trading at the time.“
Despite the turbulence, web.de became a success story in which Hornberger played a decisive role. “When I started, we were a tiny company with 30 employees and a turnover of 3 million euros. But we had the best product on the market and grew steadily – from 400,000 free users at the IPO to 10 million in 2005. We were one of the first in Germany to successfully implement the freemium model.“
After his time at web.de, new challenges followed. “I have been working in venture capital financing since 2008 and have experienced the various waves of the internet. At some point, we also started investing in biotechnology – an industry with longer cycles and larger amounts.“
A life between finance and innovation
Today, Hornberger is not only Chairman of the Board of CyberForum, but also a consultant, business angel and member of the Supervisory Board. Nevertheless, CyberForum is at the center of his commitment. “This is a voluntary activity that is very close to my heart. Since 2006, CyberForum has changed from a start-up network to an entrepreneurial network. It is now about supporting companies in all phases, whether through funding projects, lobbying or networking with other players.“
Hornberger takes a look out of the meeting room window before continuing. “When I came to Karlsruhe, the big innovation was the internet – the disruptive technology par excellence, because it was in the public domain. In the past, new technologies started in industry and eventually found their way to the end customer. The Internet has completely reversed this paradigm. Suddenly it was the private customers who were quicker on the uptake.“
A location in transition – with strong minds at the top
He recalls with a smile: “This was possible because technology made it possible to bring semi-developed products to market – something that was previously unthinkable. Then came the smartphone, especially the iPhone, which changed everything again.“
Hornberger calls these developments the “waves of innovation” and refers to the next major transformation that has already begun: Artificial intelligence. “We are now facing the third major shift. AI will fundamentally change our working world and our society. The exciting question is: can Karlsruhe also play a leading role in this wave?” He looks thoughtful. “For many years, Karlsruhe was the leading IT location in the region. But today, other strongholds are also emerging, for example in Heilbronn, and even Stuttgart has recognized that it is important to be at the forefront of this technology. Because traditional industries will not provide the jobs of the future.“
Despite the emerging competition, Hornberger sees decisive strengths in Karlsruhe. “KIT is an extremely strong university, especially when it comes to technical topics. What drives me is that Karlsruhe remains the most attractive IT location in Baden-Württemberg.“
Place of cooperation
His enthusiasm for the location becomes even clearer when he talks about the special features of cooperation in Karlsruhe. “All stakeholders are always involved here. Business, science, administration and culture work closely together and drive projects forward together. This may be time-consuming at times, but it leads to sustainable results.“
Hornberger picks out a specific example: the Smart Production Park. “CyberForum played a central role in this project, even though we were not involved either economically or technically. Thanks to our strong connections and the trust of our partners, we were able to get the project off the ground. Today it runs completely independently of us.“
This approach, he continues, is at the heart of CyberForum’s philosophy. “We always act on a subsidiary basis. Our aim is to help our members become even more successful, be it through networks, advice or initiatives such as the training offensive. We don’t do anything that would compete with our members.“
Shaping the digital future
As our conversation draws to a close, our eyes wander to the notepad – one point remains unanswered: Artificial intelligence. Just the day before, the debate about its regulation had been taken up again in the media.
Hornberger leans back and goes meta: “As a country, we must not lose touch. What particularly concerns me is the impression that the next generation may lose out on their standard of living in their quest for a work-life balance.”
This is precisely where he sees AI as a great opportunity to cushion this development – and regrets that the topic often has negative connotations. “We must not regulate away innovations before they even emerge. Otherwise the others will do it – and we’ll lose out.”
The Colourful Night of Digitalization: Getting people excited about technology
But this is precisely where the challenge lies: such topics need to be communicated to the public in an understandable way. How does this work? One example is the Colourful Night of Digitalization – an event that Hornberger sees as essential for Karlsruhe as a digital location. “We have to get people involved, show them what we are doing and what the benefits are. This is the only way we can create a positive climate for IT – and at the same time secure the skilled workers of tomorrow.”
Hornberger describes the Bunte Nacht der Digitalisierung as a kind of in-house exhibition for IT companies – with a special challenge: in a B2B-oriented city like Karlsruhe, it is not always easy to make complex technologies accessible to a wide audience.
“Products are becoming more and more complex, and many things are not so easy to present that they immediately appeal to the general public. The end customer is often only prepared to invest in topics such as security to a limited extent. That’s why we need to focus the event more on general interest.”
Despite these hurdles, he remains convinced of the value of such events. “They are an important building block in making the city and its stakeholders visible.”
Karlsruhe in 30 years
Hornberger is optimistic about the future. “At best, we will have used our resources and talents to build an AI stronghold that offers products for the local and global market. Autonomous mobility, CO₂-free, through technological solutions – that’s my vision.” But he remains realistic. “Of course, there is also the scenario in which we can’t keep up. But I’m working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Our conversation ends with these words. As we pack up our notes, Hornberger leaves for his next appointment. Outside, we are greeted by the cool winter air, and as we walk through the streets of Karlsruhe on our way home, one thought sticks in our minds: Karlsruhe is constantly changing – but with forward thinkers like Hornberger, it remains a digital pioneer.