What happens when AI and quantum computing challenge the foundations of digital security? This Thursday Gathering explores emerging technologies, AI-driven startups, and the future of cryptography and Bitcoin. Discover innovative pre-seed ventures pitching solutions for real-world challenges, then join an interdisciplinary discussion on how AI and quantum advances could reshape cybersecurity, digital finance, and the future of decentralized systems. Whether you're a founder, investor, or technology enthusiast, join us to explore what comes next.
In the Demo Table zone you will discover various products, technologies and projects being presented by the founders or startup-representatives.
In the Info Table zone you will find out about projects, organisations and ideas.
Want to present your organisation? Send us an application!
However remember, this is NO HARD SALES zone.
Unwind, connect, and vibe to the rhythm! This lively session blends casual networking with great music, offering the perfect atmosphere to meet fellow innovators, exchange ideas, and forge new collaborations. Enjoy the beats, and build meaningful connections in a relaxed, energetic setting.
Start your night with this quick overview of Venture Café, what we do as a community, and how you can make the most of our weekly Thursday Gathering! Bring a friend, grab a beverage, and plug in to the ecosystem - it’s time to connect, learn, and share 💜
Almost everything we trust online, from banking and web traffic to messaging and digital identity, rests on public-key cryptography. Two threats are now calling that very foundation into question. Quantum computers could break today's signatures and key exchange, with the hardware required shrinking steadily. AI could reach the same result with breakthroughs in mathematics, and it is already helping quantum attacks along by optimizing the circuits behind them.
The synergy between them is unmistakable, and even the post-quantum schemes meant to replace today's cryptography may not be safe either. With finance and the internet facing a long, fragmented migration, the stakes are highest where cryptography protects value directly. Cryptocurrencies add their own exposure: public keys sit on a public ledger, assets are bearer instruments, and theft is irreversible. Given Bitcoin's history, the challenge is particularly acute: every serious option (do nothing, freeze, force a deadline) violates a principle the Bitcoin community cares about, and the work must start before the threat is visible.
Join us at this interdisciplinary event where AI, quantum and Bitcoin experts come together in a novel panel to discuss the technical foundations of this challenge and its potential solutions.
Program
17:00 Arrival
17:30 Intro
17:35 Keynote 1: Quantum
17:55 Keynote 2: Bitcoin
18:15 Q&A
19:00 Networking
Speakers
Wadim Wormsbecher:
Theoretical physicist turned tech innovator. With a PhD from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and a background developing AI products, Wadim now works at Bundesdruckerei focusing on applied cybersecurity in the era of Quantum and AI. His focus goes beyond hardware. AI-driven discoveries and algorithmic improvements can reduce the resources needed to challenge today’s cryptography. Understanding these shifts is essential to assessing quantum threats and making informed security decisions.
wadimwormsbecher
Fabian Jahr:
Fabian Jahr has contributed to Bitcoin Core since 2019 and currently works on it full-time with a grant from Brink. He reviews critical changes to Bitcoin Core, develops ASMap for a more decentralized peer-to-peer network, and researches protocol upgrades. With the support of the Human Rights Foundation, he published a report on how Cross-Input Signature Aggregation could change Bitcoin, and he is now turning it into a soft fork proposal with BIPs 458 to 460.
Manuel Moran:
Over the past 12 years, Manuel has built software across research, media, and both traditional and decentralized finance. His path has run from software engineering, through data science and machine learning, to AI engineering, where he now owns end-to-end agentic workflows. At the ephesto consultancy he collaborates with experts in design, strategy, finance, and law to help organizations stay competitive as AI redefines what it takes to be successful.
Early-stage ideas, fresh perspectives, bold ambitions. This Thursday’s gathering brings together 5 international venture teams from ESCP Business School Berlin. Over the past two months, they have developed their ideas through intensive entrepreneurship workshops and drawn inspiration from the start-up ecosystems of Warsaw and Berlin.
One month before their final pitches, they will present their solutions, business models, and visions for positive impact. Challenge their ideas, share your feedback, and connect with founders at the very beginning of their journey.
Registration for this event is closed.
What happens when AI and quantum computing challenge the foundations of digital security? This Thursday Gathering explores emerging technologies, AI-driven startups, and the future of cryptography and Bitcoin. Discover innovative pre-seed ventures pitching solutions for real-world challenges, then join an interdisciplinary discussion on how AI and quantum advances could reshape cybersecurity, digital finance, and the future of decentralized systems. Whether you're a founder, investor, or technology enthusiast, join us to explore what comes next.
In the Demo Table zone you will discover various products, technologies and projects being presented by the founders or startup-representatives.
In the Info Table zone you will find out about projects, organisations and ideas.
Want to present your organisation? Send us an application!
However remember, this is NO HARD SALES zone.
Unwind, connect, and vibe to the rhythm! This lively session blends casual networking with great music, offering the perfect atmosphere to meet fellow innovators, exchange ideas, and forge new collaborations. Enjoy the beats, and build meaningful connections in a relaxed, energetic setting.
Start your night with this quick overview of Venture Café, what we do as a community, and how you can make the most of our weekly Thursday Gathering! Bring a friend, grab a beverage, and plug in to the ecosystem - it’s time to connect, learn, and share 💜
Almost everything we trust online, from banking and web traffic to messaging and digital identity, rests on public-key cryptography. Two threats are now calling that very foundation into question. Quantum computers could break today's signatures and key exchange, with the hardware required shrinking steadily. AI could reach the same result with breakthroughs in mathematics, and it is already helping quantum attacks along by optimizing the circuits behind them.
The synergy between them is unmistakable, and even the post-quantum schemes meant to replace today's cryptography may not be safe either. With finance and the internet facing a long, fragmented migration, the stakes are highest where cryptography protects value directly. Cryptocurrencies add their own exposure: public keys sit on a public ledger, assets are bearer instruments, and theft is irreversible. Given Bitcoin's history, the challenge is particularly acute: every serious option (do nothing, freeze, force a deadline) violates a principle the Bitcoin community cares about, and the work must start before the threat is visible.
Join us at this interdisciplinary event where AI, quantum and Bitcoin experts come together in a novel panel to discuss the technical foundations of this challenge and its potential solutions.
Program
17:00 Arrival
17:30 Intro
17:35 Keynote 1: Quantum
17:55 Keynote 2: Bitcoin
18:15 Q&A
19:00 Networking
Speakers
Wadim Wormsbecher:
Theoretical physicist turned tech innovator. With a PhD from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and a background developing AI products, Wadim now works at Bundesdruckerei focusing on applied cybersecurity in the era of Quantum and AI. His focus goes beyond hardware. AI-driven discoveries and algorithmic improvements can reduce the resources needed to challenge today’s cryptography. Understanding these shifts is essential to assessing quantum threats and making informed security decisions.
wadimwormsbecher
Fabian Jahr:
Fabian Jahr has contributed to Bitcoin Core since 2019 and currently works on it full-time with a grant from Brink. He reviews critical changes to Bitcoin Core, develops ASMap for a more decentralized peer-to-peer network, and researches protocol upgrades. With the support of the Human Rights Foundation, he published a report on how Cross-Input Signature Aggregation could change Bitcoin, and he is now turning it into a soft fork proposal with BIPs 458 to 460.
Manuel Moran:
Over the past 12 years, Manuel has built software across research, media, and both traditional and decentralized finance. His path has run from software engineering, through data science and machine learning, to AI engineering, where he now owns end-to-end agentic workflows. At the ephesto consultancy he collaborates with experts in design, strategy, finance, and law to help organizations stay competitive as AI redefines what it takes to be successful.
Early-stage ideas, fresh perspectives, bold ambitions. This Thursday’s gathering brings together 5 international venture teams from ESCP Business School Berlin. Over the past two months, they have developed their ideas through intensive entrepreneurship workshops and drawn inspiration from the start-up ecosystems of Warsaw and Berlin.
One month before their final pitches, they will present their solutions, business models, and visions for positive impact. Challenge their ideas, share your feedback, and connect with founders at the very beginning of their journey.