Past Events
German Tech Circle
We enjoyed an entertaining evening of networking and insights with the German Tech Community, organized by venture capitalist Bernhard Gold. A highlight of the evening was German Consul Oliver Schramm, who shared reflections on his time here in the world’s…
Launch Tank Pitch Night
Visionary start-ups in the fields of online recruiting, tree care and drug development were the winning pitches at our Launch Tank Pitch Night in Palo Alto. Our judging panel of venture capitalists - Niklas Herriger (Cross-Atlantic Angles), Mani Honigstein (Honeystone Ventures),…
Transforming Women’s Health: Progress, Challenges & The Road Ahead
Last night's "Transforming Women's Health" event, hosted by GABA, Start2 Group, and Stanford WIN, brought together an incredible panel of experts to discuss the urgent issues shaping the future of women's healthcare. A huge thank you to our speakers Sylvia…
Transatlantic Trade in Focus: The Impact of the New US Government
One day after the new U.S. Government came together for its first Cabinet session, and four days after Germany elected a new Bundestag, we enjoyed a timely discussion about how businesses and institutions are navigating the whirlwind of change that…
GABA Silicon Valley Executive Circle Breakfast
On February 5, 2025, GABA hosted an exclusive Executive Circle Breakfast at the BMW Holding Offices in Mountain View, bringing together senior executives for insightful discussions and networking. The event featured Deepak Puri, CIO of Deutsche Bank Americas Wealth Management,…
European New Year’s Celebration 2025
The EuroCham New Year's Celebration in San Francisco brought together an incredible international audience, and we're thrilled that GABA had the opportunity to co-organize this vibrant event. The evening was filled with engaging conversations, meaningful networking, and a shared vision…
Global Business Outlook 2025
The GABA Global Business Outlook 2025 offered profound insights into the transformative shifts shaping our world. Here is a brief overview of the evening: Economic Trends: Ulrike Malmendier of Berkeley University, one of the five economic advisors to the German…
Navigating the Future of AI: The European AI Act
The panel debate on the European AI Act, held at SAP’s San Francisco office, highlighted differing perspectives on Europe’s approach to artificial intelligence regulation. Panelists defending Europe’s regulatory-first strategy argued that it ensures trust and safety in AI, which are…
AI Leadership: Can AI Earn My Trust?
The panel discussion on AI Leadership: Can AI Earn My Trust, hosted by SAP on October 22, ignited thought-provoking conversations on the evolving intersection of AI and trust. Panelists Molham Aref, Johannes Deubner, Archana Karnik, Christoph Leuze, Florian Neukart, Carol…
Pathways to Gender Equity: Can Global Perspectives Lead to Global Solutions?
On October 15th, at Start2, over 40 GABA members gathered in Palo Alto for an engaging discussion on gender equity. The event, "Pathways to Gender Equity," examined how transatlantic insights and industry best practices might offer solutions for women's career…
German Day in Golden Gate Park 2024
GABA was proud to participate in this year’s German Day in Golden Gate Park, celebrating German heritage and fostering cultural exchange in the heart of San Francisco. The event brought together members of the German-American community for a day filled with…
A Look Inside The ZEISS Innovation Center California
Today, GABA members had the unique opportunity to tour the ZEISS Innovation Center California in Dublin. Opened in 2021, this state-of-the-art facility serves as ZEISS's U.S. headquarters for medical technology and a hub for R&D, production, and customer service. During…
NextGen Night Out in San Francisco
This young professionals event brought together a vibrant group, including a founder of an AI startup, an M&A manager, AR researcher from Meta, a Stanford graduate specializing in urbanization, and many more. Conversations ranged from the cultural and mindset shifts…
A Memorable Evening at the Fall European Networking Event
The Fall European Networking event at SAP Labs in San Francisco was an unforgettable celebration of the European business community in the Bay Area. Organized by the German American Business Association (GABA) in collaboration with the British American Business Council…
Nine Vital Signs of Startup Success
During the webinar "The Nine Vital Signs of Startup Success," Jeff Wallace and Kal Deutsch from Silicon Valley In Your Pocket (SVIYP) expertly outlined the nine key indicators that every startup should focus on to drive success: Product-Market Fit Ensure…
GABA Women Meet – A Night of Empowerment and Insight
Yesterday’s GABA Women Meet brought together an incredible group of women for an unforgettable evening! A huge thank you to Nicole Jacobi, the culinary entrepreneur behind Nico's Plant Based Kitchen and Ludwig's Biergarten, for sharing her inspiring entrepreneurial story, and to Patricia Roller,…
Finding Balance & Wholeness in Life & Business: A Transformative Evening
Last night, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu, a renowned psychologist from Stanford University, at the Japanese Innovation Campus in downtown Palo Alto. This session explored how mindfulness, compassion, and a sense of responsibility can profoundly impact…
GABA Sommerfest 2024
It was fantastic to see so many people – including several families – at our annual GABA Sommerfest! We thank you for joining and hope you spent a great afternoon mingling with other members of the German American community. Our…
Summer European Networking 2024
The German American Business Association of California (GABA), British American Business Council Northern California (BABC), French American Chamber of Commerce San Francisco (FACC), and the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations (EuroCham), were delighted to host another…
What’s Next Is Now
We are thrilled to share the highlights from our recent event "What's Next is Now", a fireside chat with former Google Chief Innovation Evangelist, Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt in conversation with Tracey Grose. We had a packed house brimming with…
GABA Women Meet – A Summer Night with Erdbeerbowle
It was fantastic to see so many women at our GABA Women Meet! What a great evening to mingle with other members of the German American community while enjoying a glass (or two) of our homemade Erdbeerbowle. Our special thanks…
GABA Gala 2024: A Fabulous Celebration of the German-American Community
It was a great display of community and achievement at Dominic's Oyster Point in South San Francisco as we celebrated this year's award winners of the GABA Achievement Award, Petra Vorsteher and Ragnar Kruse. The amazing power couple was…
California Dreaming Happy Hour in Berlin
Niklas Hanisch, one of GABA's Ambassadors in Germany, organized the 'California Dreaming' event in Berlin on May 26. Participants, including former expats who lived in the Bay Area and those planning to relocate there, were primarily interested in connecting with…
Amazing AI Startup Pitch Event at Hana Haus on May 23!
Full House at the German AI Roadshow at Hana Haus with 10 German AI startups pitching. In case you missed it, check out the promising startups. Congratulations to the winner of the pitch contest: Energy Robotics! Pitching Startups 36ZERO Vision enables…
Your Health is Personal. Personalized Medicine for Diagnostic and Therapy.
A truly inspiring discussion on personalized medicine at our event “Your Health is Personal” last week. The panel featured J. Dianne Keen-Kim, Ph.D., FACMG, HCLD(ABB), Sudha Krishnan, Ph.D, Dr. Thomas Koehnke, Prof. Dr. Katja Hanack and Dr. Christian Apfel. The speakers…
Spring European Networking 2024
What an incredible evening at the Spring European Networking event! Held in the picturesque outside courtyard at Cooley's Palo Alto office, the event drew a large crowd eager to make new connections, catch up with familiar faces, and bask in…
Democracy and Disinformation: How can Information Systems and the Media Landscape work for Business, Consumers and Democracy?
Democracy and Disinformation, an event organized by EuroCham and GABA, drew an engaged crowd on April 24 at SAP Labs in San Francisco. Democracy is on the ballot in 40 national elections around the world this year...
Breakfast Briefing. International Dispute Resolution Made in Germany.
The Breakfast Briefing, co-hosted by GABA Northern California, the German Consulate General San Francisco, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Deutsch-Amerikanische Juristen-Vereinigung (DAJV e.V.), brought together a high-level delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia, led by Governor Hendrik Wüst, and the Bay…
Leaving the U.S. – Financial Planning Tips & Traps
Andrew Fisher and Libby Dawson from Cerity Partners, a long time GABA corporate member, held a webinar on “Leaving the U.S. – Financial Planning Tips and Traps” on March 20, 2024, with a focus on the financial consequences of emigrating…
The Future of Mobility – More than Meets the AI
More Than Meets the AI - GABA’s latest event on the future of mobility, in collaboration with the US Japan Business Forum Keizai, drew a large crowd on March 12 at the offices of Procopio in Palo Alto. Participants were…
GABA Innovation Breakfast at BMW Group Technology Office USA – Highlighting the CES Trends
Amidst the bustling landscape of Silicon Valley, GABA recently hosted another of its highly anticipated Innovation Breakfasts. This time, the vibrant discussions and networking took place within the confines of the BMW Group Technology Office USA in Mountain View, commemorating…
Fireside Chat with Astrid Langer
Transatlantic Insights: From Couch-Surfing to Crafting a Portrait of Kamala Harris
During GABA's recent Fireside Chat event, attendees had the privilege of spending an inspiring evening with Marie-Astrid Langer...
European New Year’s Celebration
It was great to see so many people at our Tuesday evening event – celebrating the start of a new year, meeting old friends, and making new ones ! Members and friends from all EuroCham organizations came together – it…
Global Business Outlook 2024
We are thrilled to share the success of our Global Business Outlook 2024 and would love to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made it a remarkable experience! A massive thank you to our incredible speakers and moderator Oliver…
GABA Women Meet: Bridging Borders – Navigating Silicon Valley for Expats
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting an incredible event that brought together passion, knowledge, and great energy! A heartfelt thank you to our amazing serial expats, Isabelle Finger and Tracey Grose, for gracing us with their insights during…
Automotive Innovation: What’s Next?
It was great to see so many people at our event on Wednesday! We thank you for joining and hope the information presented was valuable for you. We would like to extend our thanks to Stanford Research Park for hosting…
GABA Women Meet – October 2023
Fantastic "GABA Women Meet" evening at our host Bosch USA in Sunnyvale! Patricia Roller, former CEO and owner of frog design, and current CEO of Vidlet Inc., shared her interesting professional journey from the Black Forest to Silicon Valley in…
Young GABA Happy Hour
Last Tuesday's GABA Happy Hour brought together an incredible blend of Young Professionals from Germany, California and all over the world! Attendees reveled in an evening of lively networking and vibrant conversations, complemented by an array of delightful drinks. It…
Fall European Networking 2023
What a great evening last night: once again, our sold-out European Networking Mixer, organized in cooperation with the British American Business Council Northern California, French American Chamber of Commerce San Francisco, and the other EU Chambers of Commerce, was a…
Innovation Breakfast
Innovation Revival – last week, GABA NorCal hosted a breakfast of corporate innovation executives at Buck's of Woodside to get a pulse check on our innovation hub...
GABA Women Meet – A Summer Night with Erdbeerbowle
It was so great to see another delightful GABA Women Meet event happening this Wednesday. The picturesque backyard of Intero Real Estate Services in Menlo Park provided an ideal environment for great conversations and valuable connections. This event offered a…
GABA Sommerfest 2023
Amazing turnout at our annual GABA Sommerfest! It was fantastic to see so many people and families who are part of the German American community come together for an afternoon of fun & food! Our GABA Sommerfest wouldn't have been the…
European Summer Mixer 2023
We had an incredible evening for the Young Professionals version of the annual European Networking series. Over 80 guests joined us on the sunny roof deck Werqwise in San Mateo. We’d like to thank all of the European Chambers of…
Responsible AI
We had a great panel discussion last week at the event "Responsible AI". The regulations of AI, or better the lack thereof, was the main topic of this very insightful exchange. Special thanks to our expert panelists Yaad Oren from…
GABA Gala 2023 with Award Winner Ulrike Malmendier
GABA Gala 2023 – what a resounding success! Our sold-out GABA Gala was a wonderful show and display of what makes the German American community in the Bay Area so unique. Among the highlights of the Gala was the fascinating…
Congrats to the 2023 Transatlantic AI Hackathon Winners!
Our Transatlantic AI Hackathon was a great success! Topic was "Smart Industry. Transforming Manufacturing with Edge Computing and Cloud Data Integration." and our teams came up with fantastic solutions that hopefully can be implemented in the real world! 1st Place:…
Spring European Networking 2023
We had an incredible time last week at the annual Spring European Networking Evening, hosted by our friends at Cooley LLP in Palo Alto. In partnership with the French-American Chamber of Commerce San Francisco and British American Business Council, we…
ZEISS Onsite Visit
Step into the future of innovation! On April 28th, 2023, GABA members had the opportunity to visit the ZEISS Innovation Center California, where they received an in-depth tour of the ZEISS Medical Customer Experience Center...
Watts & Wine – EU and US Perspectives on the European Energy Crisis
We had a great panel discussion at last week's event "Watts & Wine – EU and US Perspectives on the European Energy Crisis". The energy topics we discussed were the current situation in Europe, hydrogen, government regulations, startups, innovation, and…
Transatlantic AI Hackathon Challenge Information Session
Leading up to the Hackathon on April 21-23, 2023, we invite anyone interested to to watch the recording of our Challenge Information Session for the Transatlantic AI Hackathon 2023...
The Future of Food: Are Alternative Proteins Holding up to Their Promise?
GABA NorCal and sponsor Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP co-hosted the event titled "The Future of Food: Are Alternative Proteins Holding Up to Their Promise?" in San Francisco last week...
Consumer and Investor Trends at GABA Innovation Breakfast
Last week, GABA held its quarterly Innovation Breakfast, sponsored by WilmerHale in Palo Alto. The theme for the meeting was consumer tech, and to set the stage, Daniel Zimmermann, partner at WilmerHale, provided a briefing on investor trends, including just-released…
Investment Considerations for International Professionals
Great turnout for our webinar "Investment Considerations for International Professionals"! We would like to extend our thanks to Andrew Fisher, Partner at Cerity Partners, and Libby Dawson, Principal with Cerity Partners, who provided a very professional overview of the current…
GABA Women Meet
It was great to see so many women at our in-person event "GABA Women Meet" at Intero in Menlo Park! Thank you everyone for joining! We would like to extend our thanks to Intero in Menlo Park for hosting the…
Global Business Outlook 2023
Great event at the beautifully decorated premises of the German Consulate General in San Francisco! Last week's Global Business Outlook 2023 was GABA's way to conclude a busy and challenging year – with a full house and very engaged members…
VC Event Series: Meet a VC – Ben Steven
On Tuesday, with support from the Berlin Business Office, USA, GABA hosted another great workshop of their "VC Event Series" with VC Ben Steven, Head of the Digital Industry Fund III for Momenta. Alongside Gunther Hofmann, Managing Director at Corporate…
Are We Prepared? With COVID Through the Winter
Yesterday, GABA, alongside the German American Business Council Boston, Inc. (GABC) and the support of the German Consulates Boston and San Francisco, hosted the virtual discussion panel "Are We Prepared? With COVID Through the Winter." Many distinguished panelists such as…
Halloween Happy Hour
Members of the Keizai Silicon Valley and GABA Northern California community had a great time networking last week at our joint Halloween Happy Hour at EVGR Pub and Beer Garden in Stanford! Thanks again to our very generous supporter Procopio…
Innovation Breakfast
Last week, GABA NorCal hosted a breakfast of corporate innovation executives to get a pulse check on our innovation hub, including attendees from SAP, ZEISS Group, Zollner Elektronik AG, BISSELL, Brose Careers, and State Farm. Wilmerhale hosted the event as…
German Day in San Francisco
German Day 2022 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco was a roaring success for GABA and everyone else who participated in this exciting gathering this Sunday! GABA and many other German organizations presented their expertise to attendees of the…
GABA Women Meet
It was great to see so many people at our in-person event "GABA Women Meet" on the beautiful Robert Bosch campus! Thank you everyone for joining! We would like to extend our thanks to Robert Bosch LLC for hosting the…
The Air We Breathe
GABA members and guests attended an enjoyable as well as educational event at the wonderful SAP Labs in Palo Alto on Thursday. To kick off the event, German Consul General Oliver Schramm gave a warm but pensive introduction, setting the…
Fall European Networking
It was fantastic to see so many people at last week’s “Fall European Networking” Event! Thanks to all for coming and for creating such a wonderful vibrant City-style atmosphere! We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors...
“Meet a VC” Workshop with Mani Honigstein from Honeystone Ventures
In today’s "Meet a VC" interactive workshop, GABA hosted Venture Capital partner Mani Honigstein from Honeystone Ventures, a Palo Alto based micro venture capital fund focused on investing in software startups. With an audience made up primarily of startups founders…
GABA Sommerfest 2022
The GABA Sommerfest 2022 was celebrated by members and friends of the German American Business Association on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Cuesta Park in Mountain View. Great barbecue offerings were combined with German beer, as well as yummy…
Young Professionals Summer Mixer
It was fantastic to see so many people at yesterday's "Young Professionals Summer Mixer" event! We thank everyone for joining and hope they were able to expand their networking opportunities. We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors…
German American Business Association Panel Takes on This Year’s VC Funding
Venture Capitalists won’t stop investing, even in an apparent economic slowdown. At least that’s according to the four investors who took part in a panel discussion put on by the German American Business Association (GABA). The message could be taken…
How Blockchain will Transform the Future of Business
Yesterday GABA Northern California hosted the in-person event "How Blockchain will Transform the Future of Business". Yaad Oren, GABA Director and Head of SAP Innovation Center Network, was the moderator of a very insightful panel discussion. The panel discussion was…
GABA Gala 2022 with Consul General Oliver Schramm and Award Winner Cyriac Roeding
Last Friday, the German American business community came together, in person, to celebrate Cyriac Roeding, Co-founder and CEO of the early cancer detection and treatment firm Earli Inc. At this first Gala since the pandemic, GABA bestowed the GABA Award…
Congrats to the 2022 Transatlantic AI Hackathon Winners!
Our Transatlantic AI Hackathon was a great success! Topic was "Sustainable Supply Chain" and our teams came up with fantastic solutions that hopefully can be implemented in the real world! 1st Place - Ant Trail An AI-powered platform to help…
How to Tap into the Silicon Valley Ecosystem – Lessons From Experts and Entrepreneurs Who Have Successfully Done It
Silicon Valley’s ecosystem and network are world famous. But how can “outsiders” like founders, investors, academics and managers tap into it? What are the ground rules? How and where to make beneficial connections? How is the culture different? Does it…
COVID-19: Putting Public Health To The Test
The Continued Role for COVID Testing As air and land borders have opened again and families are planning to get together in person this holiday season, we are going to discuss COVID-testing as a public health tool, and one that…
Green Hydrogen – Hype or Hope?
Examining the role of green hydrogen on the path to net-zero climate goals Which role will green hydrogen play in accelerating decarbonization? Why is sector-coupling important on our path toward net-zero? How can hydrogen support an integrated energy system based…
Global Business Outlook 2022
As 2021 is coming to a close, we’re headed into a new year that will be shaped by several key topics with wide-ranging international impact. During this event, we highlighted and discussed these topics with a panel of expert speakers…
Winners of 1st Transatlantic AI Hackathon – Health and Safety Monitoring DeepHack
Wow, what a ride this was! 48 hours of intense work and mentoring led to amazing results, with just a few small breaks for sleep, food, and the occasional Yoga sequence. 14 teams conceived solutions for very important challenges such…
Venture Capital Funding for AI Startups: Challenges & Opportunities in Germany and the US
Funding is one of the most crucial factors in enabling AI-driven startups to realize their business ideas. In contrast with the U.S. and China, however, the German venture capital market is still developing, making it more difficult for German AI…
Are Hybrid Work Models Here to Stay?
"It's the start of a journey and a real culture shift." In this recent panel discussion, our speakers discussed hybrid work models and what this means for leadership, community building, equity, onboarding, loyalty and so much more. Hybrid Work is just at…
Covid Testing in a Vaccinated Population: Needed or Obsolete?
Due to an increasingly efficient vaccination rollout and natural immunity, COVID-19 cases are declining in many countries. Nevertheless, the world has changed and so have testing, vaccination, hygiene, and travel standards. To exchange ideas about these changes, GABA hosted a…
AI: The Next Digital Revolution – Is Germany Prepared?
Yesterday, GABA hosted a discussion with AI thought-leaders on how Germany can contribute to and benefit from the enormous opportunities stemming from AI. Thomas Neubert, Senior Director at Intel and GABA Chair of the Board, moderated and started the discussion…
German-U.S. Partnership: Harnessing the Future of AI and Innovation
This week on Monday, April 19th, GABA had the honor to host a high-profile Fireside Chat to promote U.S.-European cooperation in artificial intelligence. This event was the joint launch of theTransatlantic AI eXchange and the Transatlantic Innovation Week. The Transatlantic…
Pandemic Management and Preparedness in Germany and in the U.S. – A Panel Discussion
We were very privileged to co-host four highly distinguished panelists discussing the state and the outlook of pandemic management and preparedness in both countries and beyond. The panel consisted of well-known public health leaders Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert…
Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets: The 3 Keys to Connecting with Investors
It was as informative as it was fun to listen to Angelika Blendstrup and Bill Reichert discuss the main takeaways from their recent book “Getting to Wow! Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets for Entrepreneurs” – if you can boil down 250+…
2021 VC Event Series Kick-Off: Automotive CVC Panel
The panel discussion "Strategic vs. Financially Driven Corporate Venture Capital - What's the "Right" Approach?" kicked-off our VC series with eight more events to follow in 2021. In a very open discussion, our panelists revealed how they balance the strategic…
Global Business Outlook 2021 – Enormous Challenges Before a Global Recovery
Despite the virtual format, GABA's annual Global Business Outlook drew a large audience. At the end of this unprecedented year, four experts presented their views on the economical development, immigration, the particular role of California, Germany, Europe and China, and…
The E-Commerce Boom Amidst a Pandemic: Legal Impacts and Trends
This very informative event covered many valuable aspects of the expansion process, including the differences in consumer attitude between the US and Germany, and how to use it to your advantage. Speakers from Osborne Clarke, Venable and T3 Micro gave…
Aging with Technology
Together with InnoHealth USA, an initiative of “Research in Germany” led by the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, GABA presented an expert discussion about aging and its implications, with an emphasis on technology-based solutions. Kris Rebillot, Director of Communications at Buck Institute for…
Climate Urgency: The Stakes Are Rising and Viable Solutions Are Growing
GABA had the honor to host top experts from California and Germany, two leading regions in addressing climate change. The panel agreed: there is no time to lose. We have to act and we have to act fast. The Panel…
Ask the Expert: Wealth Planning for Global Families in the U.S.
Experts Andrew Fisher and Libby Dawson from Worldview Wealth Advisors (a new Premium Corporate GABA member) filled the hour with a huge amount of highly valuable information. They covered the most important aspects of financial planning for international families in…
SAP Virtual Speaker Series: Good Design Needs a Crisis
In a joint event with GABA, our own Director of the Board and Head of Hanahaus and Ecosystem at SAP Bay Area, Daniel Zimmer, interviewed two of GABA’s Advisory Board members, Hartmut Esslinger, Founder of Frog Design, and Patricia Roller,…
Contact Tracing: Technology, Implementation, and Balance Between Low Infection Rates and Personal Rights
In a highly engaged discussion, our experts touched on many important aspects of contact tracing, both covering the public and private sector, as well as the many obvious and more subtle differences in Germany and the US. Among many other…
The New Funding Reality
GABA presented an expert panel with venture capitalists and angel investors discussing the rapid changes the pandemic has brought to the investment landscape. Thank you to our panelists Marco Marinucci, Partner at Hella Ventures, Andrew Ogawa, Managing Partner at Quest…
Fireside Chat on the Future of Mobility
Mario Herger and Sven Beiker presented insightful perspectives on the speed in which electric, shared, autonomous, and flying cars will arrive and how they will change our lives. They had differing views in some timeline details, but they agreed that…
GABA Gala 2020 with Florian Leibert and Vince Ebert
Last Friday, the German American business community celebrated Florian Leibert, Co-Founder and Chief Cloud Officer of Mesosphere, with the Excellence Award and enjoyed a performance of the witty science comedian Vince Ebert. With a beautiful view right at the Golden…
Transatlantic Sync Conference: Shaping a Digital Future
Three days filled with inspirational discussions and presentations came to a close yesterday. 400 attendees from all over the world listened, contributed and mingled in ample networking breaks and evening events. GABA’s Young Professionals group, headed by Stanford Ph.D. candidates…
Rising Stars Award Event
GABA, together with the Representative of German Business (GACC West), presented the 5th annual Rising Stars Award event. Congratulations to Franka Emika, this year’s Startup of the Year! Their business idea left a great impression and they also received the…