Successful premiere of the 5-HT X-Linker 2024 at GELITA
Corinna Herrmann
On November 7, 2024, GELITA AG opened its doors in Heidelberg/Eberbach for the first 5-HT X-Linker with a focus on “Food & Nutrition”. The 5-HT pitching and matchmaking event, which was organized together with GELITA, offered around 50 participants - including start-ups, industry leaders and multipliers - the opportunity to discover innovations and make valuable contacts.

Networking at the highest level
Peter Hill, CEO of GELITA AG, opened the day with an inspiring speech. He emphasized the importance of innovation as the basis for sustainable development and explained how GELITA is strategically moving towards plant-based and synthetically manufactured products. This vision was complemented by Dr. Martin Hahn's keynote speech, which provided exciting insights into the company's innovation activities and future plans.

Peter Hill, CEO of GELITA AG
This was the prelude to a day full of inspiring presentations, discussions and networking.
The eight selected startups The Cultivated B, DeclareMe (HealthMe), Genie Enterprise, MEDEA Biopharma, mk2 Biotechnologies, MoleQlar Analytics, Odacova and Yeastup presented their pioneering solutions in areas such as alternative proteins, personalized nutrition, nutraceuticals, biotics and AI applications.
They inspired the audience with their innovative approaches, and the lively Q&A sessions showed the great interest of the industry representatives present.

Moderator Alexander Böser announced the startups
Fruitful discussions and new partnerships
The companies taking part in the matchmaking included industry giants such as ADM, Amazon Web Services (AWS), BASF, BENEO, Budenheim, DöhlerGroup, GELITA, Heiss MSP, Jungbunzlauer and Nissin Foods. The intensive Q&A sessions following the startup pitches and the networking formats provided an ideal opportunity to initiate potential partnerships and discuss future collaborations.


The name says it all: X-Linker
The term “X-Linker” was aptly explained by moderator Alexander Böser: analogous to chemical molecules that form new connections through crosslinking, this series of events aims to bring together people who were not previously connected. This concept was impressively implemented at the premiere in Eberbach.
A heartfelt thank you
We would like to thank GELITA AG - in particular Aileen Schäfer, Oliver Wolf and the GELITA employees involved - for their great hospitality and co-organization. Special thanks go to Alexander Böser for his excellent moderation and project management, which contributed significantly to the success of the event. Our thanks also go to foodnetz - Lebensmitteletzwerk Rhein-Neckar e.V., who supported the networking on site, as well as to the entire 5-HT team in the background, who made this event possible. We would also like to thank all partners and participants who made the day an unforgettable experience.

Organizing team of 5-HT and GELITA
Towards new innovations
The results of the day are encouraging: not only were exciting discussions held, but important foundations were also laid for future collaborations. We are looking forward to the developments that will emerge from the connections made and look forward to pursuing innovative paths together in the future.
With the 5-HT X-Linker 2024, we have once again shown how powerful collaboration between start-ups and established companies can be. The event showed once again that networking is the key to sustainable success. See you at the next X-Linker!
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