und jetzt?

An orientation and inspiration event for every young person asking that question. Whether you are leaving school, studying, doing an apprenticeship or starting your first job.

Portrait of a young man laughing
Sunday25.10.26Fotografiska Berlin
FreeTicket & party
When
Where
Fotografiska Berlin-Mitte
Format
2pm–8pm, after-party included
University or another route?How do I find what I care about?How does GenAI become a superpower?What does success mean to me?How do I deal with fear of the future?How can I really change something?
00 / About und jetzt?

Not a careers fair. Not a business event.

Why und jetzt?

“und jetzt?” is a free event for every young person asking exactly that question. The point is not to answer it once and for all, but to inspire and encourage you to go your own way.

“und jetzt?” closes the gap between student counselling and the business stage. It is not about job profiles, company advertising or recipes for success, but about how you can answer your own questions.

People from art, culture, technology, research and entrepreneurship talk about what a finished CV usually leaves out: doubt, failure, detours and the decisions in between.

A free event by the people it is for: The event and its content are co-curated, organised and run by the people it is for, as equals. There are no hidden interests of political parties, commercial players or any other interest groups behind it.

Three young people looking straight into the camera

For

18–25

School leavers, students of any subject, apprentices and everyone who is finding their bearings right now and wondering what comes next.

The event is open to everyone, regardless of social or ethnic background, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Respectful, appreciative exchange is at the centre of it. Discrimination, hate and any form of exclusion have no place at this event.

01 / Real paths

Confirmed speakers

Honest stories and career paths.

From a wide range of voices in culture, music, film, founding & business, science, sport and technology.

Portrait of Vartan Bassil01

Urban dance & entrepreneurship

Vartan Bassil

Born in Lebanon, he founded the Flying Steps in Berlin in 1993, now four-time breakdance world champions and an international brand. With “Red Bull Flying Bach” he brought urban dance to the big stages, and his academy reaches around 3,000 students a week.

Website of Vartan Bassil
Portrait of Dr Frederik Pferdt02

Future mindset & innovation

Dr. Frederik Pferdt

Bestselling author and Google's first Chief Innovation Evangelist. He is developing the workshop “Future YOU / The Next YOU” for the day.

Website of Dr. Frederik Pferdt
Portrait of Alissa Wilms03

Quantum computing & film

Alissa Wilms

At thirteen she stood in front of the camera next to Kate Winslet. Today she builds quantum computing applications with her own company, Amazing Thought, after three months of research at Caltech, publications with more than 270 citations and talks at international quantum summits.

LinkedIn of Alissa Wilms
Portrait of Anastasia Barner04

Gen Z & founding

Anastasia Barner

At twenty she founded FeMentor, Europe's first reverse mentoring platform. Today she advises companies on winning over young talent, speaks at TEDx and has written a book about the start-up scene, “(Ge)Gründet”. Die Zeit calls her a “generation whisperer”.

Website of Anastasia Barner
Portrait of director Arabella Bartsch05

Directing & screenwriting

Arabella Bartsch

From hip-hop videos in Berlin to productions for Disney+, Amazon Prime, ARD and ZDF.

Website of Arabella Bartsch
Christian Wehner with his book06

Author & innovation

Christian Wehner

From a teenager without a school leaving certificate, written off as “hard to place”, to Spiegel bestselling author and Senior Innovator at SAP.

Website of Christian Wehner
Portrait of musician Henrik Schwarz07

Music & entrepreneurship

Henrik Schwarz

From a passion for music to sold-out concerts at the Elbphilharmonie, Montreux and Amsterdam – and to his own start-up.

Website of Henrik Schwarz
Portrait of entrepreneur Jörg Rheinboldt08

Entrepreneurship & impact

Jörg Rheinboldt

Serial entrepreneur, co-founder of eBay Germany and betterplace.org, and investor in more than 400 companies.

LinkedIn of Jörg Rheinboldt
Portrait of founder Dorian Gorr09

Gaming & founding

Dorian Gorr

From music journalism at Metal Hammer to founding his own company: LVL in Berlin is now one of Germany's most innovative gaming locations.

LinkedIn of Dorian Gorr
Portrait of author Franziska Hohmann10

Literature & mental health

Franziska Hohmann

Spiegel bestselling author at Heyne and founder of FiveDiamonds PR. She speaks about mental health, setbacks and starting over professionally.

LinkedIn of Franziska Hohmann
Portrait of Prof Dr Max Lude11

Science & entrepreneurship

Prof. Dr. Max Lude

Professor of Innovation and Strategy at Tomorrow University and co-founder of the strategy consultancy philoneos, after stints as a snowboard instructor and running a wine kiosk. His talk plots career paths somewhere between entrepreneurial thinking and Pippi Longstocking.

Website of Prof. Dr. Max Lude
Portrait of Kati Gruner12

Strategy & coaching

Kati Gruner

The stage, the Boston Consulting Group, arts management, clowning in hospitals, coaching. Five stations, one inner compass. Today she works as a strategist and trainer with young people on getting clear about what matters and finding the nerve to act on it.

Website of Kati Gruner
Portrait of Janna Schweigmann13

AI literacy & founding

Janna Schweigmann

Co-founder of Generation AI e.V. at 24, and chief of staff at a frontier AI startup in Berlin. Her non-profit has taught over 500 students how to work with AI, free of charge and for every subject. Before that she played volleyball for the national team.

Website of Janna Schweigmann

More voices from sport, the creator scene and entrepreneurship are being curated right now.

02 / Schedule

A Sunday that sets something in motion

How the day runs.

The exact sessions and times are being curated by the team and added step by step.

  1. Doors

    Arriving

    The doors at Fotografiska open. Time to arrive and find your bearings.

  2. Start / Main stage

    Real career paths & future mindset

    A shared opening, then personal stories, expert input and new perspectives on success, uncertainty and GenAI.

  3. Closing

    Wind-down, outlook & party

    Time for a shared close to the programme, the exhibition, music and new contacts.

03 / Team

Curated as equals

An event by the people it is for.

The team of young students from different universities and subjects leads the curation.

Luca Giordano giving a talk
Lead curator

Luca Giordano, 19

Portrait of Mila Stauske
Team

Mila Stauske

Portrait of Matteo Brost
Team

Matteo Brost

Portrait of Hermine Helmer
Team

Hermine Helmer

Portrait of Karl Schaper
Team

Karl Schaper

04 / Your day

The formats

Listen. Try things. Speak up.

01

Real paths

On the main stage, people talk openly about mistakes, detours and the decisions that actually moved them forward.

02Optional

GenAI workshop

You work with the tools yourself and try out what GenAI can do for your own questions and ideas.

Generation AI
03Optional

1:1 coaching

Short, confidential conversations you can book directly, with experienced mentors, on your own questions about work and life.

04

Community

Breaks, conversations and the party afterwards leave plenty of room to meet people and encourage each other.

05 / Videos

The day, for everyone

What starts on stage, stays.

From the day of the event you will find talks, workshops and conversations here, in full length and as short, shareable clips.

Dr Frederik Pferdt, announced as a speaker

Talks / from 25.10.26

Real paths, in full

Young people at a workshop

Workshops / from 25.10.26

Tools for your next step

Three young people looking into the camera

Interviews / ongoing

Questions that outlast the day

25 October is the starting point

The day carries on.

Every talk and session is recorded properly, in full length and as short social media clips. Out of that grows a content platform where young people find inspiration and guidance beyond the event itself.

  • Talks in full length
  • Social-first storytelling
  • Interviews beyond the event day
  • Freely available, for good
06 / Berlin-Mitte

An iconic place

Fotografiska Berlin.

The historic ballroom at Fotografiska BerlinExterior view of Fotografiska Berlin
MITTE

Oranienburger Str. 54
10117 Berlin

Open directions
Poster for the exhibition Social Studies by Lauren Greenfield

Included with your ticket

“Social Studies” by Lauren Greenfield

The Emmy-winning photographer and filmmaker followed twelve teenagers through a school year. The exhibition shows without flinching how smartphones and social media change relationships, self-image and mental health.

07 / Free ticket

Your place on 25 October

Get your free ticket.

Taking part is free because all the speakers have waived their fees! Places are limited, though, so please answer a few short questions here. We will get back to you as soon as we can once your place is certain.

  1. 1

    Request a place

    Requests are open. Tell us a bit about you, it takes a few minutes.

  2. 2

    Tell us about you

    You answer a few questions about yourself and what is on your mind right now. Free, and possible until the day itself, as long as places are left.

  3. 3

    Build your day

    Once your place is confirmed, you get everything about choosing sessions, getting there and how the day runs.

Free, limited places, register until 25 October

One day. Many possible next steps.

08 / Partners

Sponsoring & partnering principle

Enabling, not staging.

Special thanks go to all the partners and sponsors who make this event possible. The companies and organisations supporting it do so without influencing the programme and without hidden interests of their own. Their support rests on belief in the format and the wish to give something of value to the community.

09 / Good to know

Questions?

Of course.

01Who is “und jetzt?” for?

For young people between 18 and 25: school leavers, students of any subject, apprentices and everyone who is finding their bearings right now.

02How do I take part?

You tell us a bit about yourself and request a place. You can do that until the day of the event, there is no deadline. Once all places are taken, you join the waiting list.

03What does it cost?

Nothing. Taking part is free. Because places are limited, we do have to select who joins.

04Do I need a plan already?

No. That is the whole point. You need neither a perfect CV nor a clear answer, just curiosity and your own questions.

05Is the exhibition included?

Yes. Your ticket also gives you access to “Social Studies” by Lauren Greenfield at Fotografiska.

06How accessible is the venue?

Fotografiska has a lift, is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets. If you need anything beyond that, please write it in your request. We will sort it out before the day.

07Until when can I apply?

Until the day of the event, as long as places are left. We read every request and get back to you with a confirmation as soon as your place is certain. Once all places are taken, there is a waiting list.

08Will photos be taken on the day?

Yes, and it is part of taking part. We photograph and film for reporting and to promote the event. On the day itself there is no way to separate that in the room. We take individual shots down again on request, write to us at hallo@undjetzt.io.

09How do you select?

Places are limited, so we have to choose. We look for a mixed group: age, gender, school, apprenticeship, university, own projects, detours. The day works because different paths sit in the same room, not the same ones.