For several years now, US embassies and consulates across Germany have been organizing "Transatlantic Innovation Week (TIW)" to highlight German-American cooperation. At the invitation of US Consul General Jason Chue, who is responsible for the northern German states, The Bay Areas Association hosted an innovation-packed evening on April 27, 2023 as part of TIW, where 70 guests from the fields of science, business and politics met with young, creative entrepreneurs. The event took place in the new InnoPier location above the rooftops of Kiel.

The program under the motto "Creativity Unbound - Transatlantic Innovation Success Stories" was opened by Kiel's Lord Mayor Dr. Ulf Kämpfer, who emphasized the importance and active shaping of the city partnership between Kiel and San Francisco.

US Consul General Jason Chue was impressed by the extensive program and the great interest in the event and emphasized that the "TIW" event series is intended to make the potential for innovation and creative solutions visible throughout Germany. Kiel is a great place for this event as so much is happening here in this field.

Association board member Axel Schulz thanked the consul for the invitation to be part of the "Transatlantic Innovation Week 2023" and the state capital of Kiel for supporting the event. He gave an overview of the exciting program, which addressed the topic of "Creativity Unbound" on the three different levels of art, industry and technology, and business. Marc Smith, composer and music producer, kicked off the event, inspiring and surprising the guests with a presentation on the interplay between AI and the music industry. Björn Schwarze, founding member of The Bay Areas and second chairman of the association CAPTN e.V., gave an insight into the successfully launched project of an autonomous ferry, which can be described as a lighthouse project with international appeal from Schleswig-Holstein.

The young, creative start-ups StickTo, Sustomer, OQmented and stackstream, winners of the Überflieger Start-up Competition or the Schleswig-Holstein Start-up Summer Camp, all of whom have already gained Silicon Valley experience, were the focus of the event. In an exciting panel talk, moderated by Kristin Asmussen, foreign trade consultant for the USA at the WTSH and project manager at the Northern Germany Innovation Office, the founders reported on their own transatlantic success stories and provided valuable tips and insights from the start-up scene in both regions.

The event ended with an exciting networking session with original American catering from John's Burgers and an inspiring exchange between the guests and speakers.