The first HPI Alumni Chapter Berlin-Brandenburg took place at betahaus Berlin — a joyful reunion for HPI graduates living in and around the city. The goal: to stay connected. And that’s exactly what alumnus Sebastian Serth appreciates: "When I walked in, I immediately had that feeling of being at home — surrounded by people I know and truly understand. It’s such a wonderful feeling."
There are now more than 2,200 HPI alumni worldwide, as Sandra Willoh, Head of Alumni Partners, shared in her welcome speech. Next on the horizon: the launch of the Silicon Valley Alumni Chapter in the U.S. — with more cities soon to follow.
For those who want to exchange ideas about career opportunities, tech projects or startup experiences, this is the perfect place to be.
Among the guests was HPI alumnus Marvin Killing, co-founder of PlaytestCloud, who just moved his growing team into a new office near Alexanderplatz. Standing next to him, Daniel Woelki, who completed his master’s degree in IT Systems Engineering in 2024 and co-founded PraxiPal, shared that his company will be featured in an interview later this week. Moments later, Prof. Ralf Herbrich, Head of the Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability research group at HPI, joined the conversation — wrap and lemonade in hand — to tell stories from his recent live interview with Tagesschau.
Prof. Herbrich also gave a talk on "Energy-efficient Machine Intelligence", which sparked great interest among the alumni. The discussion showed how HPI continues to evolve — and how its alumni remain a vital part of that journey.
One of them is Daniel Stephan, Managing Director of XAIEN GmbH, who still visits the HPI campus regularly — sometimes to play Dungeons & Dragons with Prof. Tobias Friedrich. At the Berlin Chapter event, Daniel enjoyed reconnecting with familiar faces: "I just wanted to hear where my old classmates ended up, how they’re doing and what they’re working on. It really felt like a proper class reunion."
Charlotte Wanderl, Alumni Relations Manager at HPI, summed up the evening perfectly: "For us, the Berlin Chapter is not only a place to reconnect, but also a platform for ideas, projects, and friendships that reach far beyond our time at HPI. Tonight, we’ve laid the foundation for that."
Next up, the Alumni Relations Team aims to bring all HPI alumni together in one place — for the first-ever HPI Alumni Day on November 20, 2025, at the HPI Campus Griebnitzsee in Potsdam.
