Welcome to the HPI Alumni Community
With over 2,000 alumni across Germany and worldwide, the HPI Alumni Community forms a diverse professional and scientific network spanning numerous areas of the tech industry. We foster close connections, and mutual support to optimally develop our shared potential.
Our alumni are a testimony to the first-class quality of research and teaching at the Hasso Plattner Institute. They not only embody the success of our teaching, but are also valuable ambassadors and partners for the institute's future.
Prof. Tobias Friedrich, HPI Managing Director and Head of “Algorithm Engineering” research group
Discover the New Alumni and Career Portal
The new Alumni & Career Portal offers HPI alumni the opportunity to make valuable contacts, join groups, search for job advertisements, and stay up-to-date on HPI events and news. Additionally, upon registration, HPI graduates receive a lifelong email address that allows them to stay connected with other alumni.
HPI alumni have access to numerous benefits, networking opportunities, and events. On the HPI Alumni & Career Portal, alumni and companies can connect with each other, present themselves, and publish job offers.
Benefits and Services for Alumni
As a former student, you have access to numerous benefits, networking opportunities, and ways to stay connected. Through our HPI Alumni and Career Portal, alumni enjoy a unique online experience and get the best of our alumni services.
Alumni Day
The annual congress for HPI alumni features a diverse program that focuses on research and teaching, as well as networking and exchange. In 2025, the Alumni Day will take place at HPI for the first time.
Alumni Homecoming at the HPI Summer Festival
"Reunion in a relaxed atmosphere" is the motto here. The Alumni Beer Garden at the traditional HPI Summer Festival has been inviting alumni to chat and relax for many years.
Alumni and Students
Regularly and in various formats, HPI students can get inspiration from the professional world of alumni during the semester. “HPI Inside” is a company visit where alumni report on their professional practice. At "HPI Meets Alumni," students can listen to a lecture on a relevant topic from an alumnus's or alumna's practical experience directly on campus.
HPI Flagship Conferences
From the "Potsdam Conference for National Cybersecurity" to the "Digital Health Innovation Forum", the "Tech Leadership Conference", and the "AI@HPI Conference”, HPI's flagship conferences offer top-tier input. Alumni can attend free of charge and are part of the conference program.
Past Alumni Events
2025
- October 22 – Founding of the Silicon Valley Chapter
- September 23 – Founding of the Berlin-Brandenburg Chapter
- July 18 – Alumni Homecoming at the HPI Summer Party
- July 14 – Alumni Spotlight
- June 19 – HPI Inside... Merantix
- May 15 – HPI Connect Career Fair
2024
- October 17, 2024: Fireside Chat "25 Years HPI"
- July 15, 2024: HPI Inside Google
- April 25, 2024: HPI Alumni Spotlight
Stay connected with our bi-monthly alumni newsletter, where we share the latest news from the alumni community, including breakthrough research, upcoming events, HPI news and exclusive job opportunities.
The HPI alumni mentoring program connects HPI alumni and other experienced professionals with students to support them in taking their first career steps. Mentors serve as role models, helping students define their professional goals and expand their networks. Each mentor-mentee tandem meet regularly over several months, following a framework provided at the start of the program.
Global HPI Alumni Chapters
Working together with alumni, HPI will soon establish global Alumni Chapters to connect alumni internationally with each other and with the institute. There will be regular meetings featuring academic insights into the latest economic trends, as well as gatherings with our university cooperation partners, and social meet-ups and events. The first chapters are currently being formed in Silicon Valley and Berlin, with the UK and Switzerland to follow in the coming months.
For HPI Alumni Companies and HPI Founders
You are a company, start-up or founder and are looking for new employees: We offer you the possibility to get into direct contact with our students via the following services:
We invite alumni to an exclusive in-person recruiting experience at the annual HPI Connect Fair (by invitation only). The career fair offers a great opportunity for companies to connect with students and alumni through an engaging speed-dating format, followed by a closing get-together. The career fair takes place annually at the start of the summer semester. Alumni startups receive a special 50% discount.
We invite alumni entrepreneurs and other alumni looking to hire HPI students or fellow graduates to publish their job advertisements on the HPI Connect Portal. Job ads are also regularly featured in our Alumni Newsletter, reaching over 1,000 HPI alumni. Alumni startups benefit from an exclusive 50% discount on all platform services.
We invite alumni and companies to share industry insights and engage in dialogue with talented students during our TechTalks hosted in their offices or on the HPI campus. These sessions allow students to deepen their IT knowledge and explore new work environments in a relaxed and engaging atmosphere. Alumni are also invited at HPI to talk about their career path with students in these events.
Alumni Portraits
The success stories of our graduates in leading technology companies, at renowned universities, and in innovative start-ups are both an incentive and an obligation for us. They show us that we are not only imparting knowledge, but also training talented individuals who will shape the future of IT tomorrow.
Prof. Tobias Friedrich, HPI Managing Director and Head of “Algorithm Engineering” research group
In our alumni portraits, former students share their successful career paths in IT, discuss the challenges IT engineers face, and highlight what they enjoy most about their jobs and research.
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Caterina Mandel
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From studying computer science to founding a company in the fashion industry
In this HPI Alumni Portrait, we introduce Caterina Mandel. She completed her bachelor's degree in IT Systems Engineering (2020) and master's degree in Computer Science (2022) at the Hasso Plattner Institute. After several years of experience in building and scaling digital products, including at Check24 and luca, she founded her own startup three months ago and is now co-founder and CEO of studio vaai.
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Katya Sumina
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From career change to software engineer at Google
HPI alumna Katya Sumina recounts how, with a background in journalism and gender studies and no prior programming experience, she studied IT Systems Engineering at the Hasso Plattner Institute—and now works as a senior software engineer at Google in Zurich.
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Alexander Kuscher
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From HPI to the forefront of international tech
Alexander Kuscher returns to campus for this HPI alumni portrait, looks back on his time as a student, and recounts how his path led him from an IT bachelor's degree at HPI to Senior Director of Product Management at Google.
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Dr. med. Lars Masanneck
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From studying medicine to
the digital medicine of the futureHPI alumnus Lars recounts why he decided to pursue a Master's degree in Digital Health at the Hasso Plattner Institute after completing his medical studies – and how computer science and medicine are working together there to develop more accurate diagnoses, personalized therapies, and better prevention.
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Janett Baresel
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From studying computer science
to the digital city of the futureHPI alumna Janett Baresel shares how, after completing her master's degree at the Hasso Plattner Institute, she became a senior software developer at ESRI, where she develops GIS software solutions used to plan and design cities around the world.
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Dr. Gero Decker
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From a university idea to a global software company
In one of the largest German start-up acquisitions, the process management tool Signavio was acquired by SAP in 2021. HPI alumnus and managing director Dr. Gero Decker shows how a student project at the Hasso Plattner Institute grew into a globally successful software company.
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Lars Schmidt-Bielicke
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Study computer science and
help design complex systemsHPI alumnus Lars Schmidt-Bielicke shares how his bachelor's degree in IT Systems Engineering led him to BMW—and how he is now responsible for connected vehicles and safety and security systems for emergency vehicles.
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Sven Mischkewitz
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Study IT and save lives with technology:
HPI alumnus Sven Mischkewitz demonstrates how he is revolutionizing the diagnosis of life-threatening thrombosis with the digital health startup ThinkSono and AI-based software—and what computer science can achieve in healthcare today.
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Marvin Killing
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PlaytestCloud – from a student idea to a
successful company in the video games industryWhile still studying at HPI, Marvin Killing began developing a startup idea in the field of video games together with his fellow student, Christian Reß. By the time he completed his Master’s degree in IT-Systems Engineering in 2013–2014, the two had already attracted their first customers. This success encouraged them to found PlaytestCloud GmbH – an entrepreneurial journey that continues to this day.
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Dr. Susanne Ibing
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From Potsdam to New York –
a journey into the world of digital health researchDr. Susanne Ibing completed her PhD at the Hasso Plattner Institute in 2025 with a dissertation on “Data-Driven Insights into Chronic Disease from Health Records and Omics Data”. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. In this interview, she reflects on her research journey and shares the inspirations that have shaped her career.
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Prof. Alexandra Ion
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From HPI to Carnegie Mellon University
Prof. Alexandra Ion came to HPI as a PhD student and successfully completed her PhD on "Metamaterial Devices" in 2019. She is now an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA. In her interview, she talks about her research and career from student to professorship.
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Dr. Frank Keller
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From the establishment of the HPI to the tech elite of Silicon Valley
In this alumni portrait, HPI founding member Dr. Frank Keller looks back on the institute's early days and recounts how his computer science studies led him to his current role as Executive Vice President at PayPal in California.
Alumni News & Events
Upcoming Events
Getting involved
Ready to organize or participate in an alumni event? You can briefly share your idea with us here.
Or have we sparked your interest in collaborating with HPI on conferences, joint research projects, career development programs, or internship initiatives? Please contact us anytime at alumni-office@hpi.de.
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At the traditional graduation ceremony, HPI graduates celebrate their successful completion of their studies. -
For their outstanding academic achievements, the best HPI graduates receive an award at the annual graduation ceremony. -
At the Alumni Fireside Chat in October 2024, successful graduates looked back on their time at HPI and gave valuable tips for future generations. -
Reunion after years: The founding meeting at betahaus Berlin marked the starting point for the worldwide HPI Alumni Chapters. -
The alumni beer garden at the HPI summer party is the annual meeting place for former students. -
The HPI Connect Fair brings together companies from all industries with our talented young IT professionals. Alumni founders also introduce themselves on campus. -
Just one month after the successful launch of the Berlin-Brandenburg Chapter, the HPI Alumni Network has expanded once again—this time to Silicon Valley. -
Finally done! HPI graduates toss their graduation hats in the air at the graduation ceremony in Potsdam's Nikolaisaal. -
More than 2,000 former HPI students are part of the global alumni network. Many of them meet again every year in July at the HPI summer party.
Last change: 27/05/2026, Mareike-Vic Schreiber