Startup Insights, Germany’s Top Bank, and the Hottest Live Shopping Platform
Verena Pausder and Lea-Sophie Cramer from 'Fast & Curious', Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, and Grant LaFontaine: These are the next confirmed speakers for OMR26
- Fast & Curious: Verena Pausder and Lea-Sophie Cramer
- Christian Sewing, CEO Deutsche Bank
- Whatnot Founder and CEO Grant LaFontaine
- What else you can expect at OMR26
Verena Pausder and Lea-Sophie Cramer have built one of Germany's biggest business podcasts. Christian Sewing is the CEO of Deutsche Bank, the country's largest financial institution. And following two funding rounds in 2025, Grant LaFontaine’s live shopping platform, Whatnot, is now valued at $11.5 billion. They are all coming to Hamburg for the OMR Festival on May 5 and 6, 2026.
And naturally, they are in good company. Over the past few weeks, we’ve already announced the first speakers for OMR26. The lineup includes legendary quarterback and entrepreneur Tom Brady, as well as tech and AI thought leader Meredith Whittaker. Also joining us are Whoop founder Will Ahmed, Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp, and—of course—marketing professor and OMR regular Scott Galloway. As always, you can find all the names announced so far on our festival page, along with our exhibiting companies and partners.
The Festival Pass is currently still available in the OMR26 ticket shop at the "Save Bird" price. So, if you want to guarantee your spot at OMR Festival 2026 and save some money—be quick and grab yours now before the next price increase kicks in.
The Festival Pass includes all program items, access to all stages, applications for Masterclasses, Guided Tours, visits with exhibitors—in short: the complete festival experience. Additionally, we are also offering the slightly more expensive Black Pass as a second ticket category for OMR26. For everyone who wants even more: access to the exclusive networking area, premium catering, and more. You can find all the details about the Black Pass, including all its benefits, right here.
Fast & Curious: Verena Pausder and Lea-Sophie Cramer
They have long been part of the OMR family—and they are returning to the stage in 2026. For years, Verena Pausder and Lea-Sophie Cramer have been among the defining faces of the German startup scene. With Fast & Curious, they have also jointly built one of Germany’s widest-reaching business podcasts, delighting thousands of fans for the first time this year on a live tour. We were there, and we can confirm: It was truly worth it. That is why we are bringing Fast & Curious back to the stage at the OMR Festival.
The duo will certainly still have plenty to discuss come May 2026. After all, as President of the German Startup Association (Startup-Verband), Verena Pausder plays a decisive role in shaping German innovation policy, while simultaneously working with other female entrepreneurs to guide FC Viktoria Berlin into the Women's Bundesliga.
Lea-Sophie Cramer has also made sports her professional focus. Years after her success with Amorelie, she has founded a new venture, Epix Sports. The goal of this sports operator holding company is to invest in sports venue operators—such as bouldering gyms and dance studios—and help them professionalize. You can look forward to hearing more about this at the OMR Festival 2026.
Christian Sewing, CEO Deutsche Bank
In 1989, at the age of 19, Christian Sewing began his journey at Deutsche Bank. Back then, a two-year apprenticeship as a bank clerk in Bielefeld laid the foundation for an impressive career and his rise to becoming one of the most important voices in the financial industry. Sewing has been a member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank since 2015 and its Chairman since 2018. Since July 2021, he has also served as President of the Association of German Banks, and from March 2023 to February 2025, he was President of the European Banking Federation.
The past few years have gone remarkably well for Germany’s largest financial institution—including 2025. After the first nine months of the year, Deutsche Bank reported record results. Unsurprisingly, the ambition does not stop there. In November 2025, Christian Sewing announced Deutsche Bank's new strategy, aimed at closing the gap with European competitors: a focus on the most profitable business lines, strengthening the global network, and expanding market leadership in Germany. By 2028, returns are targeted to rise to over 13 percent. Christian Sewing will share insights into this plan at the OMR Festival 2026 in Hamburg.
Whatnot Founder and CEO Grant LaFontaine
When TikTok Shop launched in Germany in the spring of 2025 with partners like About You, Cosnova, and Nivea, expectations were high. However, they were not entirely met, and some brands withdrew relatively quickly. Does this mean there is simply no market for digital live shopping in this country? Grant LaFontaine is currently proving the exact opposite. Together with Logan Head, he founded Whatnot back in 2019, a live-streaming platform that is now considered the fastest-growing of its kind.
In Europe—particularly in the UK, France, and Germany—Whatnot’s blend of auctions and entertainment seems to be resonating, sometimes even within niche communities. After achieving a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of three billion US dollars, the company is targeting six billion US dollars for the current year. This growth has recently convinced renowned investors such as DST Global, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz on multiple occasions. Across two funding rounds, Whatnot raised 490 million US dollars—and is now valued at 11.5 billion US dollars.
What else you can expect at OMR26
Tom Brady and Meredith Whittaker kicked things off, now Will Ahmed, Bettina Orlopp, and Scott Galloway are joining them – and of course, many more names will follow in the coming weeks and months who will also be coming to the OMR Festival in Hamburg on May 5th and 6th. Next year, we again want to bring an exciting mix of topics to the big stages. A mixture of international and national decision-makers from the (digital) economy and politics, the startup scene and culture, sports, and more. All to offer the most diverse program possible that inspires, entertains, and provides plenty of learnings or food for thought.