Hans Elstner

Hans Elstner, founder and CEO of rooom AG Hans Elstner got his first computer at twelve and soon began programming himself. That early enthusiasm grew into an entrepreneurial path: in 2005 he founded his own digital agency, advising companies such as Bosch, Hewlett-Packard and Subway on digitalization. From 2012 he developed a browser-based 3D platform, and in 2016 he founded rooom AG in Jena. Today, rooom makes products, facilities and entire sites usable as digital twins directly in the browser. One in three DAX companies uses rooom software. At the same time, the company combines digital twins with its own sovereign AI, for example for knowledge access, assistance and operational situational awareness in public administration, civil protection and critical infrastructure. Elstner cares less about what sounds technically possible and more about what actually works in real-world operation. As Thuringia state spokesperson for the Startup Association, mentor and speaker, he is also committed to entrepreneurship and a strong European tech hub.