Entrepreneurship Summit 2025: Keynote speech by Harald Welzer

Summary

In his keynote speech at the Entrepreneurship Summit 2025, Prof. Harald Welzer talks about the role of emotions and social responsibility in the context of entrepreneurship and economics. He discusses how entrepreneurial activity encompasses not only economic but also socio-psychological dimensions such as fear, hope and values. Welzer shows that a purely technocratic or economically functional understanding of the economy falls short and argues that entrepreneurship should be understood as part of a larger social structure that takes feelings, values and social impacts into account.

Key insights for founders

1. Entrepreneurship is more than efficiency and strategy
   Economic success alone is not enough: entrepreneurship must also take social values, emotions and questions of meaning into account.
   
   
2. Emotions have economic relevance
   Feelings such as fear, hope and trust influence how people do business and make decisions – and therefore also how innovation arises and is received.
   
   
3. Strengthening a culture of responsibility
   Entrepreneurs should not only develop innovative business models, but also be aware of the social impact of their decisions and reflect on them.
   
   
4. Using creative power in social contexts
   Entrepreneurship can bring about change when it integrates social needs and human perspectives instead of acting purely profit-oriented.
   
   
5. Social trust as a resource
   Trust and social relationships are essential resources for long-term entrepreneurial success.

About the speaker

Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer is a German social psychologist and futurologist who focuses on the social, cultural and psychological dimensions of change and innovation. His work combines research on social structures, sustainability and collective responsibility with practical challenges of the present day. Welzer is the author of numerous books and is considered a thought leader who thinks beyond economic efficiency and asks how societies and individuals can shape meaningful, responsible and sustainable paths. His keynotes and publications often focus on how values, emotions and social practices can be taken into account in the context of innovation and change.