ursprung
["OOR-shrpung"]
ursprung
["OOR-shrpung"]
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ursprung
["OOR-shrpung"]
Menu
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Gathering the curious, the creative, the collaborative.
Gathering the curious, the creative, the collaborative.
A haven for curious minds—founders, artists, technologists, designers, writers, and more. Inspired by salon culture, we bridge arts, tech, and sciences to spark a creative renaissance.
A haven for curious minds—founders, artists, technologists, designers, writers, and more. Inspired by salon culture, we bridge arts, tech, and sciences to spark a creative renaissance.
Close-knit connections and conversations among curious minds—founders, artists, technologists, designers, writers, and more. We bridge arts, tech, and sciences to spark a creative renaissance.
Small, close-knit gatherings in stunning natural settings near Munich, Germany. Each retreat blends three ingredients: a Renaissance-inspired focus topic, participant-led workshops, and plenty of time outdoors.
Small, close-knit gatherings in stunning natural settings near Munich, Germany. Each retreat blends three ingredients: a Renaissance-inspired focus topic, participant-led workshops, and plenty of time outdoors.
Weekend Retreats. Small, curated groups. ⅓ Renaissance themed focus topic, ⅓ participants content, ⅓ hiking & walks. Great nature, great food, great venue. Close to Munich, Germany.
Retreats
II
UW SUMMER '25
May 23rd–26th
Tirol, Austria
Join a small, curated group of ~20 diverse talents from around the globe for three days of lively discussions, reflective hikes, and organic spontaneity. This time our focus topic will be how to foster interdisciplinary thought. Expect a cozy Alpine venue, delicious food, and plenty of space to think deeply and differently.
Join a small, curated group of ~20 diverse talents from around the globe for three days of lively discussions, reflective hikes, and organic spontaneity. This time our focus topic will be how to foster interdisciplinary thought. Expect a cozy Alpine venue, delicious food, and plenty of space to think deeply and differently.
II
UW SUMMER '25
May 23rd–26th
Tirol, Austria
Join a small, curated group of ~20 diverse talents from around the globe for three days of lively discussions, reflective hikes, and organic spontaneity. This time our focus topic will be how to foster interdisciplinary thought. Expect a cozy Alpine venue, delicious food, and plenty of space to think deeply and differently.
II
UW SUMMER '25
May 23rd–26th
Tirol, Austria
I
UW WINTER '25
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Allgäu, Germany
Could a dozen interdisciplinary thinkers, left alone in a snowy cabin with good food and a sparse agenda, spark something interesting? Turns out, yes. We spent three incredible days indulging each other’s curiosity while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood stove. Participants-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
Could a dozen interdisciplinary thinkers, left alone in a snowy cabin with good food and a sparse agenda, spark something interesting? Turns out, yes. We spent three incredible days indulging each other’s curiosity while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood stove. Participants-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
I
UW WINTER '25
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Allgäu, Germany
Could a dozen interdisciplinary thinkers, left alone in a snowy cabin with good food and a sparse agenda, spark something interesting? Turns out, yes. We spent three incredible days indulging each other’s curiosity while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood stove. Participants-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
I
UW WINTER '25
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Allgäu, Germany
Vision
We aim to make progress towards a creative renaissance through truly interdisciplinary weekend retreats for thoughtful builders.
Ursprung (German for "origin"; pronounced "OOR-shproong") is a group of interdisciplinary doers, startup founders, researchers and artists with community-building experience who are deeply passionate about bridging the lurking gap between arts and sciences.
We mix ideas by connecting curious, agentic and open people, and aim to build a close-knit community of thoughtful doers in Europe. Alongside our retreats twice a year, our community also hosts a Silicon Valley Canon reading group, a dinner series and weekly coworking sessions.
We aim to make progress towards a creative renaissance through truly interdisciplinary weekend retreats for thoughtful builders.
Ursprung is a group of interdisciplinary doers, startup founders and researchers with community building experience who are deeply passionate about bridging the lurking gap between arts and sciences.
We mix ideas by mixing people and aim to instantiate a close-knit community of thoughtful doers in Europe. Next to our retreats twice a year our community hosts a Silicon Valley Canon reading group, a dinner series and weekly coworking sessions.
We aim to make progress towards a creative renaissance through truly interdisciplinary weekend retreats for thoughtful builders.
Ursprung is a group of interdisciplinary doers, startup founders and researchers with community building experience who are deeply passionate about bridging the lurking gap between arts and sciences.
We mix ideas by mixing people and aim to instantiate a close-knit community of thoughtful doers in Europe. Next to our retreats twice a year our community hosts a Silicon Valley Canon reading group, a dinner series and weekly coworking sessions.
Meet The Organizers
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian is an interdisciplinary creator and engineering science student at TU Munich interested in biophysics. He has worked across painting, film and music production starting in his childhood. This also led him to run a creative community for composers for a few years. He founded ursprung to bridge the lurking gap between the arts and sciences from personal experience, and to foster interdisciplinary creativity more broadly. He deeply enjoys sailing, hiking and jazz. No surprise we listen to some at our retreats!
Betsy Herbert
Betsy Herbert
Betsy Herbert
Betsy is a doctoral researcher in computational neuroscience at TU Munich, building mathematical models of developing cortical circuits. She is interested, broadly, in minds - from neuroscience to AI, cognitive science, psychology, cybernetics, theoretical biology and philosophy of mind. More recently, she has been engaging more with existential risk and facilitating courses within the AI safety ecosystem. She often gets distracted by geopolitics, deep history, eccentric social movements, and etymology. In a past life, she also played violin and did a lot of art. Needless to say, her list of “things to deep-dive into one day” grows exponentially by the day.
Hugo Berg
Hugo Berg
Hugo Berg
Hugo grew up in Sweden with a passion for music, playing double bass and singing in choir before getting into science olympiads in high school. At Oxford, where he studied CS and math, he became convinced of the lack of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration in the world broadly. After co-founding a cybersecurity startup and moving to Munich, he now works to bring this collaborative vision to a reality through ursprung.
Marius Jacobs
Marius Jacobs
Marius Jacobs
Marius studies computer science at LMU Munich, focusing on machine learning, neuroscience, and design. He discovered programming early, building a popular school app during his time in Potsdam. Recently, he co-founded Mathis, Germany's first AI platform offering personalized feedback on handwritten math assignments, tested successfully in Bavarian schools. His passion for Bauhaus influences his user-friendly designs, including the ursprung brand. Recently at UC Berkeley, he explored computational models of color vision to better understand neural learning mechanisms.
Marius Jacobs studies computer science at LMU Munich, focusing on machine learning, neuroscience, and design. He discovered programming early, building a popular school app during his time in Potsdam. Recently, he co-founded "Mathis", Germany's first AI platform offering personalized feedback on handwritten math assignments, tested successfully in Bavarian schools. His passion for Bauhaus and Rams' designs influence his intuitive user interfaces. Recently at UC Berkeley, he explored computational models of color vision to better understand neural learning mechanisms.
FAQ
Who should apply?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow
What's the age limit?
18 years and over.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 3 nights in shared rooms with 2-4 beds each, large buffet-style daily meals, well-stocked snacks and activities. Also included are two taxi shuttles from Reutte train station to the venue in Boden, Tirol and back again.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
We unfortunately can’t offer refunds.
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but for example: we start the day with a short morning run,then a hearty breakfast together with everyone in the living room. We hike until early afternoon, with lots of 1-on-1 conversation time, then launch into workshops revolving around our focus topic or a participant-led activity. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which the evening is again free for participant activities, freeform discussions and adventure!
What is participant driven content?
Participant-driven content means attendees initiate sessions like lightning talks, creative workshops (e.g. origami folding or writing letters to your future self), or impromptu discussions. We welcome spontaneous ideas while maintaining a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
Who can apply for a reduced ticket?
Everyone, but there is only a very limited amount of reduced tickets available currently. Just let us know in the application form!
Why is the ticket expensive?
We believe that a whole house for ourselves in beautiful nature and great food is important for the quality of the retreat.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Why do you choose locations like the Alps?
We value pristine nature to help participants unwind and have fresher thoughts and for the hiking opportunities.
Who should apply?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow
What's the age limit?
18 years and over.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 3 nights in shared rooms with 2-4 beds each, large buffet-style daily meals, well-stocked snacks and activities. Also included are two taxi shuttles from Reutte train station to the venue in Boden, Tirol and back again.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
We unfortunately can’t offer refunds.
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but for example: we start the day with a short morning run,then a hearty breakfast together with everyone in the living room. We hike until early afternoon, with lots of 1-on-1 conversation time, then launch into workshops revolving around our focus topic or a participant-led activity. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which the evening is again free for participant activities, freeform discussions and adventure!
What is participant driven content?
Participant-driven content means attendees initiate sessions like lightning talks, creative workshops (e.g. origami folding or writing letters to your future self), or impromptu discussions. We welcome spontaneous ideas while maintaining a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
Who can apply for a reduced ticket?
Everyone, but there is only a very limited amount of reduced tickets available currently. Just let us know in the application form!
Why is the ticket expensive?
We believe that a whole house for ourselves in beautiful nature and great food is important for the quality of the retreat.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Why do you choose locations like the Alps?
We value pristine nature to help participants unwind and have fresher thoughts and for the hiking opportunities.
Who should apply?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow
What's the age limit?
18 years and over.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 3 nights in shared rooms with 2-4 beds each, large buffet-style daily meals, well-stocked snacks and activities. Also included are two taxi shuttles from Reutte train station to the venue in Boden, Tirol and back again.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
We unfortunately can’t offer refunds.
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but for example: we start the day with a short morning run,then a hearty breakfast together with everyone in the living room. We hike until early afternoon, with lots of 1-on-1 conversation time, then launch into workshops revolving around our focus topic or a participant-led activity. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which the evening is again free for participant activities, freeform discussions and adventure!
What is participant driven content?
Participant-driven content means attendees initiate sessions like lightning talks, creative workshops (e.g. origami folding or writing letters to your future self), or impromptu discussions. We welcome spontaneous ideas while maintaining a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
Who can apply for a reduced ticket?
Everyone, but there is only a very limited amount of reduced tickets available currently. Just let us know in the application form!
Why is the ticket expensive?
We believe that a whole house for ourselves in beautiful nature and great food is important for the quality of the retreat.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Why do you choose locations like the Alps?
We value pristine nature to help participants unwind and have fresher thoughts and for the hiking opportunities.