Category Archives: Current Events Berlin

Current Events Berlin

Wharton Invite to AI Conference: “Beyond Claude and ChatGPT.”

by Carl Kruse

The Wharton Club is delighted to invite the Ivy Circle to a special evening on Artificial Intelligence at the Merantix AI Campus in Berlin.

AI beyond Claude and ChatGPT – real-world examples of how AI is already transforming existing industries and creating entirely new ones

In an inspiring conversation, our host for the evening, Adrian Locher, will share his insights on this important topic.

Adrian is Co-Founder and General Partner of Merantix Capital. An economist by training and an engineer at heart, he is also a serial entrepreneur, builder, and investor in AI. Having helped build and scale more than 20 companies, Adrian brings a unique perspective on the future of AI and its real-world applications.

Merantix Capital is a Berlin-based venture capital firm and part of Merantix, a group of companies and initiatives dedicated to advancing AI in Europe.

We look forward to welcoming you for an engaging and thought-provoking evening, followed by the opportunity for meaningful discussion and exchange with Adrian and fellow guests.

Don’t miss this event and sign up below!

https://www.whartongermany.com/fireside_chat_on_ai_in_berlin

Registration is offered at two different rates: one for members of the Wharton Club of Germany and Austria e.V. (WCGA) and one for non-members.

Current Events Berlin

LSE “Generate” invite to their AI Sumit

by Carl Kruse

The London School of Economics (LSE) Generate project is currently organizing The Better World Summit: Responsible AI for Europe’s Next Tech Leap together with the Google AI Center in Berlin.

The one-day summit sits at the intersection of responsible AI, European competitiveness, and founder-led innovation. As part of LSE’s Global AI Founder Programme, the event brings together LSE academics, Google leaders, leading alumni innovators, AI experts and public policy makers from Berlin and across Europe to address questions as:

• How can Europe harness its expertise to become a leader in the AI race?
• How do we defend privacy, free expression, and democratic integrity in an AI-first world?
• How can founders build responsibly while remaining globally competitive?

A few of the speakers include:

• Professor Youngjin Yoo (LSE)
• Slav Petrov, VP Research at Google DeepMind
• Hannah Leach, Partner at Antler
• Clemens Rawert, Founder of Langfuse
• Dame Julia Black, former interim president of LSE

With governments increasingly backing entrepreneurship and Europe possessing formidable strengths in ethics, regulation, research excellence, and public trust, the summit explores how the continent can position itself as the world leader in ethical AI, as the home of responsible innovation and business growth.

More information and registration here:
https://luma.com/36mie3im

Cheers!
Carl Kruse
Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association of Germany

P.S.  The Wharton School is also having its AI gathering “Beyond Claude and Chatgpt” on June 17 (see Wharton Invite for the Ivy Circle).

Current Events Berlin

Ivy Circle Berlin Stammtisch – 3 June 2026

by Carl Kruse

Hello all!

The Ivy Circle Berlin Stammtisch for May is postponed until Wednesday, June 3, 2026 because our regular venue at FREDERICKS suddenly closed for unexpected repairs.

We gather June 3 from 6PM onwards at QUASIMODO at Kantstr. 12A, just a quick walk from Bahnhof Zoo.

The Quasimodo is one of Berlin’s most storied music bars and clubs, with roots going back to the late 1960s when they first operated in the basement of the Delphi Filmpalast. Over time it evolved into a cornerstone of Berlin’s jazz scene, hosting legends like Prince, Chet Baker, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Today, Quasimodo operates as both a live music venue and a stylish cocktail bar, balancing tradition with a more contemporary nightlife offering.

We meet at the bar upstairs, which serves high-quality cocktails—from classics to inventive house creations.  The bar has reserved an outdoor space for the Ivy Circle so we can enjoy the warming weather.

Complimentary wine while it lasts.

A cool atmosphere and a perfect place for our after work monthly cocktail rendezvous.  Come meet new friends and old.

I hope to see you at Quasimodo!

Cheers!
Carl Kruse
Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association of Germany
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Former events include Champagne and Art with Jade Cassidy, and the Boros Bunker Sammlung Tour.

Current Events Berlin

Theater Reading Group in Berlin

by Carl Kruse

Niraj Welikala, a member of both the Oxford and Cambridge alumni societies in Berlin, founded a play-reading and theater group in Berlin last summer and is looking to expand the group to fellow thespians and those who love the theater.

The group’s objective is recreational play reading and perhaps putting on a production one day.  Details from Niraj below. You can contact Niraj directly at niraj.welikala@gmail.com or fellow co-founder Nigel Luhman at nigel@luhman.de

Cheers,
Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle

P.S. Carl Kruse ia also involved with Renselear Polytechnic Institute’s Milkyway@Home project.

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An Actor Prepares…

Calling actors and theatre enthusiasts!

We are a play reading group (in English), originally formed from members of the Oxford and Cambridge alumni clubs in Berlin and we are looking for new people to join us. We meet every 2 weeks on a weekday evening from 6-8 pm (usually on a Monday) at the Theaterhaus Mitte Berlin (https://www.theaterhaus-berlin.com/).

We aim to select and read a diverse range of plays. Plays we’ve read so far include Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, J. B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’,  ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ and we are currently in the middle of ‘The Crucible’.  We usually start with a few minutes of warm-up exercises. During the reading, we switch characters to give people a chance to explore different roles and also experiment with different acting and directing techniques.

The play readings are meant to be recreational although we hope to put on a production as well. We have a range of experience in the group (from little or no experience to some with years of acting and directing experience). If you are interested, please email Nigel or Niraj mentioning any previous acting experience (but this is not required) and we will send you more details including our WhatsApp group that we use to organise readings. You are welcome to come to a session and see if it’s for you.

Hope to see you there!

Niraj, Nigel, Kaya and Justin 

The Berlin Play Reading Group committee