A 30,000+ community
across our channels
Decision-makers, not job titles: founders, growth leads, and product builders who decide fast and buy their own tools.
A role, not a logo
Sponsoring Pirate Skills isn't buying impressions – it's stepping into a community that already trusts us. Your brand shows up inside the content and the moments people came for, carried in our voice, so it lands as a recommendation instead of an ad.
Decision-makers, not impressions
Founders and marketing leads who can say yes to your product on the spot.
Trust transfers
Every placement is delivered in our voice, embedded in content people came for – not interruptive ads.
A role the room remembers
The rum toast, the prize handover, the track that carries your name – rituals beat banners.
In-person + media, one partner
Stage presence at real events in Cologne plus an always-on content engine.
Content production included
Events are filmed and photographed – you get the assets with usage rights for your own channels.
Plugged into the ecosystem
Hosted at STARTPLATZ, Cologne's startup hub, with ties to accelerators and universities where Ben mentors – you plug into the whole ecosystem, not just our channels.
Only at Pirate Skills
The signature pieces – built on our rituals, limited to one sponsor at a time.
The Rum Master
Every Vibe Coding Cologne ends the same way: rum, soft drinks, and conversations – after all, it's a Pirate Skills event. As Rum Master, you own that ritual. The networking hour happens at your bar.
The Captain's Table
A curated dinner, not a sponsored one. We hand-pick 8 founders and builders from the community who match your ICP. You and Ben host the table together. No slides, no pitches.
The Treasure Chest
The hackathon prize package. Winners don't forget who funded the treasure – and neither does the audience watching the handover.
Letter of Marque
Historically, the Letter of Marque was the official license to sail with the pirates. This is ours: the annual partnership. One company per year, full stop.
Pick your surface
Three ways in – every package with hard capacity limits and full transparency.
Events
Hackathon tracks, meetup stage slots, Pirate Lab sessions – real rooms in Cologne, monthly and quarterly.
Media
Newsletter, podcast, LinkedIn, YouTube, content series – an engine that published 86 of 90 days last quarter.
Bundles
Crew, Fleet, and Flagship – quarterly bundles that combine the best surfaces and save 15–25% vs. à la carte.
All prices net, excl. VAT.
Base44 chose us for their European entry
Base44 – the vibe-coding platform acquired by Wix for $80M – holds The Admiral: title sponsorship of the 2026 Vibe Hackathon Cologne season. Brand presence at every edition, content production with full usage rights, and amplification across all Pirate Skills + STARTPLATZ channels.
For Base44, the partnership is their way into the German startup scene and the wider European market. For you, it's proof the inventory works at every level – The Beacon starts at €750.
Scarcity is the product
Four rules that keep this inventory credible – for the audience and for you.
Hard capacity limits
Listed on every package – we never stack sponsors until the audience tunes out.
Editorial control stays with us
Placements are delivered in Pirate Skills voice, and the audience always knows what's sponsored.
Fit filter
We only take sponsors whose product we'd genuinely recommend to this audience – and we decline mismatches.
Performance honesty
Every media package ships with a real numbers report – including what didn't work.