‍2026 is going to be big. New collaborations — like with the Apple Tree Garden Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. New tools for our artists. New events. And most importantly: Even more stories of creative people coming together and building something real.exe. By artists, for artists. From Leipzig to the world.

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‍Thanks to funding from Unternehmen Revier, we have the opportunity this year to develop a tool for artists that combines AI-supported analysis and recommendations for action based on data from various platforms. Artists can use it to evaluate their various channels, such as Instagram, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc., at a glance and receive personalized feedback. The kick-off event at Zimmt was attended by sponsors and partners, as well as potentially interested artists, and served as a networking opportunity for digital tools being developed in the region. photos by Hanna König

‍The fifth Let's Meet takes place at the Hitness Club. The network now counts over 80 artists. On the agenda: platform feedback rounds, winter collection planning and the outlook for the coming year. The gatherings have become a regular format — a place where the exe community comes together, develops ideas further, and plans next steps collectively.

‍A different format: instead of just talking, the team prints. At the Print Party at HP7, artists experience the production process live — trying out designs, printing, touching, taking home. Merch becomes tangible instead of just existing in a browser. The fourth Let's Meet makes the craft behind the platform visible. Poster Design by Giulia Cabassi

‍exe.network is officially founded as a UG (limited liability company). The lockdown project has become a company. The team grows: Yulia takes on frontend and design, Mare handles automation and backend, Viktor and Achim join. In parallel, work begins on exe.cute.insights — an AI-powered musician dashboard designed to help artists better understand their data and grow their business.

‍exe.network produces merchandise for Bilderbuch. A project that demonstrates the platform works not just for the local Leipzig scene, but has become a real option for established acts as well.

‍Elvira Herzog, goalkeeper of the Swiss national women's football team and RB Leipzig, develops a limited streetwear collection together with Leipzig-based illustrator Hans Morsa through exe.network. EDITION HERZOG launches in time for Women's Euro 2025 in Switzerland — t-shirts in anthracite, red, and beige, personally drawn by Elvira. Each shirt comes with a hand-signed autograph card. Proceeds go to FI9, a youth development association for girls' football. Including a photo shoot with photographer Hanna König at the stadium. A collaboration that shows how exe connects different worlds: professional sports, illustration, and sustainable merchandise production.

Leipzig-based band Bahnhof Motte and illustrator Holob develop a joint merch line. A concrete example of how exe works as an interface between the music scene and visual art. Bahnhof Motte's sound, translated into Holob's visual language.

Mias ZK designed a shirt für DJ Gaby. In this case the cooperation of music and illustration becomes visible. exe.network printed the shirts and sold the shirts online an Mias The shirts were printed and sold online via exe.network, and the first 20 shirts were embellished with a rhinestone by Mias.

‍With Blush Always, exe's ticket system is used for the first time. TAn important step toward a comprehensive offering for creatives.

The second Let's Meet takes place at Ilses Erika — a staple of Leipzig's live music scene. The network is growing, new faces join. Denny Thiele and Maxim Chubarov describe the idea behind the gatherings: "Why should we only connect creators online?" Discussions about the state of the scene, new ideas, and the first real collaborations between artists who found each other through exe follow.

‍exe.network is accepted into the R42 Startup Program, gaining access to consulting, workshops, coaching, and a supra-regional network. That same year, the team wins a pitch competition that paves the way for several funding streams — including Unternehmen Revier, Innoprämie, and an SAB microloan. What began as a lockdown idea gains an institutional foundation.

‍exe.network hosts the first "Let's Meet" at Galerie KUB, embedded within the WERT exhibition format. Artists from the network meet in person for the first time, exchange ideas about their work, and get to know each other beyond screens. The foundation is laid for a community that extends beyond the digital space.[Photo suggestion: Impression from Galerie KUB at the first Let's Meet]

from now on we ship our delivieries in plastic free packaging including biodegradable bags.

exe.network acquires its own DTG printer (Direct-to-Garment). From now on, the network is no longer just a middleman between artists and print shops, but produces directly — full color, on virtually anything that can be printed. Screen printing, embroidery, and woven organic cotton socks continue through local partners and EU production.Having their own printer means: faster production, more quality control, and the ability to make small runs of just a few pieces economically viable. For artists, this means concretely: even 1 shirt with your own design is no problem.

‍After nearly a year of groundwork, the exe online shop goes live. From now on, artists can sell their designs through the platform — no pre-production, no inventory risk. The principle: a design is uploaded, exe handles production, webshop, and shipping. Nothing gets printed until it's ordered.For artists, this means a low-barrier entry into merch sales. No startup capital needed, no minimum order quantities. Fairly produced, plastic-free packaging, shipped worldwide.

‍Concerts canceled, clubs closed, the merch table after the gig gone. For artists in Leipzig, a significant part of their income and visibility vanishes overnight. It's in this exact situation that Denny Thiele and Maxim M. Chubarov found exe.network — an independent platform for creatives: networking, merchandise production, and the path toward creative self-employment, all in one place.The idea: Not another anonymous online shop, but a real network — by artists, for artists. Sustainably produced, locally rooted, printed on-demand. So no shirt sits unsold in a warehouse and no artist has to navigate the business jungle alone.