Meet the first-ever imec.istart Germany cohort
Deep tech doesn't wait for borders, and neither do we!
This summer marked a milestone for imec.istart: our very first German cohort officially kicked off in Heilbronn and with it, a new chapter in Europe's deep tech story.
Five high-potential startups were selected through imec.istart Germany's first Open Call and are now beginning their accelerator journey in Baden-Württemberg, one of Europe's deepest pools of industrial and engineering talent. Together, they span manufacturing, HealthTech and aerospace, tackling everything from smarter industrial processes and infection prevention to next-generation satellite infrastructure.
Their journey began with an official Kick-off Day at Gravity, the startup and co-innovation hub of Campus Founders in Heilbronn, where the founders were introduced to the program, coaching offering, funding framework and wider imec.istart ecosystem.
Meet the startups!
CORTEXIO: AI-powered rework and failure management for manufacturing, creating a shared "company brain" for industrial teams.
INCLUSYS: digital solutions that help people with cognitive impairments such as autism, ADHD and dementia manage everyday life more independently.
NanoAR: advanced optical anti-reflective nanostructures for industrial applications, built on its proprietary nanoAR technology.
NeuralSat: secure networking and distributed computing services for Low Earth Orbit satellite infrastructure.
Puray: self-disinfecting catheter technology using visible light, designed to help prevent catheter-associated infections.
A strong first step in Germany
With this first cohort, imec.istart Germany is officially up and running in a deep tech landscape that's very much in motion, in Germany and across Europe.
Baden-Württemberg brings deep engineering roots, while imec.istart brings a decade of accelerator experience. Together, this will form the foundation for something worth building carefully: financial support paired with tailored coaching, expert mentoring, and access to talent, investors, industry partners, international markets and the wider imec and imec.istart ecosystem.
For these five founders, the real work starts now: scaling up, breaking through, going global.
As for imec.istart Germany? The story is only just beginning, and these five founders are writing the first pages.
Who's next?
imec.istart Germany plans two Open Calls a year, creating new opportunities for ambitious technology startups to join the program. The next Autumn Open Call opens on September 1.
Could your startup be part of the next German cohort?
