Imec is the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Here, you’ll find the expertise of more than 5,500 scientists and researchers in these domains.

Imec collaborates with numerous acclaimed universities and companies from around the world. But it also strives to give startups and entrepreneurs a head start on their road to market. Find out more about imec.

There are many successful graduates from the imec.istart program, and their numbers grow every year. A few notable examples are Deliverect, Ontoforce, Twikit, Waylay, UgenTec and Lightspeed (formerly POSiOS).

Browse through the complete portfolio

Young and ambitious tech-based startups like yours can choose from a wide range of accelerator programs. But imec.istart is different. Because imec.istart:

• is backed by imec, one of the world’s leading research institutes on new digital and nanotechnologies. That gives you unique access to the knowhow of no less than 5500 researchers.
• has a unique network of investors and over forty industry partners such as ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, Cronos, UCB and Pfizer.
• is consistently ranked among the best programs in Europe and even the world. In 2023, UBI Global ranked us as the number one university-business accelerator worldwide.
• provides a longer period of support: 12 to 18 months instead of the 3 to 6 months that most programs offer. In other words: you’re supported for at least one full sales cycle – ample time to build solid fundamentals for your startup.
• accurately measures your progress. Our Innovatrix tool monitors your achievements and benchmarks them against those of your peers. This provides us and you with additional insights.
• has supported over 350+ startups, a large portion of which consists of high-growth scale-ups with an above-average survival rate. That vast experience ensures support practices with proven efficiency and a wide network of entrepreneurs to learn from.

We have corporate partners with expertise - like health, cleantech, logistics, fintech, hardware,... That are definitely eager to get to know you. Discover all of our partners on our partner page.

You’ll go through two selection phases:

Your entry is evaluated on paper by the investment committee of the imec.istart fund. Do they like your project? And does it fulfill all the requirements? Then you’re part of the pre-selection of startups that enter the second phase.

You’re invited to pitch your project in person. The investment committee asks you to give a detailed presentation of your business proposal, team composition and motivation.

In both phases of the selection process, you’re competing with other startups. Our resources are limited: we sometimes have to turn down a promising project because other ones are simply even better. So, make sure to pull out all the stops for your application.

Yes, we always give constructive criticism to help you strengthen your project. Even if you’re not selected for the program.

Enhance your selection chances by coming up with:

A product that:

• is highly technically or technologically innovative
• responds to a clear customer need
• is backed by the outline of a business model
• has at least one clear and strong differentiator
• is ready to compete in a defined and sufficiently large market

A core team that:

• is committed and willing to bear the entrepreneurial risk
• is capable of pushing technological boundaries
• embraces external coaching
• is ready to go global
• can show a finished proof of concept of the technology, including a sketch of the required actions regarding freedom to operate (FPO) and intellectual property rights (IPR)
• envisions the possibility of a break-even within two to three years
• aims at a sales figure of at least 1 million euro within three years and 10 million euro in the long term

Those last two points address the financial viability of your startup. So, you might think that they’re more important than the others. Actually, the opposite is true. If two proposals are equally strong, imec.istart will choose the one that excels in technological innovation and business orientation and has a clear ambition for societal impact.

Yes, you can apply twice with the same project or product.

The startup journey can be tough, and our experience tells us that solo-founders have significantly lower chances of success. That's why imec.istart only accepts startups with at least 2 co-founders, of which at least 1 is willing to commit full-time upon acceptance into the program. Still looking for your partner in crime? Participate in one of our upcoming startup matchmaking events!

Yes, as long as:

• the intellectual property (IP) belongs entirely to your spin-off. We understand that the IP agreement with imec or the university may not yet be fully finalized; however, we can only proceed with an investment once the company is established and IP negotiations are complete. While we do not actively participate in the IP negotiation process, we can provide guidance based on the experiences of similar spin-offs in our portfolio (approximately one in six). You may apply before the IP agreement is signed, but we will wait to execute the investment and begin the program until a signed agreement is in place.
• the spin-off team is fully committed to making your project a success.

No, the amount of applications we receive at each open call is just too massive. However, don’t hesitate to send in your specific questions at any time through our contact page.

Typically three weeks after the submission deadline, you know whether you’re selected for the program. And our support starts as soon as you’ve signed your contract.

Yes, but that might prove too big a challenge for you, depending on the intensity of the other accelerator program. Because we expect you to dedicate sufficient time to the imec.istart program – including attendance at all sessions and events.

Yes, but we don’t recommend it. In our experience, startups who only work part time are less likely to succeed. So it improves your chances at selection and long-term success if you fully commit.

Most of our workshops are tailored to the needs of your startup. Those are mandatory and require at least one of your team to be present. Other workshops are optional. But if you want to reap all the rewards of our program, why would you skip them?

We realize that starting up a business is already intense and challenging. The program doesn’t require your full-time presence. And we never fill up entire work weeks with workshop and events. All activities are spread over the entire duration of the program, giving you ample time to absorb the insights and putting them to good use.

Yes, just ask us who you would like to meet, and we’ll try to set up your introduction to national or international corporate decision makers. And you always remain welcome at our regular barbecues, Founders Circles and other network events.

Just like any investor, our ultimate goal is to exit your startup at some point. But, of course, we’re not quite like any investor. Our big goal is to help you build a sustainable company in the long run. So, we’re happy to be patient until that happens.

On the other hand, don’t hesitate to contact us at any moment if you want to buy back our shares in your company.

Yes. Once your project is in an advanced stage, we’re happy to support you in crossing the borders. We have access to people and facilities around the world. And our dedicated internationalization officer helps you to connect with local players, guides you to promising events and advises you on how to do business abroad. Eventually, she will help you to set up a local subsidiary.

Rest assured, we only show your application to the imec.istart selection jury, which signs a confidentiality agreement. Because we get a lot of applications, and for other practical reasons, we don’t draw up an NDA. Is this an issue for you? Please contact us and we’ll discuss it.

We do our best not to. But companies and the products they bring to market often evolve over time. So we can’t completely rule out that they move on each other’s turf.

In any case, we always ensure that:

• there is never an exchange of sensitive data
• competitive companies are coached by different venture acceleration managers

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Imec.istart is a fund and business acceleration program that guides your tech startup through its first steps on the market.

If you’re selected for imec.istart, you get 18 months of coaching, €250K and an extensive coaching program – including office space. This helps you to pass important milestones on your road to success:

• Product-readiness - reach a fully functioning solution
• Market-readiness – you prove that there is a sufficient market for your solutions. Ideally by presenting your (first) paying customers.
• Growth-readiness – as a founder and entrepreneur, you acquire the necessary skills and know-how to build your startup into a success. And to install the processes that ensure your long-term growth.
• Investor-readiness – you have access to a number of relevant funding sources to fuel your further growth.

Not at all. We only ask for an equity stake in your company and your genuine commitment to our accelerator program. That’s all we require from you - no invoice will be coming your way. In fact, you’ll receive additional financial support from us, including 12 months of housing, personalized mentorship sessions with our workshop experts, video production, PR, and much more.

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It’s easy to find out. Do you meet all of these criteria?

• You want to launch or have launched a product with an important role for a digital or nanotech component such as software, hardware or the combination of both.
• You have a working proof-of-concept
• You aspire to develop a scalable product or product-service combination.
• Your product amounts to a technological or business innovation.
• You address a clear problem in the market.
• You have bold international ambitions.

Then you have every reason to apply.

In the first place, imec.istart is a government-funded initiative with a societal goal: to create economic value, help startups grow into healthy companies and support digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Startups accepted into the imec.istart program in Spain receive €250,000 in pre-seed funding in exchange for equity.

You can still apply if you have already acquired other funding.
You wouldn’t be the first: every imec.istart cohort contains startups who are mainly attracted to our coaching program.

No. Do you get a better offer from other investors? So do a lot of our startups. But they still choose to join us for our support program. Which is, after all, invaluable. And you can always combine imec.istart with other sources of funding.

Yes, you’re welcome to use our investment to bring your business plan to life.

However, we do have a few limitations:

1. Please avoid spending our entire investment on (outsourced) product development. We want you to also prioritize areas like sales and marketing, so product development spending and market-oriented activities are both welcome in your budget plan.

2. Founder salaries should not be covered by our initial investment. Instead, use other sources (such as grants or additional investments) for this purpose once the company is able to support these expenses. Ultimately, your primary incentive as an entrepreneur is reflected in the equity you hold in your tech startup. Note that this restriction does not apply to employee salaries.

No, the investment is an essential part of the imec.istart program. You can’t access our coaching, network, funding and other services without it.

At imec.istart our goal is not to be in control of your company. You as entrepreneur remain the driver of your startup. As a shareholder, we only desire an observer seat and involvement with important decisions such as investments, IP-related deals, etcetera.

Yes. We’ll help you to define your next-stage funding requirements. And to fulfill those requirements by introducing you to our international investor network or by putting you on stage during our Investors Days. Although we offer no guarantees, this greatly enhances your chances at additional funding. In fact, for every 1 eur we invest in our startups, on average 35 eur are additionally raised in follow-up funding by our network of investors.
We can extend our initial investment of 250,000 eur with follow-on funding.

Attach the following documents to your online application:

• business pitch (slide deck)
• executive summary of your project (max. 3 pages)
• short demo movie of your working prototype

No. But, don’t give up! Apply for a program that helps you to flesh out your ideas, such as The Collider, Seedrocket, Demium, Lanzadera, Ginjol, AGAUR, among others. Once your working proof of concept is ready, come back to us.

Applications are open twice a year:

• 1 Apr – 30 Apr (closes 30 Apr, 23:59 CET)
• 1 Oct – 31 Oct (closes 31 Oct, 23:59 CET)

Your application will be evaluated by:

• the imec.istart team
• the imec.istart fund partners

Yes, all of the program communications and workshops will be in English.

Unfortunately, no. If your company is not incorporated in Spain, you would need to move your headquarters to Spain upon selection or create a subsidiary with operational presence.

We refuse to tie ourselves to a fixed number. It’s a lot more important to select those startups that can really benefit from our program.

Yes, by preparing you for and introducing you to our network of Spanish and international investors: business angels, VC funds, corporates, banks, crowdfunding platforms, ...

On top of that, we put you in the spotlight during the Investors Days that we organize for an international investor audience. And obviously, we’ll try to get you on stage at other events that are swarming with investors.
Incidentally, we might invest additional funding after the program.

Up to € 300 per person rental costs (max. 10K) can be covered for max. 3 people for max. 12 months preferably at one location. That only includes office space, not extras such as parking space or printing costs. Our Spanish offices are located at Tech Barcelona- Pier 01, in Barcelona, and we have partnerships with other coworking spacesin other cities in Spain.

You don’t have to, but we do prefer you to. And why wouldn’t you? It certainly makes it easier for you to receive extra support from us. Besides, Spain has enough assets to justify keeping at least a significant portion of your activities here.

The imec.istart program fully supports you for 12 months. Are you a deep tech startup? Then the period is extended to 18 months. That gives you the opportunity to acquire the needed specific certifications.

However, your graduation from the program does not necessarily mean the end of all support from imec.istart. As long as we’re a shareholder, we’ll continue to help you with access to funding, talent, networking and other services.

Yes, you can. But once you are selected, make sure you are incorporated in Spain before the program starts. After all, we need a company to invest in.

We can’t help you if your company is:

• a consultancy firm, agency, engineering bureau or third-party software development house, such as a general project-based business or pure service company
• a startup with a product that targets industries such as gambling or pornography
• a startup that develops me-too products without a novel technology component, disruptive business model or other innovative feature
• a startup focused on drug development