Luxembourg’s leading accelerator programme, Fit 4 Start, has launched its 13th edition. It’s on the hunt for high-potential digital/data-driven ventures and healthtech startups that want to expand internationally.
Last year, Luxembourg presented a national roadmap for a competitive and sustainable economy with a digital, data-driven economy as one of its cornerstones. It’s now become a European hub for startups to launch their international ambitions and fast-track the journey to success. Fit 4 Start, which has now reached its 13th edition, is one of the leading accelerator programmes making Luxembourg a buzzing hive in Europe’s startup ecosystem – and they want to hear from ambitious entrepreneurs today.
Targeting innovative, tech and data-driven startups with a strong potential for commercial success, Fit 4 Start is a unique and exciting accelerator programme. Initially launched in 2015, this new edition will also provide participants with coaching and awareness raising about how they can have a positive sustainable impact – all from the digital hub that Luxembourg has become.
It offers a 6-month intensive coaching programme, granting selected teams free access to co-working spaces and the chance to get up to €150k in equity-free seed financing. This is in addition to the valuable networking opportunities that are available and access to Luxembourg’s business-orientated high-performance computer.
Since 2015, the programme has sorted through over 2,300 applications from across the world – supporting a total of 133 startups to date. About 50% of these have come from outside Luxembourg, so this is truly an international opportunity from the heart of Europe.
Claudio Geyken CEO and founder of RiDERgy (Fit 4 Start alumni): “Participating in the Fit 4 Start programme helped us to clarify our strategy, find partners and customers, prolong our runway and improve our case towards investors. Being in Luxembourg allows us to move fast in a close-knit environment and expand our business internationally from a very international, central European location.”
So far, 99 startups have graduated from the programmes and are now making their presence felt in the global innovation community and over €10 million has been granted by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Economy.
Sven Baltes, Advisor – Start-up Acceleration at Luxinnovation: “Fit 4 Start offers entrepreneurs a whole range of services and tools to help them successfully launch their company and develop it on the European market.”
This year, Fit 4 Start is looking for digital and data-driven ventures with innovative technologies at the core of its business. This includes areas such as:
This year, the programme has opened a dedicated track for healthtech startups active in fields such as digital therapeutics, digital diagnostics, remote monitoring or care, medical devices and/or in vitro diagnostics. Healthtech has been a big growth area over the past couple of years, as the need for innovation in this sphere has been laid clear and the impact it can have on wider society is quite incredible.
Meysam Minoufekr, CEO of Dropslab Technologies (Fit 4 Start alumni): “Fit 4 Start and the coaches opened our eyes – it’s a different thing having an idea in the healthtech sectors specifically and then having a product behind it. There are regulatory and financial aspects to consider. What was very important to us was to pinpoint and address the exact problem.”
Selected ventures will be able to benefit from Luxembourg’s unique business-oriented high-performance computer, if relevant to their development.
Nestled in the heart of Europe, Luxembourg is an ideal location to scale internationally-minded startups from. The government is actively backing dynamic innovation with ambitions to build an economy of tomorrow competitively and sustainably.
To do so, the public sector has affirmed commitments to work hand in hand with the private sector – giving innovators the chance to benefit from expertise right across the spectrum.
Fit 4 Start has evolved to serve this global initiative with an additional focus on sustainability.
Sven Baltes: “The programme also benefits from Luxembourg’s central location and multiculturalism, which makes the country an ideal test market for developing concepts and exploring new products and services. Start-ups here automatically have an international orientation from day one.”
Andrea Danielli, CEO and founder of Mopso (Fit 4 Start alumni): “The Luxembourg startup scene is open and it is easy to connect with interesting people. I am thankful to be here to network with various players. I am looking forward to further building our presence in the Grand Duchy after an intense and fruitful Fit 4 Start coaching phase.”
Fit 4 Start was launched by the Ministry of Economy and is managed by Luxinnovation in collaboration with Technoport and the Luxembourg City Incubator.
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