Deep Tech Startup Foundry Saxony
04/08/2026
What’s going on in the BoOst ecosystem this month?
August is full of opportunities to connect with founders, researchers, and builders at our regular meetups.
There is also still the chance to apply for the Technology Sprint or the Tech Incubator program.
Are there any other events that you’re planning to attend in Saxony and Thuringia?
Were you on vacation while the deadline passed? 🏄♀️
You have 7 more days to apply!
This round is aimed at already-founded teams out of Optics & Photonics, BioTech/Life Sciences, and Semicon & Robotics, coming out of universities and research institutes across Saxony and Thuringia.
- 12 weeks.
- No program fee.
- No equity taken.
- On-site across the ecosystem.
More details and application link in bio.
Still not sure if you fit?
Get in touch and we’ll figure it out together, but don’t let the deadline pass while you’re deciding.
31/07/2026
Looking for a meaningful AI use case?
Partner with a Fortune 500 company to build an AI-powered screen reader with agentic functionality designed to assist blind and visually impaired employees of a German industrial corporation in their daily computer work through multimodal AI, voice control, and agent-based functions.
Who this is for:
A startup, a group of independent experts, or a research team covering some mix of AI engineering (multimodality & agentics), Windows desktop integration & UI Automation, browser-based web integration, and speech/interaction design. Accessibility or screen reader experience helps, but it’s optional.
What you get:
- Direct access to one of Germany’s largest industrial corporations
- boOst handles project management, coordination, and milestone tracking as one point of contact supporting your team throughout the process
- 12 week project, 2–3 days/week, kickoff early September, remote-first with an onsite start
- Compensation based on your proposal and project scope
- A real shot at follow-up projects if the prototype lands
Send your application to Luise at [email protected] by August 6th.
More information on our website, link in bio.
Great research does not automatically become a great company.
Hear from Matthias Lohrmann, co-founder of SpiNNcloud, one of the region’s most successful startups, on why early-stage startups with great technology need to focus more on customers and on building a reliable team.
That is exactly what the boOst Tech Incubator is for. We give pre-seed teams the right tools, coaching, and network to work on the crucial parts you rarely learn in the lab.
Ready to step up your game and become a Batch #2 team?
Apply now on our website. Link in bio.
Your tech works, now it needs a business built around it. Ready to take your idea to the next level? 🚀
The boOst Tech Incubator gives pre-seed teams the tools, coaching and network to turn research into a real startup - the parts the lab never teaches you.
- 12 weeks, on-site in Dresden, Leipzig & Jena
- Weekly input on fundraising, hiring, customer interviews & sales
- 1:1 coaching from real founders
- Free of charge, no equity taken
Open to pre-seed teams in Optics & Photonics, BioTech/Life Sciences, Semiconductor & Robotics.
📅 Applications close 31.07 - Kick-off 28.08
👉 Link to sign up in bio.
07/07/2026
You feel your research already solves something.
We’ll help you transform it into a market-relevant solution.
Join us for a 2-day hands-on PhD Workshop in partnership with JenaInnovation.
Built for PhD candidates, postdocs, and researchers in optics & photonics, who are curious about what their work could become.
No startup experience needed, and no pressure to found. Bring your own research topic, or team up with others.
Day 1: you map your research to real-world use cases and industry problems.
Day 2: you shape those into an early startup idea, learn about funding pathways, and get a first pitch experience.
📅 21-22 July
📍Jena
Apply via the link in our bio.
03/07/2026
Your tech works, now it needs a business built around it. Ready to take your idea to the next level? 🚀
The boOst Tech Incubator gives pre-seed teams the tools, coaching and network to turn research into a real startup - the parts the lab never teaches you.
- 12 weeks, on-site in Dresden, Leipzig & Jena
- Weekly input on fundraising, hiring, customer interviews & sales
- 1:1 coaching from real founders
- Free of charge, no equity taken
Open to pre-seed teams in Optics & Photonics, BioTech/Life Sciences, Semiconductor & Robotics.
📆Applications close 31.07 - Kick-off 28.08
👉Link to sign up in bio.
01/07/2026
July is full of opportunities across the BoOst ecosystem.
If you want to connect with founders, researchers, and builders in Saxony and Thuringia, these events are a good place to start.
Look for the dates and locations. Choose one that fits your focus. And join the conversation in person.
Which event are you planning to attend?
26/06/2026
Our first sprint in Chemnitz surprised with extraordinary talent
Students, young professionals & researchers learned how to build a startup from scratch in just 3 days. After ideating, interviewing and building, teams took the stage at the Staffbase HQ to pitch what they had built.
First, a quick tour of the offices (basketball court included). A few people were definitely tempted to swap the pitch deck for a few free throws. 😅
Then, the pitches.
A huge thank you to our jury, who took the time to challenge every solution with care: Oda Wallwitz and Tilo Zemke (CTO, Staffbase). Thank you also to Marion Mattern (.gruendungsnetzwerk) for supporting the teams throughout the sprint, and to Malte Windwehr, our new Educator at boOst.
Congrats to the winners:
Emotion Hub won Best Pitch and tickets to MACHN Festival next year.
CatchUp won Best Idea and tickets to MACHN Festival next year, plus a goodie bag from Staffbase.
Together with Technische Universität Chemnitz, we are working on integrating the format into the curriculum. So stay tuned, we will be back!
🎤 Hear founders share their experience from Paris last week.