CV Tag: Innovation & Economy

  • Cyber Valley Start-up Meshcapade draws Epic Games to Tübingen

    Cyber Valley Start-up Meshcapade draws Epic Games to Tübingen


    Meshcapade has been acquired by Epic Games. As part of the acquisition, Epic Games is establishing a presence in Cyber Valley. The Meshcapade team will join Epic’s AI research team, contributing to technologies for Unreal Engine and MetaHuman.

    Meshcapade, is a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Tübingen and one of the earliest members of the Cyber Valley Start-up Network. The start-up develops advanced technologies for the creation and animation of digital humans. Founded in 2018, the start-up received the inaugural Max Planck Startup Award from the Stifterverband in 2022. Epic Games is a U.S. game developer and creator of Unreal Engine, a game development technology. 

    Meshcapade’s technology builds on the Institute’s SMPL (Skinned Multi-Person Linear) body model, a highly realistic 3D representation of the human body trained on thousands of 3D scans. Licensed through Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer arm of the Max Planck Society, SMPL has become the de facto standard for 3D human representation in both academia and industry. The technology was developed by co-founders Naureen Mahmood and Talha Zaman together with Michael J. Black, Director of Perceiving Systems at MPI-IS. 

    The Meshcapade team will now join Epic Games, which is opening a new office in Tübingen. This move strengthens Epic’s presence in Cyber Valley, one of Europe’s leading AI innovation ecosystems, and underscores the region’s role as a hub for cutting-edge research and industry collaboration in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and digital human technologies. 

    Read the full news story from the Max Planck Society here:

    https://www.mpg.de/26082348/max-planck-spin-off-meshcapade-draws-epic-games-to-tuebingen

  • DenkBox, kausable, and polybot join the Cyber Valley Start-up Network

    DenkBox, kausable, and polybot join the Cyber Valley Start-up Network

    Cyber Valley welcomes three new members to its Start-up Network: DenkBox, kausable, and polybot. These start-ups are using bold ideas and groundbreaking technologies to shape the future of AI and robotics in Baden-Württemberg.

    polybot envisions unlocking a sustainable future for humanity’s food production. The start-up builds small, dexterous robots that can perform a variety of complex, labor-intensive tasks, like weeding, precision pruning, and harvesting delicate crops like tomatoes and cucumbers. By automating manual fieldwork, polybot helps farmers address labor shortages while boosting long-term productivity and sustainability.

    DenkBox uses the latest open-source LLMs to provide a locally hosted AI chatbot. The start-up puts its users’ privacy first: it does not require connection to an external cloud, ensuring full compliance with GDPR. Meanwhile, DenkBox offers access to state-of-the-art open-source LLMs. The start-up offers both hardware and software from a single source, requiring minimal IT configuration that integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructures.


    kausable is pioneering a new reasoning-first approach to AI, moving beyond pattern-based large language models. Their agentic AI learns in-context from only a few examples, opens new domains without retraining, and generalizes across tasks and modalities. Backed by leading investors such as Mätch VC, LDV Partners, and experts from Black Forest Labs, kausable is building efficient, general-purpose intelligence that is made in Europe.


    The Cyber Valley Community is excited to welcome DenkBox, kausable, and polybot to its growing ecosystem. These start-ups are strengthening Cyber Valley’s mission to unite groundbreaking science with innovation and technology transfer to solve real-world problems.

    The Cyber Valley Start-up Network

    The Cyber Valley Start-up Network brings together more than 90 innovative AI and robotics start-ups across Baden-Württemberg, forming a strong and growing entrepreneurial community within one of Europe’s leading AI and robotics ecosystems. The network spans a broad range of applications and industries, from foundational AI technologies to applied and industry-specific solutions. Connected through their close ties to Cyber Valley, members benefit from access to world-class research, industry partners, investors, and public stakeholders, jointly strengthening the region’s AI and robotics ecosystem.

  • Call for applications: Next Frontier AI

    Call for applications: Next Frontier AI

    The goal is clear: to ensure Europe is not only a user of advanced AI systems, but a creator of the next generation of AI technologies.

    Why Next Frontier AI?

    While Europe leads in AI research and adoption, many of today’s frontier AI systems are developed and scaled elsewhere. Next Frontier AI addresses this gap by supporting teams willing to take high-risk, high-impact bets on what comes after today’s dominant AI paradigms. Rather than prescribing what the “next frontier” should be, the initiative invites researchers and builders to define it themselves – whether through new algorithms, training paradigms, data modalities, architectures, or entirely new approaches to AI.

    A challenge-based approach

    Next Frontier AI follows a challenge-based funding model designed to maximize experimentation and learning:

    • €125M in total challenge funding
    • Initial selection of 10 teams, each receiving €3M in non-dilutive funding
    • Multiple phases with progressive funding and selection
    • Full freedom to experiment, pivot, and pursue bold hypotheses
    • A long-term pathway toward up to €1B per team for those ready to scale globally

    The objective of the early phases is not to produce a finished frontier lab, but to identify and prepare exceptional teams capable of scaling transformative AI systems over the long term.

    Who should apply

    The initiative is aimed at:

    • AI researchers, engineers, and technical builders
    • Small, highly skilled teams (typically 3–5 people)
    • Existing startups or newly formed teams
    • Applicants with bold visions – entrepreneurial experience is not required

    SPRIN-D supports participating teams not only with funding, but also with company-building support and ecosystem access.

    Europe at the center

    Next Frontier AI is designed to strengthen European AI sovereignty by building AI systems in Europe, aligned with European values, markets, and industrial needs while remaining globally competitive. Cyber Valley is one of Europe’s leading AI and robotics ecosystems. We are amplifying these initiatives to reach frontier builders in Europe and Europeans working abroad who may be ready to come back.

    All details on eligibility, timelines, and the application process are available on the Next Frontier AI website. 

    If you want to join the challenge, sign up here: https://next-frontier.ai/join

    For deeper context on the vision behind Next Frontier AI, listen to the SPRIN-D podcast episode with Mirko Holzer and Dr. Johannes Otterbach. 

  • Cyber Valley at Heilbronn Slush’D

    Cyber Valley at Heilbronn Slush’D

    Heilbronn Slush’D is organized by Campus Founders, a start-up and innovation hub based in Heilbronn. The event was sold out, with over 1,000 participants from across Europe taking part in talks, panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions. The festival enabled start-ups and founders to connect with key stakeholders and develop their ideas.

    For CELLnROLL (recipients of the Cyber Valley Innovation Fellowship Program) Heilbronn Slush’D was ‘an inspiring event bringing together founders, investors, and innovation leaders from across Europe.’ Following the event, they were ‘inspired, energized, and full of new ideas for what’s next!’

    Maximilian Bode, Co-founder of Cyber Valley Start-up Biocompile, was in attendance for the first time: ‘Despite the bad weather, it was a great experience!’ For Max, events like Heilbronn Slush’D are ‘places where the most interesting people meet.’

    Maximilian Bode (Biocompile) at Heilbronn Slush'D. Photo courtesy of Maximilian Bode.

    Maximilian Bode (Biocompile) at Heilbronn Slush’D. Photo courtesy of Maximilian Bode

    Johanna Kreßel from the University of Tübingen’s Startup Center also shared her impressions from her first time at Heilbronn Slush’D: ‘I really enjoyed the energy and open atmosphere that made it so easy to connect and have meaningful conversations.’

    Johanna Kreßel at Heilbronn Slush'D. Photo courtesy of Johanna Kreßel

    Johanna Kreßel (Tübingen Startup Center) at Heilbronn Slush’D. Photo courtesy of Johanna Kreßel

    KIT Gründerschmiede took part too. For them, Heilbronn Slush’D ‘was again a real experience – not only because of the wild weather, but above all because of the incredible energy that could be felt between impulses on stage, networking around the campfire, and conversations at the food trucks.’

    KIT Gründerschmeide at Heilbronn Slush'D

    KIT Gründerschmiede at Heilbronn Slush’D. Photo courtesy of KIT Gründerschmiede

    Members of the Cyber Valley Start-up Network have been recognized at previous iterations of the festival. Ventus Technologies secured the top prize of €100,000 in investment in 2023, followed by Tabularis AI claiming the same award in 2024. These examples show how Cyber Valley start-ups have benefited from the support provided by Campus Founders at Heilbronn Slush’D.

    By attending Heilbronn Slush’D, members of the Cyber Valley Community demonstrated the value of collaboration and were impressed by the growing momentum in Heilbronn. Through their scientific expertise and diverse perspectives, they are playing an essential role in the success of Germany’s research and innovation ecosystem.

    Photo courtesy of Heilbronn Slush’D

  • UTokyo IPC and Cyber Valley launch ‘Valley and Sunrise’

    UTokyo IPC and Cyber Valley launch ‘Valley and Sunrise’

    The Valley and Sunrise program originates from a strategic partnership between Cyber Valley, Europe’s leading center for excellence in AI and modern robotics, and UTokyo IPC, the venture investment arm of the University of Tokyo. It opens up UTokyo IPC’s academic and corporate networks to Cyber Valley start-ups, accelerating their market entry and commercialization in Japan and offering them a competitive advantage in global markets.

    Selected start-ups will receive:

    • Up to €50,000 in financial support for initial market entry.
    • Access to Japanese corporate executives, strategic investors, and regulatory expertise.
    • Customized Proof of Concept (PoC) partnerships with top-tier Japanese enterprises. 
    • Six months of personalized mentorship, networking opportunities, and guidance for successful market integration.

    Applications for Valley and Sunrise will be open from November 5 until December 5, 2025, with selected start-ups beginning the program in spring 2026. Up to two start-ups from the Cyber Valley Start-up Network will participate in the program. 

    Florian Mayer, Managing Director, Cyber Valley GmbH:

    ‘The Valley and Sunrise program offers German start-ups a unique opportunity to gain insights and connections in one of the world’s most advanced economies. The program encourages cross-border innovation between Germany and Japan, supporting deep-tech start-ups from the Cyber Valley ecosystem in Baden-Württemberg to thrive on a global scale.’

    Angelina Jukic, Program Manager, Cyber Valley GmbH:

    ‘This initiative has come to life through our close collaboration with UTokyo IPC. The Valley and Sunrise program turns our shared vision into reality – connecting German AI and robotics start-ups with Japan’s leading investors, corporates, and researchers, and strengthening collaboration between our two innovation ecosystems.’

    Hideki Nagasaka, Partner & Director, 1stRound, UTokyo IPC:

    ‘Through our collaboration with Cyber Valley, we are building a truly global platform, empowering German start-ups not only to succeed in the Japanese market but also to thrive internationally. We envision a dynamic ecosystem where innovation seamlessly flows between Germany, Japan, and beyond, creating lasting global impact.’

    About UTokyo IPC

    UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. (UTokyo IPC) is a venture capital firm wholly owned by the University of Tokyo, established in 2016 to strengthen Japan’s global industrial competitiveness through startup investment and ecosystem building.

    As a public–private venture capital firm, UTokyo IPC has invested in more than 80 university-affiliated startups and venture funds both in Japan and overseas.
    Beyond investment, UTokyo IPC operates the Startup Building Program, which supports the commercialization of research outcomes; 1stRound, Japan’s largest academia-linked accelerator; and DeepTech Dive, a program dedicated to cultivating deep-tech talent. In 2024, UTokyo IPC launched the ASA Fund under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s initiative to promote global collaboration and establish Japan as a hub for deep-tech innovation.

    About Cyber Valley

    Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.  
     

    Media Contact

    Hazel Rowland, Cyber Valley GmbH: hazel.rowland@cyber-valley.de
    Akiko Tsuchiya, UTokyo IPC: info2@utokyo-ipc.co.jp

  • Navigating Investment Landscapes with SPRIND

    Navigating Investment Landscapes with SPRIND

    Leading the charge: Mirko Holzer 

    At the forefront of this initiative is Mirko Holzer, Deputy Director AI &Robotics  at SPRIND. With deep expertise in innovation management, Holzer ensures that promising start-ups and researchers get the resources they need to bring their groundbreaking ideas to life.  

    Holzer explains: “The partnership with Cyber Valley combines the best of both worlds: promising start-ups from first-class AI research meet the bold, unconventional funding culture of SPRIND. Together, we create an environment in which visionary ideas are not only conceived but also implemented. We look forward to supporting the next generation of AI pioneers and taking innovation in Germany to the next level!” 

    How to secure funding with SPRIND 

    SPRIND offers flexible financing models to help start-ups transform research into real-world applications. If traditional venture capital isn’t enough, SPRIND can step in with direct investments. 

    The step-by-step guide to getting funded 

    1. Research and eligibility: Ensure your AI venture aligns with SPRIND’s mission of breakthrough innovation. They look for high-impact, high-risk ideas with real-world applications. 

    2. Connecting with SPRIND: Early engagement with Mirko Holzer and his team is encouraged, as they can provide insights into the best funding options. 

    3. Preparing a proposal: SPRIND seeks strong teams, groundbreaking ideas, and a clear path to impact. Highlighting how innovation stands out is important. 

    4. Funding models and terms: SPRIND offers grants for research and development, equity investments, convertible loans, and co-investments with private investors, covering up to 70% of a financing round. 

    5. Validation phase: Selected teams can enter a validation phase, receiving expert coaching while participating in SPRIND’s network.  

    6. Showcase at VENTURE SPRIND: Top teams can present their ideas at SPRIND’s flagship event, where top investors and industry leaders gather to discover groundbreaking innovations.   

    “Research and development are incredibly expensive, and we can cover a large part of the development costs. The rest is covered by private investment,” explains Holzer. “Our financing is usually in the single-digit million range but can be higher if we see the potential and the need for it.” 

     

    Success Story: Polybot’s Journey 

    Polybot – one of the latest Cyber Valley projects supported by SPRIND – is a next-generation agricultural robot. SPRIND has provided Polybot with a seven-month validation contract starting in February 2025, giving them financial support, coaching, and access to a powerful innovation network. This partnership will turn Polybot’s cutting-edge research into real-world applications, strengthening Baden-Württemberg as an innovation hub. 

    Polybot’s team will: 

    • Join SPRIND’s expert-led programs 

    • Work closely with innovation managers 

    • Gain access to valuable investor networks 

    • Showcase their technology at VENTURE SPRIND 

    “SPRIND not only provides financial support but is also very active in the entire innovation landscape. This starts with the improvement of IP regulations and spin-off conditions through high-level workshops on VC funding and team building and extends to the organization of international venture events. These programs are just as valuable to us as the financial support,” says Wieland Brendel, Polybot project leader. 

    The collaboration between Cyber Valley and SPRIND demonstrates the potential of artificial intelligence research when applied to solving real-world problems, encouraging bold thinking and exploring uncharted territories in the field. 

    About SPRIND     

    SPRIND is Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation, dedicated to funding transformative ventures that tackle the world’s toughest challenges, with a strong focus on AI. Their mission is to identify radical thinkers, invest in high-risk ideas, and connect teams with powerful networks across industry, academia, and government. SPRIND's comprehensive support includes financing, team building, and connecting innovators with key networks, ensuring that transformative progress aligns with fundamental humanistic values. 

  • Finale: Demo Day for The AI Incubator

    Finale: Demo Day for The AI Incubator

     

    Bei dieser Veranstaltung werden die Teilnehmer des KI-Inkubatorprogramms ihre endgültigen Ideen einer Jury vorstellen. Die Veranstaltung findet in englischer Sprache statt. Weitere Informationen über das Programm auf Englisch sind unten.

     

    Following six weeks of workshops and inspiring inputs, participants from Batch #3 of The AI Incubator will pitch their final ideas to a jury and a distinguished audience of investors, corporates, researchers, and entrepreneurs. The best teams will be awarded by the jury and have the chance to win attractive prices. Event attendees will have the chance to meet the teams during the concluding networking event with beverages and fingerfood.

     

    When? 

    November 23, 2023, 15:00-18:30 CEST

     

    Where? 

    Amazon Research & Development Center
    Friedrich-Miescher-Straße 4, 72076 Tübingen

     

    Jury

    Michael Black 
    Alex Diehl 
    Lukas Findeisen
    Naureen Mahmood
    Betty Mohler-Tesch
    Rebecca C. Reisch

     

    Special Guest Speaker

    Ingmar Hörr, Co-Founder CureVac

     

    Schedule

    15:00: Welcome & Intro from Rebecca C. Reisch (CEO of Cyber Valley)
    15:30: Team pitches
    17:45: Inspirational talk from Ingmar Hörr (Co-Founder of Curevac): “Sciencepreneur – How to turn science into commercial value”
    18:00: Award ceremony
    18:30 onwards: Networking with food and beverages

     

    Registration

    Registration is closed for this event. Please contact Paul-David Bittner if you have any questions. 

     

    The AI Incubator

    The AI Incubator is a six-week program for AI talents with brilliant ideas. The program encourages scientists, technologists, and business talent to found their own companies, fostering the next generation of AI start-ups.  The AI Incubator equips participants with the right knowledge, tools, and skills to transfer their cutting-edge AI and robotics research into products and applications.

    It covers topics such as, AI prototyping, product-market fit, business strategy, and funding. The program also provides participants with access to a network of experts, mentors, founders, and investors who offer guidance and inspiration on their journey into the AI business world.

    The AI Incubator is organized by Cyber Valley and funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. 

  • The AI Incubator 2023 Batch #3: Q&A Session 3

    The AI Incubator 2023 Batch #3: Q&A Session 3

    Q&A Dates:

      • September 20, 17:30–19:30, CEST, in person at Cyber Valley Meet-up #07, register here.

    The AI Incubator 2023

    The Cyber Valley AI Incubator encourages scientists, technologists, and business talent to found their own businesses and be part of the next generation of AI start-ups.

    Our six-week program encourages researchers to consider how they can transfer their cutting-edge AI and robotics research into products and applications. Topics include:

      • Product-market-fit
      • Business strategy
      • Funding opportunities

    We want to equip participants with knowledge, tools, and skills while connecting them with a network of experts, mentors, investors, and other founders to inspire their AI start-up journey. At the program’s conclusion, every team will have the opportunity to pitch their idea to a jury.

    If you’re interested in taking part in The AI Incubator, join one of our Q&A sessions to ask us about the application process, the program, or anything else. You can find more information on the application process and all the dates here.