Network Role: Investor

  • 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. 

  • Cyber Valley announces partnership with SPRIND

    Cyber Valley announces partnership with SPRIND

    SPRIND, the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation, funds groundbreaking projects, alternative approaches, and spin-offs. Through this new partnership, Cyber Valley and SPRIND will foster creative solutions beyond conventional paths. 

    This partnership seeks to explore next-level AI technologies, venturing beyond popular concepts like Large Language Models (LLMs), Transformers, and Diffusion Models. It will focus on championing alternative approaches to AI, encouraging bold thinking, and exploring uncharted territories. This collaboration signals a significant step toward redefining the possibilities of artificial intelligence. 

    Leading the charge for this initiative is Mirko Holzer, Innovation Manager at SPRIND, “This partnership is all about pushing boundaries and bringing bold ideas to life. With Cyber Valley, we are creating the perfect launchpad for disruptive technologies that have the power to reshape science and society.”   

    Florian Mayer, COO of Cyber Valley, shares the enthusiasm, “It’s fantastic to see SPRIND committing significant resources and funding to such a vital area of innovation. We are thrilled to join forces and pave the way for the next wave of groundbreaking AI technologies.” 

    Alternative approaches 

    Through this collaboration, SPRIND and Cyber Valley are looking for innovators who are working on new and alternative approaches to artificial intelligence (AI), transformative artificial intelligence (TAI), and artificial general intelligence (AGI). The goal is to find alternative, bold, even speculative ideas that diverge from established AI pathways such as diffusion models, large-scale language models, and/or generally transformer-based architectures. 
     

    The partnership supports visionary AI methods, emphasizing:   

    • New Architectures: Energy-efficient designs inspired by biological systems, non-neural paradigms, quantum-inspired models, adaptive systems, and generative models simulating environments. 

    • New Learning Paradigms: Innovative methods like federated learning, causal learning, reinforcement learning, active learning, and synthetic data ecosystems to redefine how machines learn. 

    • New Hardware Approaches: Breakthroughs in neuromorphic, photonic, holographic, and biohybrid computing, as well as robotic systems with embodied cognition and sensory integration. 

    • Innovations outside the mainstream: Bold ideas such as meta-learning, swarm intelligence, digital organisms, evolutionary algorithms, and AI systems with emotional and self-aware intelligence. 

  • Cyber Valley celebrates the launch of ELLIS Institute Finland

    Cyber Valley celebrates the launch of ELLIS Institute Finland

    The new institute is part of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) – a pan-European AI research network that is an important player in the Cyber Valley Community. It will position Finland as a key player in AI, attract international talent, and drive cutting-edge research. This announcement marks a major step towards achieving Cyber Valley’s vision of a closely connected, pan-European AI research network, strengthening Europe’s global standing in AI and machine learning.

    The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has pledged substantial financial backing, committing €10 million annually from 2025 to 2028, in addition to a launch-phase investment of €6 million. Further support comes from the Post Scriptum Foundation, established by Peter Sarlin, CEO and co-founder of Silo AI. Silo AI joined the Cyber Valley Community in June 2024 at Cyber Valley Days. The foundation has pledged an additional €10 million to fund up to 15 professorships at the ELLIS Institute Finland. 

    This ELLIS Institute, which will be based at Aalto University, is the second in the prestigious pan-European ELLIS network, following the establishment of the first institute in Tübingen, Germany, in 2023. Aalto University will lead the initiative in Finland, working collaboratively with other Finnish universities.

    The new institute will build on the achievements of the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI), which currently hosts ELLIS Unit Helsinki—the Finnish node of ELLIS. Professor Samuel Kaski, director of FCAI and ELLIS Unit Helsinki, will play a central role in the development of ELLIS Institute Finland.

    This initiative underlines Finland’s commitment to becoming a major hub for AI research and innovation, leveraging its longstanding expertise to address both local and global challenges through AI-driven solutions.

    Cyber Valley is proud to support and collaborate with ELLIS Institute Finland. Together, we look forward to advancing European AI research, fostering collaborative innovation, and addressing global challenges through the power of intelligent systems. This marks a significant step in uniting Europe’s AI efforts, strengthening our shared goals and vision for a more connected, forward-thinking AI research ecosystem.

  • Cyber Valley bündelt KI- & Robotik-Kompetenzen für das Gesundheitswesen

    Cyber Valley bündelt KI- & Robotik-Kompetenzen für das Gesundheitswesen

    Stuttgart, 28. Oktober 2024 – Am letzten Donnerstag fiel der offizielle Startschuss für das Cyber Valley Health Cluster mit einem öffentlichen Kickoff-Event am Standort Tübingen. Diese Initiative, die von Cyber Valley ins Leben gerufen wurde, zielt darauf ab, die Kräfte von Wissenschaft, Industrie und Start-ups zu vereinen und durch den Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz und moderner Robotik die Gesundheit aller langfristig zu verbessern.  

    Synergien zwischen Forschung und Industrie für KI-getriebene Gesundheitstechnologien 

    Das Health Cluster setzt auf eine enge Verzahnung von Forschung, Praxis und Technologie. Es fördert gemeinsame Projekte zwischen KI-Expertinnen und -Experten, Forschenden und Unternehmen, um innovative Lösungen für aktuelle und zukünftige Herausforderungen im Gesundheitswesen zu entwickeln. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf interdisziplinärem Wissensaustausch, der neue Ansätze und Lösungen ermöglicht, die über einzelne technologische Fortschritte hinausgehen.   

    Rebecca C. Reisch, Geschäftsführerin der Cyber Valley GmbH, hebt die Bedeutung dieser Zusammenarbeit hervor: „Das Cyber Valley Health Cluster ist mehr als nur eine akademische Initiative; es ist eine kollaborative Allianz, die den Austausch zwischen Industrie, Start-ups und Forschung fördert. Das Health Cluster bietet den Rahmen, um KI-basierte Lösungen zu entwickeln, die zur Bewältigung der drängendsten Herausforderungen der modernen Medizin und darüber hinaus beitragen.“

    Starke Cyber Valley Partner und Freunde sind bereits an Bord  

    Das Cyber Valley Health Cluster wird von starken Partnerschaften getragen und unterstützt. Zu den bereits bestätigten Partnern zählen namhafte Akteure wie Boehringer Ingelheim, ZEISS, die Universität Tübingen, die Universität Stuttgart sowie das renommierte Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme (MPI-IS). Diese investieren maßgeblich in die Cyber Valley Community und spielen eine zentrale Rolle bei der Weiterentwicklung des Clusters.  

    Darüber hinaus wird das Cyber Valley Health Cluster von einer Vielzahl engagierter ‘Friends’ unterstützt, die das Netzwerk durch ihre Expertise und Vernetzung bereichern. Zu diesen zählen Immatics, Cegat, Ovesco, BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, BioRegio STERN Management, sowie der Medical Innovations Incubator und die Start-ups Osora und Cerebri.   Weitere sind bereits in Planung.  

    Reisch unterstrich die Rolle der Cyber Valley Community: „Gemeinsam mit unseren Partnern und Freunden schaffen wir ein Umfeld, das die Entwicklung von Technologien vorantreibt, die nicht nur wegweisend, sondern auch praktikabel und ethisch sind. Denn nur gemeinsam haben wir die Chance, Baden-Württemberg und ganz Deutschland an die Spitze der globalen KI-Gesundheitsinnovationen zu etablieren.“ 

    Langfristiges Ziel: Eine enge und nachhaltige Gesundheits-Allianz 

    Das Cyber Valley Health Cluster wird gezielt Start-ups und Innovationsprojekte unterstützen, um den Wissenstransfer zwischen Forschung und Industrie zu fördern. Teilnehmende des Clusters profitieren von einem weitreichenden Netzwerk und neuen Verknüpfungsmöglichkeiten, die einen schnellen Transfer und die Entwicklung zukunftsweisender Lösungen ermöglichen. 

    Das langfristige Ziel des Clusters ist es, eine nachhaltige und aktive Community mit gebündelter Gesundheits-Expertise zu schaffen, in der interdisziplinäre Teams zusammenarbeiten, um globale Gesundheitsherausforderungen zu bewältigen. In den kommenden Monaten sind weitere Veranstaltungen und Interaktionsformate für das Cyber Valley Health Cluster geplant.  

    Über Cyber Valley 

    Cyber Valley ist Europas größtes und führendes Zentrum für Exzellenz in künstlicher Intelligenz und moderner Robotik. Die Mission und der öffentliche Auftrag bestehen darin, sich für Forschung, Entwicklung, Anwendung und Akzeptanz von Technologien sowie Methoden intelligenter Systeme einzusetzen. Cyber Valley fördert die Gründung von KI-Start-ups, indem es wissenschaftliche Exzellenz mit Innovation und Technologietransfer verbindet. Außerdem unterstützt Cyber Valley die kritische Reflexion der ethischen und sozialen Auswirkungen von KI. Cyber Valley strebt eine Zukunft an, in der das Potenzial intelligenter Systeme zum Wohle der Gesellschaft voll ausgeschöpft wird.  

    Pressekontakt: 

    Laura Neusser 
    Public Outreach Manager 
    Cyber Valley GmbH 
    laura.neusser@cyber-valley.de