User Group: Gründer:innen

  • Women of Tech Conference 2025

    Women of Tech Conference 2025

    Das Programm bietet eine Vielzahl an Vernetzungsmöglichkeiten, Keynotes und Podiumsdiskussionen, unter anderem zum Thema Künstliche Intelligenz.

    Wann?

    1. und 15. Mai, 2025. 9:00 – 17:30

    Wo?

    Tag 1:  ARENA 2036, Pfaffenwaldring, 70569 Stuttgart (Parkmöglichkeiten vor Ort)

    Tag 2: Bosch Supply Chain Campus, Bregenzer Str. 26A, 70469 Stuttgart (Anreise mit der Bahn wird empfohlen, da die Parkmöglichkeiten vor Ort sehr begrenzt sind)

    Interesse?

    Weitere Informationen und Tickets für diese Verstaltung finden Sie auf der WOT 2025 Website.

  • AutoML School 2025

    AutoML School 2025

     

    Scope

    AutoML has become a cornerstone in the toolkit of many developers and researchers. With the rise of foundation models, AutoML's potential has expanded even further, enabling smarter, more powerful, and scalable solutions. Although there is exponentially growing interest in the intersection of AutoML and foundation models, they are rarely taught at universities, leaving a significant gap between cutting-edge research and disseminated knowledge. This school consists of introductory, state-of-the-art, and application lectures for AutoML and Foundation Models covering core topics such as:

    • Hyperparameter optimization and model selection

    • Applying and scaling foundation models

    • Automated model compression, and pruning

    • LLMs for efficient experimentation

    • Explainability methods

    • … and many more (stay tuned while we assemble our schedule)

     

    Target Group

    The AutoML School is a yearly research training event tailored for graduate and postgraduate students, research engineers, and industry practitioners who want to learn about AutoML. However, there are no formal prerequisites, and everyone is welcome.

     

    Date

    June 10–13, 2025

     

    Venue

    Tübingen, Germany

    Registration Link

    Registration Infos | Schedule

  • 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. 

  • Spiegel Spezial: Cyber Valley in the Neckar Valley

    Spiegel Spezial: Cyber Valley in the Neckar Valley

    Despite certain challenges such as limited venture capital and data availability, Germany benefits from renowned research institutions and the necessary computing power to train AI models. However, to fully capitalize on AI's economic and productivity benefits, the country must focus more on practical applications of the technology. 

    Cyber Valley Public Outreach Manager, Laura Neusser, expresses her personal impression: “Of course, the general tone of the question whether Europe can keep up with the US in AI is a bit tricky, but all interview partners explain the amazing opportunities that can be found in this region." At the end of the article, one sentence summarizes this very well:

    Whether Germany will catch up with the rapid AI development in the USA has yet to be determined. The local AI scene is certainly not lacking in enthusiasm and willingness to innovate.

    Illustrating the vibrancy of Germany’s AI landscape, this quote further highlights the groundbreaking innovations emerging from the region within the Cyber Valley Community: 

    An innovative AI scene is emerging in Germany: the Cyber Valley in the Neckar Valley. Artificial intelligence is conquering the world, and start-ups in Baden-Württemberg are striving to compete in the global market. They are developing remote-controlled heart catheters, AI-generated film music, and agricultural robots.

     

    The Cyber Valley Community

    The article puts the spotlight on the following:

    Meshcapade 
    Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems 
    Tübingen AI Center 
    SPRIND – Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen 
    OSORA medical GmbH 
    EndoSurge 
    Max Planck Society 
    Mirelo AI 
    Maddox AI 
    Fraunhofer IPA 
    Fraunhofer IAO 
    KI-Fortschrittszentrum 
    Polybot 

    Check out the article online, or pick up a copy of the January print edition of the Spiegel Spezial at your local store.  

  • 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.