You're building something ambitious: a sensor that doesn't exist yet, a robotics system that could redefine an industry, or a quantum chip that most people still think is science fiction. You've validated the core technology. Now you need capital, customers, and the right doors to open. ExciteLab is a high-tech accelerator based in Dresden, Germany, launched in 2024 through a collaboration between TU Dresden, the TU Dresden Aktiengesellschaft (TUDAG) and SpinLab. The accelerator program supports startups working in robotics, sensors, IoT, semiconductors, and quantum technologies. Here are ten reasons why deeptech startups should join ExciteLab.
Not many startup hubs can say their city produces roughly one-third of all chips manufactured in Europe. Dresden can. Silicon Saxony is home to more than 3,600 companies employing around 81,000 professionals, with over €50 billion in investments either planned or underway. Bosch, Infineon, GlobalFoundries, ESMC, NXP. They all operate advanced fabs here, and GlobalFoundries alone announced a €1.1 billion expansion in October 2025. For a deep-tech founder in IoT, sensors, or semiconductors, there is arguably no better city in Europe to be building right now and ExciteLab puts you at the center of it.
ExciteLab's program is entirely equity-free and cost-free, meaning participation never requires giving up a share of your company. Startups based in Saxony (or willing to relocate) can receive an optional €30,000 grant from the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB), on top of three awards of €2000 each: the Community Award, the Academy Award, and the Best Investor Day Pitch. A single startup can win all three, meaning up to €36,000 in non-dilutive funding is on the table.
The program provides personalized weekly coaching from leading startup experts with hands-on experience in founding, scaling, and exiting companies in the exact technical domains ExciteLab focuses on. This is not generic consulting language or one-size-fits-all frameworks. It’s targeted, practical guidance tailored to your company’s current stage, whether you’re refining your go-to-market strategy, navigating your first corporate pilot, or preparing for a funding round.
ExciteLab doesn't just introduce you to corporate partners, it actively builds and manages venture clienting projects between startups and corporates, acting as a neutral bridge from first introduction all the way to a paying customer relationship. The partner network includes Infineon Technologies, ZEISS Innovation Hub, Von Ardenne, Würth Elektronik and many more. Names that take years to get a meeting with on your own.
ExciteLab’s founding partner TU Dresden is one of Germany’s leading research universities. This translates into exclusive access to its research network—one of the deepest concentrations of engineering and scientific expertise in Central Europe. Whether your bottleneck lies in sensor physics, semiconductor design, materials science, or quantum computing, TU Dresden’s labs and institutes provide resources that most startups could never access independently. At the same time, TU Dresden has once again been confirmed as a University of Excellence, reinforcing its position among the top-tier research institutions internationally.
Most generalist VCs don't fully understand hardware timelines or deep-tech risk profiles, which is why ExciteLab's network is specifically oriented toward investors who back semiconductors, robotics, and quantum. The program culminates in an Investor Day with curated, relevant investors and the broader SpinLab Group ecosystem has collectively helped startups raise more than €587 million in capital. Legal and financial partners including Forvis Mazars, CMS Law, and MBG Sachsen are also on hand to help you structure deals when those conversations turn serious.
ExciteLab is part of the SpinLab Group, which over the past decade has consistently been ranked among Europe’s leading startup hubs by multiple independent institutions, including the Financial Times and Handelsblatt. More recently, the Group received the Startup Ecosystem Stars Award 2025 for “Exceptional Industry Support,” presented at the International Chamber of Commerce and co-organized by the OECD and the European Commission. This award recognizes the Group’s measurable impact on startup ecosystems across Europe. These long-standing rankings and recognitions reflect the proven success of our programs and at the same time help our startups gain visibility with investors, corporates, and across the broader innovation ecosystem.
We support early and later stage startups. You may have already raised your first round of funding for your startup, but as you know, after one round comes the next. To support you in securing follow-on funding, we regularly organize exclusive matchmaking formats, including our Investor Dinners as well as our annual flagship event, Investor Day. These formats bring together selected investors and corporate partners, creating highly targeted opportunities to connect with relevant decision-makers. In addition, we provide access to a strong network for public funding and grants at the European level (e.g., EIC Accelerator, Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe projects, and EIT), as well as at national, regional, and city levels.
ExiteLab’s portfolio reflects the results founders can achieve through the program. Alumni have secured funding shortly after completion, e.g. FaradaIC, which raised a €4.5M seed round. The portfolio includes companies such as SaxonQ, NSS Water, and Tethys Robotics, covering deep tech and industrial applications. While most startups fail within the first years, the SpinLab Group reports a startup survival rate of 87% and 15 exits to date.
The most lasting benefit is the network that remains. ExciteLab's Batch model puts you alongside founders building in the same technical domains, creating honest peer-to-peer learning that extends long after graduation. Through the SpinLab Group ecosystem, which also includes SpinLab in Leipzig, RootCamp in Hannover, and the SIVentures VC fund, those relationships reach well beyond Dresden, connecting you to the people most likely to become your co-investors, customer introductions, and trusted advisors for years to come.
ExciteLab offers a 6-month hybrid accelerator program. Combining on-site presence in Dresden with flexible remote participatio. We hope the points above have convinced you to apply for our program.