Field guide
The Baden-Württemberg startup accelerator map
From Stuttgart's automotive heartland to the AI valleys of Tübingen and Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg runs one of Europe's densest networks of accelerators, incubators and startup factories. Here is every major one — mapped in 3D.
Fly through the ecosystem
Drag to orbit the state, scroll to zoom, and use WASD or the arrow keys to travel across it. Every glowing pin is a real programme — click one to read about it, or filter by focus area.
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Why Baden-Württemberg?
Baden-Württemberg is the industrial engine room of Germany: home to Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bosch, SAP, ZF and a Mittelstand of thousands of world-class engineering companies. That density of industry — plus elite universities in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Tübingen, Ulm, Freiburg and Konstanz — makes it fertile ground for deep-tech founders.
The state coordinates much of this through Start-up BW, which bundles twelve regional ecosystems and a growing roster of free, equity-free state accelerators. On top sit privately backed heavyweights — STARTUP AUTOBAHN, Campus Founders, IPAI — and Europe's largest AI research consortium, Cyber Valley. Below, we walk the map region by region.
How to start a company in Baden-Württemberg, by sector
Whatever you're building, there is a Baden-Württemberg accelerator built around it. Find your sector, then apply directly to the programmes below — most are free and equity-free.
Starting an AI & Robotics company
AI and robotics founders have the deepest bench in the country: Cyber Valley (Tübingen–Stuttgart) is Europe's largest AI research consortium, IPAI in Heilbronn is building the largest AI campus in Europe, and Campus Founders and AI xpress turn ideas into funded AI companies.
Where to start: STARTUP xpress ACCELERATOR (AI xpress) (Böblingen), Cyber Valley AI Incubator (Tübingen), Campus Founders (Heilbronn), IPAI — Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (Heilbronn)
Starting a Deep Tech & Research company
Research-heavy and hardware founders spin out through KIT and the NXTGN Startup Factory, get space-tech backing at ESA BIC, and find MarketBoost support at ARISE — from first patent to first pilot.
Where to start: NXTGN Startup Factory (Stuttgart), KIT-Gründerschmiede (Karlsruhe), hei_INNOVATION Startup Hub (Heidelberg), Kilometer1 (Konstanz), ESA BIC Baden-Württemberg (Friedrichshafen), ARISE — Deep-Tech Accelerator (Breisach)
Starting a Life Sciences company
For biotech, medtech and digital health, the Rhein-Neckar around Heidelberg and Mannheim is Germany's life-science core: the Life Science Accelerator BW, the 4C MedTech programme and BioRegio STERN's Science2Start take you from lab to company.
Where to start: Science2Start (BioRegio STERN) (Stuttgart), Life Science Accelerator BW (Heidelberg), 4C Accelerator Tübingen (Tübingen)
Starting a Green Tech & Energy company
Climate, energy and sustainability startups are at home in Freiburg's Smart Green Accelerator, Ulm's Creative Energy programme and Karlsruhe's AXEL energy accelerator — a region wiring up the energy transition.
Where to start: Smart Green Accelerator (Freiburg), Creative Energy Accelerator (TFU) (Ulm), Stoff im Kopf — Textile Accelerator (Reutlingen), AXEL — Energie-Accelerator (Karlsruhe)
Starting an Industry, IT & Mobility company
Industrial, mobility and B2B-tech founders plug straight into the Mittelstand: STARTUP AUTOBAHN and M.Tech open doors to Mercedes-Benz and Bosch, MAFINEX and Up2B scale B2B products, and GROUNDBREAKERS tackles construction.
Where to start: STARTUP AUTOBAHN (Stuttgart), CyberLab Accelerator (Karlsruhe), MAFINEX Technologiezentrum (Mannheim), INNO-Z — Innovationszentrum Aalen (Aalen), GROUNDBREAKERS (Stuttgart), M.Tech Accelerator (Stuttgart), move+ Mobility Accelerator (Friedrichshafen), Up2B Accelerator (Walldorf)
Starting a Creative, Media & Social company
Creative, media and social founders — including migrant entrepreneurs — build with the New Sandbox and The Migrant Accelerator at Stuttgart's Hochschule der Medien.
Where to start: New Sandbox (Stuttgart), The Migrant Accelerator (Stuttgart)
Starting a Food & AgriTech company
Food and agri-tech founders take FoodBRYCKE in Stuttgart, run with the University of Hohenheim, from farm and field all the way to the plate.
Where to start: FoodBRYCKE (Stuttgart)
Every accelerator, region by region
Stuttgart
6STARTUP AUTOBAHN
Stuttgart
Europe's go-to open-innovation platform in the birthplace of the automobile. Founded by Mercedes-Benz, Plug and Play, ARENA2036 and the University of Stuttgart, it has run 500+ pilot projects with 350+ startups against industry-leading corporates.
STARTUP xpress ACCELERATOR (AI xpress)
Böblingen
A Start-up BW state accelerator inside the AI xpress innovation centre in Böblingen. A free three-month programme with lead mentors, coworking, labs and prototyping for tech-affine founders in AI, robotics and sustainability.
FoodBRYCKE
Stuttgart
Baden-Württemberg's accelerator for food startups, run by the City of Stuttgart, Crowdfoods and the University of Hohenheim. A Start-up BW programme with workshops, coaching and a demo day for the whole food chain — farming, delivery, packaging and circular economy.
New Sandbox
Stuttgart
A two-stage Start-up BW accelerator for digital business models in the creative industries, run by the Hochschule der Medien Startup Center with WRS and Impact Hub. It has supported 110+ founding teams in software, media and design across eleven cohorts.
The Migrant Accelerator
Stuttgart
A Start-up BW programme at the HdM Startup Center for first- and second-generation migrant founders building knowledge- and tech-based companies. Workshops, mentoring, a migrant-founders network and grants of up to €2,000 help them found in Germany.
GROUNDBREAKERS
Stuttgart
The only Start-up BW accelerator tailored to the construction and real-estate industry, based at HFT Stuttgart. Its innovation alliance connects proptech and contech startups with industry experts to ease market entry.
Statewide
2NXTGN Startup Factory
Stuttgart
One of ten national Startup Factories and Baden-Württemberg's central innovation platform. Backed by KIT, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Ulm, HdM, IPAI and Campus Founders with up to €20M in funding, aiming to create 10,000+ jobs by 2030.
M.Tech Accelerator
Stuttgart
Run by bwcon — one of the state's largest innovation networks — the M.Tech Accelerator supports engineering, mobility and industrial-tech startups with mentoring, corporate matchmaking and access to Baden-Württemberg's Mittelstand.
Neckar-Alb
3Cyber Valley AI Incubator
Tübingen
Europe's largest AI research consortium, spanning Tübingen and Stuttgart with the Max Planck Society, both universities and partners like Bosch, Porsche, BMW and Amazon. Its six-week AI Incubator turns cutting-edge research into the next generation of AI startups.
Stoff im Kopf — Textile Accelerator
Reutlingen
A Start-up BW state accelerator at Reutlingen University focused on fair fashion and smart textiles — turning one of the region's oldest industries into a launchpad for sustainable material and textile-tech startups.
4C Accelerator Tübingen
Tübingen
A Start-up BW accelerator for medical-technology startups built around the '4Cs' — commercialisation, certification, clinical studies and copyright. Initiated by BioMedTech with Furtwangen, Reutlingen and Tübingen university medicine.
TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe
3CyberLab Accelerator
Karlsruhe
Baden-Württemberg's IT accelerator, run by CyberForum – Europe's largest regional high-tech network (1,200+ companies). Free thanks to Start-up BW funding, with 300+ alumni teams and 5,000 m² of space in Karlsruhe's east.
KIT-Gründerschmiede
Karlsruhe
One of Germany's largest university founding centres, powering 30+ team foundations a year at KIT. It accompanies founders from first idea to exit across digitalisation, AI, biotech, mobility and energy.
AXEL — Energie-Accelerator
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe's Start-up BW energy accelerator, supporting startups across the energy transition — generation, storage, grids and efficiency — in one of Germany's strongest energy-research regions.
Heilbronn-Franken
2Campus Founders
Heilbronn
The Startup and Co-Innovation Hub on Heilbronn's Bildungscampus. A free, equity-free 12-week accelerator plus an incubator and the AI Founders programme (with ZFHN) that helps founders launch AI companies.
IPAI — Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence
Heilbronn
A 30-hectare campus being built in Heilbronn for 5,000+ people working on AI — Europe's largest AI ecosystem. 80+ companies and institutions collaborate here; the first buildings open by end of 2027.
Rhein-Neckar
4MAFINEX Technologiezentrum
Mannheim
One of Germany's largest technology centres — 10,000 m² and 60+ startups. Run by NEXT MANNHEIM with hands-on community management, consulting, accelerators and investor access; 170+ companies have entered the market from here.
Life Science Accelerator BW
Heidelberg
A 12-month, equity-free, cost-free programme for pre-seed and seed life-science startups. Based in Heidelberg and Mannheim, it pairs high-quality workshops with a stellar network of industry experts and mentors.
hei_INNOVATION Startup Hub
Heidelberg
Heidelberg University's 630 m² startup hub — ~55 workspaces, coworking and a lounge for university-related teams and spin-offs, including the medical faculties. The university now launches well over a dozen startups a year.
Up2B Accelerator
Walldorf
The Rhein-Neckar B2B and IndustryTech accelerator — a joint venture of innoWerft Walldorf, NEXT MANNHEIM and Technologiepark Heidelberg. Since 2017 it has supported 400+ startups across IT, Industry 4.0, big data and IoT.
Freiburg / Südbaden
2Smart Green Accelerator
Freiburg
One of Europe's leading green-tech accelerators, run by Grünhof — Freiburg's home for the startup, sustainability and creative scene. Equity-free and cost-free, with industry cooperations, funding access and go-to-market support.
ARISE — Deep-Tech Accelerator
Breisach
BadenCampus's deep-tech accelerator near Freiburg, a starting point for research-heavy ventures in health, industry and smart regions. It pairs early deep-tech teams with international expertise and its MarketBoost programme.
Ulm / Alb-Donau
1Creative Energy Accelerator (TFU)
Ulm
A Start-up BW state accelerator from TFU, the Ulm/Neu-Ulm startup centre. It supports founders in creative energy — energy conversion and storage — and quantum technology, across sites in Ulm and Neu-Ulm.
Ostwürttemberg
1INNO-Z — Innovationszentrum Aalen
Aalen
An EU-funded flagship at Aalen University, run with the city and the Ostalb district. It has accompanied ~100 student and startup projects around digitalisation, Industry 4.0, 3D printing, AI and sustainability.
Bodensee
3Kilometer1
Konstanz
The central startup hub for the Lake Constance region — a joint initiative of the University of Konstanz, HTWG Konstanz and partner universities. It coaches early-stage founders from first idea to business model with consulting, workshops and events.
ESA BIC Baden-Württemberg
Friedrichshafen
The ESA Business Incubation Centre for Baden-Württemberg, with sites in Friedrichshafen and Reutlingen, backs ~15 space-tech startups a year. Technical support comes from Airbus Defence and Space and Bosch, plus the wider ESA network.
move+ Mobility Accelerator
Friedrichshafen
A Start-up BW accelerator by ZF Friedrichshafen for startups at the intersection of energy and mobility — connected, intelligent and sustainable transport — with access to one of the world's largest mobility suppliers.
Startup cities in Baden-Württemberg
Thinking about a specific city? Here is where the accelerators actually sit — pick a city to see its programmes.
Stuttgart
8 programmesKarlsruhe
3 programmesFriedrichshafen
2 programmesHeidelberg
2 programmesHeilbronn
2 programmesTübingen
2 programmesAalen
1 programmeBöblingen
1 programmeBreisach
1 programmeFreiburg
1 programmeKonstanz
1 programmeMannheim
1 programmeReutlingen
1 programmeUlm
1 programmeWalldorf
1 programmeThe picture
Taken together, these programmes form a corridor of innovation that runs the length of the state — automotive and smart production around Stuttgart, IT and security in Karlsruhe, AI in Heilbronn and Tübingen, life sciences in the Rhein-Neckar, green tech in Freiburg, energy in Ulm, and university spin-offs everywhere in between. If you are building a deep-tech company in Europe, Baden-Württemberg is one of the best-supported places to do it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a startup in Baden-Württemberg?
The fastest route is through an accelerator. Baden-Württemberg coordinates its support through Start-up BW: you apply to one of the free state accelerators (e.g. CyberLab, AI xpress, FoodBRYCKE) or a university- or industry-backed programme like Campus Founders, STARTUP AUTOBAHN or Cyber Valley. Most programmes are free, equity-free, and provide mentoring, coworking and network access.
Which startup accelerators in Baden-Württemberg are free?
Almost all Start-up BW state accelerators are free and equity-free because they are funded by the state — including CyberLab (Karlsruhe), AI xpress (Böblingen), FoodBRYCKE and New Sandbox (Stuttgart), AXEL (Karlsruhe), Stoff im Kopf (Reutlingen) and the Creative Energy programme (Ulm). The Campus Founders accelerator in Heilbronn is also free and equity-free.
What is the best accelerator for AI startups in Baden-Württemberg?
For AI and robotics, the go-to programmes are Cyber Valley (Tübingen–Stuttgart), IPAI in Heilbronn, Campus Founders, and AI xpress in Böblingen. Cyber Valley is Europe's largest AI research consortium and IPAI is building the largest AI campus in Europe.
Where is the largest AI ecosystem in Germany?
In Heilbronn: the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) is being built as Europe's largest AI ecosystem — a 30-hectare campus for 5,000+ people, backed by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation and the Schwarz Group.
Which city in Baden-Württemberg is best for startups?
Stuttgart has the most programmes (including STARTUP AUTOBAHN, NXTGN, FoodBRYCKE and New Sandbox), followed by Karlsruhe (CyberLab, KIT), Heilbronn (Campus Founders, IPAI), the Rhein-Neckar around Heidelberg and Mannheim (life sciences), and Tübingen (AI) and Freiburg (green tech).
What is Start-up BW?
Start-up BW is Baden-Württemberg's state campaign for founders. It bundles twelve regional startup ecosystems, competitions and roughly 18 free state accelerators, coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism.
Sources & links
Each accelerator links to its own official website above. This page and its data are maintained by CREATORS ECOSYSTEM and are not generated from a CMS.
- STARTUP AUTOBAHN ↗
- STARTUP xpress ACCELERATOR (AI xpress) ↗
- NXTGN Startup Factory ↗
- Science2Start (BioRegio STERN) ↗
- Cyber Valley AI Incubator ↗
- CyberLab Accelerator ↗
- KIT-Gründerschmiede ↗
- Campus Founders ↗
- IPAI — Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence ↗
- MAFINEX Technologiezentrum ↗
- Life Science Accelerator BW ↗
- hei_INNOVATION Startup Hub ↗
- Smart Green Accelerator ↗
- Creative Energy Accelerator (TFU) ↗
- INNO-Z — Innovationszentrum Aalen ↗
- Stoff im Kopf — Textile Accelerator ↗
- Kilometer1 ↗
- FoodBRYCKE ↗
- New Sandbox ↗
- The Migrant Accelerator ↗
- GROUNDBREAKERS ↗
- M.Tech Accelerator ↗
- AXEL — Energie-Accelerator ↗
- 4C Accelerator Tübingen ↗
- ESA BIC Baden-Württemberg ↗
- move+ Mobility Accelerator ↗
- Up2B Accelerator ↗
- ARISE — Deep-Tech Accelerator ↗
Building in Baden-Württemberg?
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