Meet the 10 Startups Selected for Ignite Next Batch #1
Selected from nearly 400 applications across 25+ countries, these ten companies represent the cutting edge of European deep tech.
Key Highlights
- 384 applications: received from early-stage deep tech startups
- 25+ countries: represented across the applicant pool
- 12-week program: intensive acceleration with strategic partners
- Kickoff Week (March 2–5): program launch in Dresden
We're proud to announce the ten startups joining Ignite Next Batch #1.
Selected from 384 applications across 25+ countries, these companies represent the forefront of European deep tech — spanning quantum computing, neuromorphic chips, bio-hybrid robotics, and next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Each was chosen for its breakthrough IP, technical ambition, and potential to build a category-defining company.
The program officially begins March 2–5 with an in-person Kickoff Week in Dresden, bringing founders together with mentors and partners to set the foundation for the journey ahead.
Over the following twelve weeks, founders will work alongside senior industry mentors and our strategic partners — including Infineon, Intel, Light Conversion, and Synopsys — to accelerate product-market fit, commercial traction, and follow-on investment.
These ten teams are building the foundations of Europe's next generation of deep tech leaders.
AdapTronics
Bologna, Italy · Physical AI / Robotics · adaptronics.it
AdapTronics reinvents robotic grasping — across industries. Their printed electronics thin-film technology becomes adhesive on command through electrostatics, unlocking unprecedented versatility, dexterity, and energy efficiency in automated object handling. With built-in sensor feedback capabilities, the technology serves applications from industrial automation and agricultural harvesting to in-orbit servicing and debris removal in space.
AlixLabs
Lund, Sweden · Semiconductors · alixlabs.com
Spun off from Lund University, AlixLabs has developed Atomic Layer Etching Pitch Splitting (APS) — a groundbreaking method for manufacturing nanostructures below 20nm. Their damage-free etch process offers the semiconductor industry a more cost-effective and sustainable path to leading-edge chip fabrication, reducing reliance on expensive EUV lithography and complex multi-patterning techniques.
Daisytuner
Darmstadt, Germany · AI / Dev Tools · daisytuner.com
Daisytuner brings self-learning compiler technology to software performance optimization. By combining profiling data with performance models in CI pipelines, their platform identifies exactly where code spends its time and how far it is from peak performance — helping developers write faster, more efficient software without the guesswork.
eleQtron
Siegen, Germany · Quantum Computing · eleqtron.com
eleQtron is Germany's first quantum computer manufacturer and a 2025 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Their proprietary MAGIC technology (Magnetic Gradient Induced Coupling) replaces complex laser systems with precise, scalable radio-frequency control of trapped-ion qubits — opening the door to commercially viable, industrial-scale quantum computing.
FaradaIC Sensors
Berlin, Germany · Semiconductors / IoT · faradaic.io
FaradaIC Sensors has created the world's first solid-state oxygen gas sensor on a chip. Their MECS (Micro-Electro-Chemical Systems) technology integrates seamlessly into standard microchip fabrication, enabling low-cost, scalable gas sensing for IoT, medical devices, food logistics, and consumer applications — disrupting a market long dominated by bulky, expensive legacy sensors.
GEMESYS
Bochum, Germany · Neuromorphic Computing / Semiconductors · gemesys.tech
GEMESYS develops analog chips inspired by the information processing mechanisms of the human brain. Their neuromorphic approach tackles the fundamental inefficiency of current AI hardware — where training high-end models requires enormous energy and time — by rethinking chip architecture from the ground up for dramatically more efficient artificial intelligence.
HallTech
Eindhoven, Netherlands · Advanced Manufacturing / Semiconductors · halltech.nl
HallTech pioneers next-generation Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technology using electrical propulsion principles. Their approach delivers exceptional coating quality and throughput while being significantly more cost- and energy-efficient, supporting both current semiconductor applications and enabling scalable production of next-generation renewable energy and advanced materials.
Hyperscale Power
Zurich, Switzerland · Power Electronics / Data Infrastructure · hyperscale-power.com
Founded by power electronics experts from ABB and ETH Zurich, Hyperscale Power develops advanced Solid-State Transformers using silicon carbide semiconductors to convert medium-voltage power for hyperscale data centers. As AI-driven compute demand skyrockets, their technology addresses one of the most critical bottlenecks in data center infrastructure: efficient, compact power delivery.
SWARM Biotactics
Kassel, Germany · Bio-Robotics / Physical AI · swarm-biotactics.com
SWARM Biotactics pioneers bio-hybrid robotic swarms that integrate biology with advanced engineering. Enhanced by AI, swarm coordination, and real-time data processing, their bio-robots operate in environments where conventional systems fail — opening entirely new possibilities for mission-critical applications in defense, environmental monitoring, and beyond.
Ubitium
Düsseldorf, Germany · Chip Design / RISC-V · ubitium.com
Ubitium is building the universal RISC-V microprocessor to solve computing's complexity and cost problem. Their architecture runs massive parallel signal chains, AI workloads, and operating systems side-by-side on a single processing and memory fabric — creating a future where every device can be truly autonomous.
Applications for Batch #2 are already open. Visit ignitenext.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Ignite Next
Ignite Next is Europe's scale-up program for deep tech innovation, founded by the former Intel Ignite leadership team and now independently operated. The program accelerates early-stage, high-impact startups developing breakthrough technologies in semiconductors, physical AI, advanced computing, and other frontier domains. Non-dilutive and founder-first, Ignite Next works with leading technology companies—including Infineon, Intel, and Synopsys—to connect startups with world-class technical and business expertise, turning breakthrough innovation into breakout success. The program is headquartered in Dresden, Germany, at the heart of Silicon Saxony.