Accelerating the Venture Production

In a bid to attract young talents and foster a vibrant startup culture, particularly in the technology sector, the boOst Startup Ecosystem gGmbH has been launched in Central Germany. This new initiative, founded by eleven universities, aims to double the number of knowledge-based startups in Saxony and Thuringia by the year 2030.

The boOst Ecosystem gGmbH has received significant backing, with multi-million-euro funding of up to ten million euros from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), supplemented by at least the same amount from project partners in industry. Notable industry partners include Infineon, Bosch, ESMC, and X-Fab.

The Technical University of Dresden (TUD) and Leipzig University are leading the project and coordinating the contributions of other Central German universities. The shareholders of the boOst Ecosystem gGmbH include TUDAG, SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator, and the Thomas Kirchner Foundation (YETI).

The primary goal of boOst is to harmonize excellent science with real-world challenges, focusing on areas like semiconductor technology, chip design, photonics, and health tech. To achieve this, boOst is creating workshops, digital labs, co-working spaces, and networking opportunities with funding institutions, universities, and industry partners.

The development of the startup scene in Saxony has been on the rise, with around 700 startups and over one billion investments since 2020. This growth is expected to continue, with new jobs being created in the companies, suppliers, and the service sector.

The boOst project has already shown promise, having been selected as one of ten projects by the BMWE in the EXIST lighthouse competition "Startup Factories". An article by "Economy in Saxony" has been dedicated to the potential success of boOst for the region.

The success of boOst could be a significant boost for the region, following in the footsteps of two unicorns, Sunfire from Dresden and Staffbase, that have already been produced in this area. With the right support and resources, the boOst Ecosystem gGmbH could help attract even more young talents to contribute their skills in Dresden and the region beyond their studies, contributing to a thriving startup ecosystem in Central Germany.