AI Startup Rising connects AI startups with politics and industry
Germany needs more powerful AI startups in order to keep up with global competition. At the kick-off of the Accelerator RISING and Startup Competition programs, the EXIST-funded AI Startup Rising project of the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence (hessian.AI) showed what targeted AI startup funding can look like: In addition to financial support, coaching and network contacts, the founders also receive technical AI expertise and access to computing infrastructure. At the exclusive event, the 20 AI startups also had the opportunity to make contacts with leading figures from politics and business.
20 AI startups pitch in front of industry experts from politics and business in Hessen
With the kick-off of the Startup Competition 2025 and Accelerator RISING 2025 programs on 3 February, AI Startup Rising set an impulse for Hessen’s AI ecosystem. For the first time, workshops, coaching sessions and networking events for both programs will be held in parallel over several weeks – an innovative approach to networking early and late-stage startups in a targeted manner and promoting valuable contacts with business, politics and research.
One highlight was the exclusive evening event “Launch and Connect”, which brought together Hesse’s leading figures from politics and business with 20 AI startup teams from the region. Among the guests were Dr. Walter Fischedick (HMD, Hessian Ministry of Digital Affairs), Dr. Werner Nickel (HMWK, Hessian Ministry of Science, Research, Art and Culture), Hesse’s Startup Commissioner Holger Follmann, Dr. Michael Reckhard (Member of the Management Board WI-Bank) and AI expert Dr. Wolfgang Heenes (CEO hessian.AI).
In a one-minute elevator pitch, the 20 selected AI start-ups, which had prevailed in a selective application process, presented innovative solutions for key social and economic challenges – from AI-supported decision-making in the emergency room and automated video translation to applications for the education sector and much more.
Dr. Michael Reckhard from WI Bank was impressed by the innovative strength and founding spirit of the pitching talents. He is convinced that Hessen offers an ideal environment for innovation and start-ups thanks to its strong network between research, business and politics:
“Hessen is an excellent location for innovation and entrepreneurship. The close networking between universities, research institutions and industry creates a fertile environment for creative ideas and new business models. Startups in Hessen benefit from the excellent infrastructure and international orientation, which enables them to connect to global networks. Initiatives such as AI Startup Rising and hessian.AI show that we have a strong commitment to promoting startups here. The exchange of ideas and networking between start-ups, investors and companies is essential for the success of young companies and the future viability of our economy. As Hesse’s development bank, we not only offer financial support, but also make our large and valuable network available to start-ups.”
Particularly noteworthy: a live survey of the participating startups at the evening showed that around 70-80% of the founders have a university background – further proof of the key role of universities and colleges in the state of Hesse’s AI ecosystem.
Individual support thanks to AI expertise and infrastructure from hessian.AI
AI Startup Rising promotes this talent pool with support services tailored specifically to AI startups. AI Startup Rising Co-Lead Carlina Bennison explains what these entail:
“As part of hessian.AI , AI Startup Rising has the necessary technical know-how to assess the success potential of the AI solutions of the startup projects and provide direct technical feedback on the AI developments. A particular advantage is that access to the high-performance GPU computing capacity of the hessian.AI supercomputers fortytwo and fortythree enables AI startups to efficiently train and further develop their models – an essential resource for the success of deep tech startups.”
Dr. Werner Nickel from the Hessian Ministry of Science, Research, Art and Culture emphasizes the central role of AI Startup Rising in the implementation of AI innovations:
“Through the activities of AI Startup Rising, founders can turn their ideas for the use of artificial intelligence into practical applications in an outstanding way. In this way, hessian.AI creates the important link between excellent research and bold innovative strength – a key contribution to our unique AI ecosystem in Hesse consisting of excellent universities, targeted funding and strong networks.”
Outlook: Strong alliances for a competitive AI landscape
The key players from politics and business in attendance want to support Hesse’s AI start-ups even more specifically in future. Dr. Walter Fischedick from the Hessian Ministry of Digital Affairs, for example, sees the planned AI application center HAIQU as an important measure to make it easier for young companies to enter the market and increase their competitiveness. Another decisive milestone for the Hessian startup scene would be winning the Lighthouse Initiative – a project that will bring Futury – The Future Factory, StartMiUp and AI Startup Rising even closer together in future. Concrete measures and next steps will be presented in the coming weeks.
Picture: The participants of the Startup Competition 2025 of AI Startup Rising
