TU Dresden, TUDAG and SpinLab launch new high-tech accelerator in Dresden

SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator is opening a new location in Dresden in cooperation with the Technical University of Dresden and the Excellence Center for Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship (TUD|excite) as well as the TU Dresden Aktiengesellschaft (TUDAG): ExciteLab. The new accelerator for high-tech startups is supported by leading companies from the industry and the region, including VON ARDENNE GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, MBG Sachsen, Zeiss Innovation Hub, Forvis Mazars, white IP and SAP SE.

The Saxon Minister of Economics, Martin Dulig, presented a grant of almost 763,000 euros to the founders of the new Dresden accelerator "ExciteLab" today. Last year, the Saxon cabinet passed the "Förderrichtlinie Akzeleratoren", a unique program to strengthen the start-up ecosystem in the Free State.

Minister of Economics Martin Dulig said: "The concrete cooperation of partners from the more technically oriented Dresden and the entrepreneurially focused Leipzig is a stroke of luck for Saxony. This collaboration enables enormous synergies."

ExciteLab focuses on key technologies such as the Internet of Things, semiconductors, robotics, sensors, and quantum technology. Founding teams receive individual support and access to global companies and investors. ExciteLab builds on the proven expertise of the Leipzig-based SpinLab, which was recently named one of Europe's leading start-up hubs by the Financial Times and Statista. The goal is to establish Dresden as a leading European metropolis for high-tech startups and to strengthen the IP transfer and spin-off activities of TU Dresden.

The combination of innovative research and rapidly growing industry is attracting international companies and startups from various industries to Dresden, as demonstrated by Infineon's investments, the construction of a new Jenoptik technology campus, and the planned major project of TSMC's relocation.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Director of TUD|excite, said: "With ExciteLab, a top-class accelerator is being launched in Dresden. The TU Dresden and the Leipzig-based SpinLab are already among the leading institutions of their kind in Europe and will specifically strengthen their potential in the field of high-tech startups through the cooperation, involving TUDAG."

Udo Werner, Chairman of the Executive Board of TU Dresden Aktiengesellschaft (TUDAG), said: "As a long-standing spin-off partner of TUD, we are looking forward to the intensified cooperation with TUD|excite. Our joint venture with the multiple award-winning SpinLab can and will develop into an excellent engine for technology transfer in Dresden."

Eric Weber, Founder and Managing Director of SpinLab, said: "With ExciteLab at the leading European microelectronics location in Dresden, we are expanding our thematic coverage to new, promising areas. Our regular placement as one of Europe's leading startup supporters shows that the approach of specialized programs at suitable locations is extremely successful according to a proven principle."

SpinLab Managing Director Marcus Haberstroh said: "With ExciteLab, we are creating another important building block in the innovation ecosystem of our Free State, in which Saxon expertise in methods, processes and participation comes together at a level that has not existed in the high-tech sector before."