Turning early-stage ideas into investment-ready ventures.

From smart cities to healthcare, climate, and AI. Seven years of building ventures and connecting founders to Berlin's innovation ecosystem.

Startup ProgramsCase story4 minute read

Breakthrough technologies don't automatically become successful businesses. Founders need to validate their ideas, develop viable business models, find customers, and secure funding, often while working with limited time and resources.

Since 2019, BIA has designed and operated startup accelerators to bridge that gap. Across four thematic verticals, our programs combine practical methodology, tailored coaching, funding opportunities, and access to Berlin's innovation ecosystem to help founders build businesses ready for their next stage of growth.

150+

Founders supported

80+

Startups accelerated

Month journey

Cohorts implemented

Four verticals. One ambition.

Our accelerator programs focus on technologies and business models addressing some of today's most pressing challenges.

The verticals covered by BIA's startup accelerator programs
Smart City	Solutions for smarter infrastructure, mobility, energy, and urban life.
Healthcare	New technologies and business models shaping the future of health.
Climate & AI	Ventures developing solutions applying AI and emerging technologies to climate challenges.

Each vertical brings different technologies, markets, and challenges. Our approach adapts to what founders need to move forward.

Funding, curriculum, infrastructure, network

Our accelerators bring together four elements founders need to build and grow their ventures.

Funding opportunities help early-stage teams develop their ideas and focus on building their businesses. Programs such as Future City Accelerator provided equity-free, pre-seed support through the Berliner Startup Stipendium.

A practical curriculum combines masterclasses, design-thinking bootcamps, individual coaching, and expert mentoring. Rather than following a fixed learning track, founders work on their own business challenges, from validating customer needs and refining business models to preparing for investment.

Infrastructure and community provide collaborative workspaces and an environment where founders can exchange ideas, test assumptions, and learn from other entrepreneurs.

Access to BIA's network connects startups with experienced mentors, investors, corporate partners, research institutions, and the wider innovation ecosystem. These relationships create opportunities for collaboration, customer discovery, and future growth.

The objective is simple: give founders the right support at the right time to turn promising technologies into viable businesses.

It was a great program where we got a lot of input from the BIA team and the coaches. We were able to ask all the questions that might seem silly in the beginning but that everyone else has. I realized that there are things that you need to talk about and this program gave you exactly that.

Fabian Reetz, Co-founder, Everyone Energy

Nine cohorts, 81 ventures, and a growing impact

What started in 2019 has evolved into a portfolio of accelerator programs spanning smart cities, healthcare, climate, and AI.

Across nine cohorts, BIA has supported 151 founders and 81 ventures developing solutions to real-world challenges. Many have continued building, raising investment, and expanding into new markets.

A few ventures from our accelerator community show the range of solutions and progress:

Ventures from BIA's accelerator community and what they have achieved
Venture	What they build	Success
Autarc	AI-powered software for HVAC and renewable energy businesses.	Expanding into the UK, Italy, and France.
VREY	Energy management platform for multi-family residential buildings.	€3.3 million raised.
Asumma	Making homeownership more accessible, affordable, and sustainable.	WDBE Award for innovative digital project delivery.
Everyone Energy	Software automating renewable energy sales and advisory services.	Seven-figure seed funding.

From early-stage concepts to growing businesses, these ventures demonstrate the potential of combining structured acceleration with access to the right expertise, partners, and networks.

Building a startup takes more than a strong idea. It requires practical support, industry connections, and the ability to turn technology into a business that works.

Nine cohorts and 81 ventures later, that's what BIA continues to build: the programs and ecosystems that help the next generation of startups move forward.

The project is supported by funds from the European Union (European Social Fund) and the State of Berlin.

Move differently.

The startups reshaping how cities work aren't the ones with the most obvious idea. They're the ones who got the funding, the network, and the eight months to prove it before anyone else did.

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