At the conclusion of the third edition of the Luxembourg Venture Days, the names of the 20 start-ups that will take part in the 16th edition of the Fit 4 Start acceleration programme in early 2026 were officially revealed.
Jean-Michel Gaudron
Following the call for applications launched this summer, a record 495 start-ups from 61 countries applied. Luxembourg, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany were the most represented countries among the applicants.
During the Luxembourg Venture Days, 65 start-ups, active in the digital, health technologies and space sectors, pitched over two intense days. Ultimately, the jury selected 20 startups: 10 in digital, 5 in health technologies and 5 in space.
The selected startups are:
Digital
| Healthtech
Space
|
The announcement of the final selection was one of the highlights of the closing ceremony, held in the presence of HRH Grand Duke Guillaume and Lex Delles, Minister for the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism. With nearly 3,400 participants (35% of whom are from abroad, including the United States and South Korea) over the two days of the conference and 367 speakers (including the 65 finalist startups), the Luxembourg Venture Days have become a major international event connecting start-ups and scale-ups with investors.
During his speech, Minister Delles emphasised: "The Fit 4 Start programme is a key pillar of our startup strategy. With a record number of 495 applications, 60% of which came from abroad, this 16th edition confirms Luxembourg's international influence as an innovation ecosystem in Europe. The fact that this programme has received the official 'EIC plug-in scheme' certification from the European Innovation Council gives it an extra dimension."
This certification now facilitates access to European funding for start-ups, whose excellence has been proven. Thus, startups that graduate from Fit 4 Start can now go directly to the second stage of selection of the EIC Accelerator. "This means fewer administrative steps, faster access to EU funding and a more efficient way to develop their innovation across Europe," the minister said.
“Since its inception, more than 3,500 start-ups have applied,” Orkun Ozbatur, Manager – Startup Relations Ecosystem at Luxinnovation, recalled. “The expertise accumulated over these ten years allows us to provide entrepreneurs with a dynamic and supportive framework to help them develop their international ambitions.”
Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of the Economy, the Fit 4 Start acceleration programme is managed by Luxinnovation, in collaboration with Technoport, the Luxembourg Space Agency, the Luxembourg City Incubator, the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity and LuxProvide. The programme offers six months of tailored support, along with individual funding of €50,000 from the Ministry of the Economy. Start-ups that successfully complete the programme and go on to raise additional funds may receive up to €100,000 in further state aid.
To date, 121 of the 184 startups that have taken part in the programme over the past ten years remain active, employing around 2,100 people worldwide. “Forty-nine of these startups have already raised at least €1 million, and the total amount of funds raised has reached €299 million, in addition to €43.8 in state subsidies,” adds Orkun Ozbatur.
Launch of the Fit 4 Scale programmeIn line with the 10-point action plan for the development of startups, scaleups and the broader ecosystem, Minister Lex Delles also announced, after a test phase, the launch of the Fit 4 Scale programme, developed by Luxinnovation and the Ministry of the Economy in collaboration with ecosystem partners.
"With the launch of Fit 4 Scale, we are taking a new step to support startups and scaleups in their growth and access to finance, by offering them targeted support to succeed on a European scale," Minister Delles said.
The Fit 4 Scale initiative addresses the need for bespoke support to help start-ups move beyond the seed stage and prepare for Series A funding – the first major fundraising round that typically follows the seed phase. The call for applications will be launched in the coming weeks. The call for applications will be launched in the coming weeks and the programme, which aims to support 5 scaleups for 9 months in the expansion of their activities in the EU, will start in February 2026.
