What Science4Life does

Science4Life e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1998 and headquartered at Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The organization operates what it describes as Germany's largest startup competition for the Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy sectors, structured around two parallel programs: the Science4Life Venture Cup (covering Life Sciences and Chemistry) and the Science4Life Energy Award (covering the Energy vertical). The competition runs annually from September to June across three sequential phases — Ideas Phase, Concept Phase, and Business Plan Phase — with participants submitting Read Deck-format business plans free of charge. Supporting the competition is the Science4Life Academy, which delivers Academy-Days workshops, webinars on founding topics (patents, marketing, financing, investor relations), expert search tools, and a downloadable handbook.

The underlying platform is a web-based competition management system (app.science4life.de) handling registration, Read Deck submissions, expert routing, and feedback delivery; Science4Life does not develop proprietary technology products beyond this portal. The organization's core asset is its expert network of 300+ specialists drawn from more than 200 institutions — public-sector organizations, international corporations, patent and law firms, universities, and former participants — who evaluate submissions and provide feedback. Since 1998, the initiative has supported 5,800+ participants and is credited with helping found 850+ companies; recent cycles have drawn 91-124 submissions.

Science4Life's business model is sponsorship- and grant-funded rather than commercial. Participation is entirely free, and the organization generates no revenue from competition services; total prize money across all phases is approximately €62,000 annually. Operations are funded primarily by two initiators — the Hessische Landesregierung (Hessian State Government) and the healthcare company Sanofi — with tiered additional sponsors including Viessmann Group (platinum) and InnoEnergy, plus referral partners such as ForTra gGmbH. The association is governed by an executive board (geschäftsführender Vorstand) comprising Dr. Stefan Bartoschek (R&D Workforce Engagement Business Partner at Sanofi Germany) and Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt (Managing Director of HA Hessen Agentur GmbH and Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH). Customer segments are founders of early-stage startups in Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy verticals across Germany, with deeper in-person engagement concentrated in the Rhine-Main/Hessen region through Academy Days and award ceremonies.

Name

Science4Life

Legal name

Science4Life e.V.

Website

https://science4life.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Science4Life e.V. is a German non-profit founded in 1998 that runs the country's largest free startup competition for Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy founders, delivering multi-phase competitions, expert feedback from a 300+ specialist network, and Academy training, funded by the Hessian State Government and Sanofi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation Services

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup competition services
• Founder incubation programs
• Life sciences accelerator
• Entrepreneurship training
• Energy innovation awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Competition Services (Free): Science4Life e.V. is a non-profit association that provides free startup competition services, consulting, training, and support to founders. All participation is free of charge. The organization is funded by initiators and sponsors including the Hessian State Government and Sanofi.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Science4Life e.V. operates Germany's largest free startup competition for the Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy sectors, structured around the Science4Life Venture Cup and the Science4Life Energy Award. Founders participate in three annual phases (Ideas, Concept, Business Plan), receiving expert feedback, Academy-Days training, networking access to over 300 industry experts, and compete for prize money totaling approximately €62,000.

Product overview

Science4Life e.V. operates Germany's largest startup competition for the Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy sectors, structured around two core programs: the Science4Life Venture Cup (focused on Life Sciences and Chemistry) and the Science4Life Energy Award (focused on Energy). The competition runs through three phases—Ideas Phase, Concept Phase, and Business Plan Phase—with prize money totaling approximately €62,000. Supporting these programs is the Science4Life Academy, offering webinars, Academy-Days workshops, expert search tools, and a comprehensive handbook. Participants access these services through the Science4Life Portal, which serves as the registration and submission platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Science4Life Venture Cup: Startup competition for founders from Life Sciences and Chemistry sectors
• Science4Life Energy Award
• Science4Life Academy

Products and services

• Science4Life Venture Cup Annual startup competition for founders in Life Sciences and Chemistry, featuring three phases (Ideas Phase, Concept Phase, Business Plan Phase) with expert feedback, Academy-Days training, and prize money totaling approximately €45,000 across all phases.
• Science4Life Energy Award Annual startup competition specifically for the Energy sector, offering prize money (€500, €1,500, and €5,000 across the three phases), business coaching, and access to the Science4Life expert network for founders with ideas in energy use, conversion, storage, and transport.
• Science4Life Academy Educational platform offering Academy-Days workshops, webinars on founding topics (patents, marketing, financing, investor relations), an expert search function, and free coaching tools designed for startup founders in Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy.
• Science4Life Portal Online registration and submission platform for the startup competition where participants upload their Read Deck business plans, receive feedback, and query the expert network.
• Science4Life Handbook A detailed guide on how to create a business plan in the form of a Read Deck, available as a free PDF download for startup competition participants.
• Expert Network Network of over 300 experts from more than 200 institutions and companies providing evaluation, feedback, and networking opportunities for competition participants across public sector organizations, international corporations, patent and law firms, universities, and former participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,800+ participants supported since 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanofi is one of the two initiators of Science4Life e.V. and serves as the primary corporate sponsor. The healthcare company provides ongoing funding, expert involvement, and executive leadership through representatives like Dr. Marion Zerlin (Managing Director R&D at Sanofi Germany) and Dr. Stefan Bartoschek (R&D Workforce Engagement Business Partner at Sanofi Germany) who serve on the board.
• Hessische Landesregierung (Hesse State Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hessian State Government is the second initiator of Science4Life e.V., providing governmental support and funding. Representatives including State Secretary Dr. Johannes Loheide and former Minister Kaweh Mansoori have served as patrons of the initiative.
• HA Hessen Agentur GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hessian Agency for SMEs and Investment is affiliated with the state government and provides operational support. Managing Director Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt serves as co-executive board member of Science4Life e.V.
• Hessen Trade & Invest GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHessen Trade & Invest GmbH supports the Science4Life initiative. Managing Director Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt serves as managing director of this entity as well.
• ForTra gGmbH (Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerForTra provides information and potential referral of participants to Science4Life as part of their joint mission to support translational research and startup development in life sciences.
• Viessmann GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerViessmann Group was a Platin-förderer (platinum sponsor) providing special prizes for the Energy Cup section. The international manufacturer of heating, industrial, and cooling systems supports innovative energy startups through the Science4Life competition.
• InnoEnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnoEnergy co-hosted the POWER ON workshop for energy-focused business plans with Science4Life, providing expertise in sustainable energy innovation and supporting energy startup development.
• Rodos BioTarget GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlumni company featuring TargoSphere technology for non-viral nanotransporters. The company received €2.8 million BMBF funding and exemplifies Science4Life's success in supporting startup growth.
• JeNaCell GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlumni company developing innovative wound dressings for burns treatment. Won Start-up of the Year 2017 at Falling-Walls Conference in Berlin, demonstrating successful Science4Life startup development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EIT InnoEnergy: EU-backed accelerator and investor for sustainable energy startups, operating across Europe with substantially larger capital base. Direct peer to Science4Life's Energy Award, offering similar founder support, expert networking, and competition-style programming but with pan-European reach and stronger funding pathways.
• EIT Health: EU-backed accelerator network for life sciences and healthcare startups, operating across Europe with deep pharma industry partnerships. Directly comparable to Science4Life's Venture Cup focus on Life Sciences, offering similar expert network access and competition-driven founder support at significantly larger scale.
• BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH: Bavarian state-backed biotech cluster management and accelerator organization supporting life sciences startups in southern Germany. Closely comparable mission of supporting biotech founders through expert networks and programming, but operating regionally in Bavaria rather than nationally and focused exclusively on biotech.
• EXIST (BMWi/BMWK Program): German federal government startup program supporting founders from universities and research institutions, with explicit focus on science-based and deep-tech ventures. Directly comparable as a free, Germany-wide startup support program for science founders, though structured as grant funding rather than competition format.
• MassChallenge: Global non-profit startup accelerator offering equity-free programming, expert mentorship, and competition-style cohorts across multiple verticals. Directly comparable to Science4Life's non-profit, free-to-participate model with multi-phase competition structure, though operating globally and not sector-specialized.

Broad incumbents

• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): Germany's largest public-private seed investor for technology startups, with deep-tech focus across multiple sectors. Comparable to Science4Life as a German deep-tech founder support organization, but operates as an early-stage investor with equity stakes rather than free competition model.
• European Innovation Council (EIC): EU's flagship innovation funding program under Horizon Europe, offering multi-stage grants and equity investments to deep-tech and science-based startups. Major incumbent in the same founder support space, with substantially larger budgets and broader scope, representing both a competitor and potential funding pathway for Science4Life alumni.

Regional players

• German Accelerator: German government-backed program supporting German startups in internationalization, primarily serving companies with U.S. and Asian market ambitions. Adjacent peer sharing the German startup ecosystem and public funding DNA, though focused on international expansion rather than founder-stage competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Science4LifeChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/Science4Life.eV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science4life-e-v
• Xx.com/science4life_ev

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Science4Life