Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE)

What Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE) does

Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE) was a publicly funded pan-European accelerator programme that operated between 2015 and approximately 2017 under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement 644683). Headquartered at the University of Southampton under Director Elena Simperl, ODINE ran a six-month virtual incubation programme for early-stage startups and SMEs building sustainable businesses on open data, offering up to €100,000 in equity-free grant funding, mentoring, business and data training, media visibility at international events, and introductions to investors. The consortium model bundled partners across academia (University of Southampton, Open Knowledge Foundation, Open University), open-data advocacy (Open Data Institute, ODI Leeds), industry (Telefonica via Wayra, Fraunhofer), media (The Guardian) and venture (Seedcamp, Startup Bootcamp, Index Ventures) to deliver wraparound support without taking equity.

Name

Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE)

Legal name

Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE)

Website

https://opendataincubator.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ODINE is a Horizon 2020-funded European accelerator that incubated 57 open-data startups across 18 countries (2015–2017), providing up to €100K equity-free grants, mentoring and investor access through a University of Southampton-led consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup incubation program
• Equity-free grant funding
• Open data ecosystem
• SME accelerator programme
• European startup support

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Horizon 2020 Grant: ODINE is funded through the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement 644683. The programme provides equity-free funding and support to startups without taking equity.
2. Programme Operations: ODINE operates as a non-profit European initiative with initial funding of €7.8m (£6.8m), leveraging further investment in incubated companies rather than generating commercial revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ODINE runs a six-month pan-European incubation programme that provides startups and SMEs building businesses around open data with up to €100,000 in equity-free funding, mentoring, business and data training, media visibility, introductions to investors, and access to a European network of open data partners and resources. Selected through rolling two-month application cycles, the programme does not take equity from funded companies.

Product overview

ODINE (Open Data Incubator for Europe) operates as a pan-European startup accelerator rather than a traditional software product company. The core offering is a six-month incubation program that provides equity-free funding (up to €100,000), mentorship, business and data training, media visibility, and investor introductions to open data-focused startups and SMEs. Supplementary offerings include a public metrics dashboard visualizing the program's ecosystem impact, and resource materials on open data topics. ODINE has supported 57 companies across 18 countries, generating €23.7M in total impact and 278 jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Data Incubator Program Six-month incubation programme providing up to €100,000 equity-free funding, mentoring, business and data training, media visibility, international event access, and introductions to investors, targeted at startups and SMEs building sustainable businesses around open data across Europe.
• ODINE Dashboard Public data visualization dashboard displaying key metrics about the ODINE ecosystem, including company count, economic impact, jobs created, and geographic reach of incubated companies.
• Open Data Resources Educational and informational resources covering open data, data standards, and best practices intended for startups and SMEs building open data-driven products and services.

Quantifiable outcome

• €23.7M total impact generated by incubated companies through sales, investments and efficiencies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, support and core.

• Startup BootcampstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2016Global startup accelerator providing mentorship and support to ODINE startups.
• Open and Agile Smart Cities Initiative (OASC)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2016Partnership for smart city data standards and implementation.
• Esri UKsupportTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2016Provides enterprise GIS technology support for location-based open data startups.
• European Data PortalstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2016Provides open data resources and ecosystem support for ODINE startups.
• SeedcampstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2016European early-stage VC and accelerator - runs joint events to promote open data startups.
• ODI LeedssupportStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016UK regional open data node hosting events for open data startups.
• GTECsupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2016Technology entrepreneurship organisation in Berlin connecting startups with resources.
• AWS ActivatesupportTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Provides up to $120,000 in AWS credits for two years to ODINE startups.
• IBM SoftlayersupportTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Provides up to $120K in free infrastructure to ODINE startups.
• SendGridsupportTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Provides 12 months of Pro 300K email service free to ODINE startups.
• Deutsche BahnstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Transportation data partner supporting open mobility data initiatives.
• 1991supportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Open Data Incubator in Ukraine providing pipeline of startups from Eastern Europe.
• Malaysia Digital Economy CorporationsupportStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Supports digital economy development and open data ecosystem connections in Southeast Asia.
• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015ODINE is led from the University of Southampton under Dr Elena Simperl. The university provides academic leadership and research expertise in open data and data science.
• Open Data InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015ODI is a key consortium partner providing expertise in open data standards, ecosystem development, and startup support based on the UK ODI model adapted for European scale.
• Open Knowledge FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015OKF contributes to open data ecosystem development and provides resources for open data startups.
• TelefonicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Telefonica (via Wayra accelerator) provides technology support, mentoring, and business development resources for open data startups.
• FraunhofercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Fraunhofer provides research and technology expertise, with Fraunhofer Venture offering startup acceleration support.
• The GuardiancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Guardian provides editorial coverage through partner zone articles and media visibility for ODINE startups and programme updates.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Venture: Fraunhofer's startup and spinout arm and ODINE consortium partner; comparable as a research-driven technology accelerator providing IP and R&D access to deep-tech/data startups.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's global corporate accelerator and a core ODINE consortium partner; broader incumbent offering across sectors but with overlapping startup acceleration mechanics and corporate pilot access.
• Startupbootcamp: Global startup accelerator partnered with ODINE; comparable as a structured accelerator programme providing mentorship and investor introductions to early-stage startups.
• Seedcamp: European early-stage VC/accelerator and ODINE channel partner; runs joint events for open-data startups and is comparable in fund + mentor structure for seed-stage European tech companies.
• Digital Catapult: UK innovation centre accelerating digital and data-driven startups; comparable as a publicly-backed accelerator supporting open-data-adjacent startups with infrastructure and corporate introductions.
• NESTA: UK innovation foundation that co-funded ODINE portfolio companies (e.g., Whythawk); comparable as a mission-driven investor/incubator for early-stage impact and data-driven startups.

Direct peers

• EU Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe SME Instrument: EU grant programme funding high-potential SMEs and the underlying funding mechanism for ODINE itself; directly comparable as a public grant-based European startup support scheme.
• Open Data Institute (ODI): UK-based non-profit focused on building a trusted data ecosystem; directly comparable as the open-data startup support pioneer whose model ODINE explicitly scaled to European level.
• Data Pitch: The successor Europe-wide data accelerator launched in April 2017, also funded by Horizon 2020 and directed by ODINE's lead; closest direct peer as it inherits ODINE's mandate, partners, and operating model.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: Non-profit promoting open data and a core ODINE consortium partner; directly comparable as a mission-aligned organisation supporting open-data startups, tooling, and ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ODincubator
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenDataIncubator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments46 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Open Data Incubator for Europe (ODINE)