Ljubljana University Incubator

What Ljubljana University Incubator does

Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI / Ljubljanski univerzitetni inkubator d.o.o.) is a privately held, university-affiliated startup incubator founded in 2004 at the initiative of the University of Ljubljana and headquartered at Vojkova cesta 63, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It supports early-stage startups, researchers and academics from the University of Ljubljana, scale-ups, and students through a portfolio of programs spanning ideation (Start-up vikend), lab-to-market commercialization (Labs to Market), grant application support (Razpis P2), deep-tech festival programming (Dragondays, Rectors Award), funding readiness (Ready2Raise), and international accelerator onboarding (Boost2Expand). The incubator is explicitly non-equity-taking and provides membership free of charge, with monetization flowing instead from co-financing by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Regional Development Fund (JR Start-up Konzorcij 2026-2029, JR Podporno okolje 2026-2029), EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community grants, and Interreg projects. Since November 2024 LUI has served as the EIT Community RIS Hub Slovenia and was the first Central-Eastern European member of the DeepTech Alliance, giving member startups structured access to EIT RawMaterials (up to €2.5m), EIT Health, and EIT Urban Mobility programs across Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, BiH, Montenegro, and Serbia. Its two-decade alumni roster includes Zemanta, Visionect, OriginTrail, and MESI, and in 2026 LUI was ranked first in Slovenia and 38th in Europe in the Financial Times/Statista 'Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026' list, with member AddMaple winning the IIEX North America Insight Innovation competition. Operationally LUI runs with 1-10 employees and combines physical co-working, a meeting and conference hall, mentoring, grant application assistance, and international delegations as its service surface.

Name

Ljubljana University Incubator

Legal name

Ljubljanski univerzitetni inkubator d.o.o.

Website

https://lui.si

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI) is a Slovenia-based, university-affiliated startup incubator founded in 2004 that provides free, non-equity-taking incubation, mentoring, grants support, and access to EU/EIT programs for early-stage startups, researchers, scale-ups, and students across the CEE region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubator Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup incubator services
• Entrepreneurship support programs
• Deep tech acceleration
• Business mentorship services
• Innovation ecosystem development

Headquarters

HQ city

Ljubljana

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Incubator Services: LUI operates as a non-profit university-affiliated incubator providing free services to startups. Revenue is generated through government subsidies, European Union funding programs (EIT, Interreg), and co-financing from the Republic of Slovenia. The incubator does not charge startups for membership and does not take equity stakes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI) is a university-affiliated startup incubator founded in 2004 that provides free comprehensive support services to early-stage startups, researchers, and scale-ups. Its offerings include personalized mentorship, co-working office spaces, workshops, grant application assistance, pitch competitions, and access to European innovation networks (EIT). LUI does not charge membership fees and does not take equity stakes from member startups.

Product overview

Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI) is a startup incubator offering a portfolio of programs and services for entrepreneurs at different stages. Core offerings include the Labs to Market program for researchers, Start-up vikend for idea validation, and mentorship programs. Grant support includes Razpis P2 (up to €72,000 subsidies) and Raw Materials ERMA Booster Call (up to €2.5m). LUI also organizes the annual Dragondays festival, runs the EIT Jumpstarter program, and provides co-working spaces. The portfolio also includes competition programs like Rector's Award (Rektorjeva nagrada) and specialized services like international delegations and Boost2Expand for accelerator introductions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Labs to Market Annual program that connects researchers seeking to commercialize their innovations from laboratories with experienced entrepreneurs, creative individuals, and ambitious students. Targeted at University of Ljubljana researchers and academic spinouts.
• Start-up vikend

Quantifiable outcome

• LUI ranked 1st in Slovenia and 38th in Europe in Financial Times 'Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026'

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 and minor.

• EIT Community RIS Hub SloveniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2024LUI became the official EIT Community RIS Hub Slovenia, establishing Slovenia as a node in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology network. This partnership provides access to European innovation programs, funding opportunities, and connection to the broader EIT ecosystem spanning health, raw materials, urban mobility, and other sectors.
• EIT RawMaterialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIT RawMaterials provides funding up to €2.5m for raw materials sector innovations. LUI supports startups in Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, BiH, Montenegro, and Serbia to apply for these opportunities. The partnership offers access to Europe's largest network of industry leaders in raw materials.
• EIT HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIT Health is the largest healthcare innovation network supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. LUI participates in programs including Morning Health Talks, health innovation projects, and connects healthcare startups to European acceleration programs.
• EIT Urban MobilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIT Urban Mobility aims to become Europe's largest urban mobility transformation initiative with up to €400 million in funding. LUI connects Slovenian mobility startups to this ecosystem and acceleration programs.
• DeepTech AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUI became the first organization from the wider Central-Eastern Europe region to join DeepTech Alliance, an association of Europe's best deep tech startup supporters. The alliance helps breakthrough companies access specialized programs, corporations, and investors for faster international market entry.
• University of LjubljanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUI was established in 2004 at the initiative of the University of Ljubljana. The partnership provides continuous flow of research-based innovations, academic talent, and student engagement through programs like Rector's Award and Labs to Market.
• Slovenian Enterprise FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUI supports startups in applying for P2 public calls managed by the Slovenian Enterprise Fund. The P2 call offers up to €72,000 in subsidies for innovative startups. LUI organizes training and preparation workshops for applicants.
• Interreg Central Europe - DIGIVITALITYminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGIVITALITY project helps healthcare innovations enter the market faster by addressing structural shortcomings in digital health adoption.
• HICEE (Healthy Investment Central Eastern Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHICEE aims to boost innovations in Central and Eastern Europe where startups receive only a third of the European average for VC investments. LUI participates in this initiative to strengthen healthcare innovation funding in the region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The largest global startup accelerator headquartered in Silicon Valley. Broad incumbent whose global brand and alumni network (Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox) set the benchmark LUI competes against as CEE startups aspire to international programs.
• Techstars: Worldwide network of mentorship-driven accelerators. Broad incumbent whose standardized 13-week, equity-taking programs represent the alternative model LUI's no-equity offering competes against.
• Startupbootcamp: Global network of industry-focused startup accelerators operating across multiple verticals and geographies. Broad incumbent offering comparable equity-backed acceleration services that LUI alumni may seek for scaling internationally.
• Catapult.eco (Start-up Nation Central / MassChallenge CEE): Global non-equity accelerator network with programs specifically aimed at CEE startups. Broad incumbent offering comparable zero-equity, mentorship-driven programs that target the same founder profile as LUI.

Direct peers

• Imperial College Enterprise Lab: Imperial College London's enterprise and entrepreneurship support hub. Direct peer given the same university-affiliated incubation structure targeting research-led commercial ventures.
• ABC Accelerator (Slovenia): Slovenia- and CEE-focused early-stage accelerator backed by Estonian founders. Direct peer targeting similar early-stage CEE startups with structured acceleration programs and seed investment.
• Technology Park Ljubljana (Tehnološki park Ljubljana): Slovenia's leading technology park and startup incubator in Ljubljana, offering office space, mentorship, and acceleration services to tech startups. Direct peer competing for the same Slovenian founder pool and EU-funded programs.
• Spinouts from ETH Zurich / ETH transfer: ETH Zurich's central office for research commercialization and student entrepreneurship, supporting deep-tech spinoffs. Direct peer given the parallel university-research-to-market model and deep-tech focus.

Others

• EIT Digital Accelerator: European-level deep-tech accelerator run within the EIT ecosystem, focused on scale-ups rather than pre-seed. Adjacent ecosystem participant that LUI frequently hands off startups to through its EIT partnership network.

Regional players

• Cedrus (Croatia) / Startup Factory Adria: Croatian and broader Adriatic-region venture builder and accelerator. Regional player operating in adjacent CEE/SEE geographies where LUI's EIT RawMaterials programs also operate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lui.inkubator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akrapovic-d.d.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Ljubljana University Incubator