arise Accelerator

What arise Accelerator does

arise Accelerator is a Deep Tech startup accelerator operating as a sub-brand of BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Freiburg/Breisach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 2016, it runs a portfolio of structured programs across the startup lifecycle — Lab (ideation, embedded at universities including Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and Hochschule Offenburg), ideaboost and marketboost (validation and go-to-market), Startup BW Pre-Seed financing, Growth Coaching, and the newly launched Leadership Academy. Its target founders are scientists and technical entrepreneurs working in Biotech, MedTech, HealthTech, Industry 4.0, Robotics, and Smart Cities across the tri-national Upper Rhine region (Germany, France, Switzerland). The accelerator reports 320+ supported startups, 500+ funded founders, and €420M+ in venture capital raised by alumni across 40+ implemented programs.

The business model is predominantly publicly funded through the Startup BW program of the State of Baden-Württemberg, with additional support from the BadenCampus municipal and corporate network. Core programs (Lab, ideaboost, marketboost, Pre-Seed financing, Growth Coaching) are free to founders and take no equity. The Leadership Academy (€4,000–€4,990) is the only paid offering and represents a nascent commercial revenue stream. Program delivery rests on a five-person core team augmented by an external trainer and mentor network.

The competitive position is anchored in state accreditation as a Startup BW Pre-Seed partner, deep integration with the BadenCampus ecosystem spanning 40+ municipalities, and direct distribution partnerships with regional universities and the University of Basel. Sector specialization in Deep Tech — particularly HealthTech, where trinational HealthTech Days anchor cross-border activity — distinguishes arise from generic startup support programs and aligns it with the Baden-Württemberg state's industrial-policy priorities.

Name

arise Accelerator

Legal name

BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://arise-accelerator.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

arise Accelerator is a publicly-funded Deep Tech startup accelerator in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, operating under BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KG. It runs free, no-equity programs (Lab, ideaboost, marketboost, Startup BW Pre-Seed) plus the paid Leadership Academy for founders across the tri-national DE/FR/CH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Acceleration Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Deep tech incubation
• Pre-seed funding support
• Leadership coaching services
• Mentorship and training

Headquarters

HQ city

Breisach am Rhein

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Grant Funding: arise Accelerator operates as a publicly funded program. It is financed through an Öffentlich-Private Partnerschaft (public-private partnership) as part of the Startup BW initiative of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism Baden-Württemberg provides funding through the Landeskampagne 'Startup BW'. The BadenCampus (parent entity) serves as the accredited Betreuungspartner (support partner) for Startup BW Pre-Seed funding, facilitating up to €320,000 in convertible loans per startup through the L-Bank (state development bank). The accelerator does not charge startups for participation and does not take equity stakes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

arise Accelerator is a deep-tech startup accelerator that runs a structured pipeline of programs (Lab, ideaboost, marketboost, Growth Coaching, and Leadership Academy) supporting early-stage hardware and AI startups from ideation through market entry and growth. It supplements programming with coaching, mentoring, workspace, and facilitation of public pre-seed financing via the Startup BW PreSeed program, serving founders primarily in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany.

Product overview

arise is a Deep-Tech Startup Accelerator operated by BadenCampus that supports impact-driven deep-tech startups through a multi-program portfolio. The core offering comprises: the Lab (pre-accelerator idea validation workshops), the ideaboost Accelerator (pre-seed business model development), the marketboost Accelerator (seed-stage market success with industry mentoring days), Startup BW PreSeed Financing (convertible loans up to 320,000 EUR), Growth Coaching (scaling support post-market-entry), and the Leadership Academy (hybrid 4-month leadership development with workshops in Freiburg/Breisach/Basel, launching autumn 2026). A Community platform and alumni network of 320+ startups round out the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ideaboost Accelerator: Accelerator program for developing startup ideas into viable business models, targeting students, researchers, and early-stage teams with innovative or technology-oriented ideas.
• marketboost Accelerator
• arise Lab
• Growth Coaching
• Leadership Academy

Products and services

• Lab Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 320+ startups supported; €420+ million in venture capital raised by alumni
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerarise is part of BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KG, an innovation platform that connects startups, SMEs, municipalities, talent, and research institutions. BadenCampus serves as the parent organization, providing the infrastructure, processes, and network that underpin all arise programs. The managing director is Dr. Thomas Scheuerle.
• Innovation Office of the University of BaselmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe arise Leadership Academy is hosted and delivered in cooperation with the Innovation Office of the University of Basel. This partnership provides academic credibility, access to Basel biotech/pharma ecosystem, and enables the tri-national dimension (Germany-Switzerland-France) of the program.
• Albert-Ludwigs-Universität FreiburgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab Uni Freiburg launches in April 2026 in cooperation with the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and badenova AG & Co. KG as a challenge-giver. The university serves as a pipeline for student and researcher founders.
• Hochschule OffenburgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab HS Offenburg launches in Winter Semester 2026 in cooperation with Hochschule Offenburg, OGF Lab, and Black Forest Innovation. The university partnership supports student founders entering the accelerator.
• BABLE Smart CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBABLE connects cities and companies across Europe to drive intelligent and sustainable growth. They are listed as a partner on the BadenCampus innovation platform and facilitate connections between arise startups and smart city stakeholders.
• Badenova AG & Co. KGmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerbadenova AG & Co. KG is involved in the Lab Uni Freiburg initiative as a challenge-giver and provides support for startups in the sustainability and energy sectors.
• Black Forest InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Forest Innovation partners with arise on the Idea Lab x Sustainability event and provides startup management support (Annika Brand from Black Forest Innovation manages the ideaboost program).
• Maison de l'Emploi de StrasbourgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Idea Lab x Sustainability event, bringing the tri-national (Germany-France-Switzerland) dimension to arise programs.
• SINGA StrasbourgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Idea Lab x Sustainability event, supporting cross-border entrepreneurship in the Upper Rhine region.
• smartXautomation NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerarise's industry and SME network for innovation around mechanical engineering, robotics, and automation. Forms part of the smartX ecosystem that marketboost startups gain access to.
• smartXhealth EcosystemmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerarise's tri-national health ecosystem for HealthTech innovations involving clinics, healthcare facilities, and health insurers. Organizes events such as Trinational HealthTech Days.
• smartXregion NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerarise's municipal network for energy, infrastructure, and mobility of the future. Connects startups with 40+ municipalities and cities in the region.
• Flow 1986 OffenburgminorOthersFlow 1986 in Offenburg is used as an onsite workshop venue for marketboost and ideaboost programs. It is a co-working and event space that hosts accelerator workshops.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Antler: Antler is a global pre-seed accelerator and early-stage investor that supports founders from idea to Series A. Comparable to arise for pre-seed/seed-stage acceleration structured around cohorts, mentorship, and follow-on capital pathways.
• Startupbootcamp: Startupbootcamp runs industry-focused accelerator programs across Europe with a network of corporate partners and mentors. It is comparable to arise as a multi-vertical structured-accelerator platform with corporate-startup matchmaking.
• Cyber Valley: Cyber Valley is a Deep Tech research and startup ecosystem in southern Germany (Tübingen/Stuttgart) with academic and industry partners; comparable as a Germany-based Deep Tech venture platform that channels research-driven founders into commercialization.
• SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator: SpinLab operates a university-linked startup accelerator in Leipzig (HHL) supporting early-stage German startups with mentorship, network, and program-driven cohorts — directly comparable to arise's regional German accelerator model and university-partnership GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator with a large alumni network and structured mentor-driven programs. Comparable to arise in program structure and startup support philosophy, though at much greater geographic and portfolio scale.
• SAP.iO Foundry: SAP.iO is SAP's corporate venture and accelerator arm supporting enterprise and deep tech founders through cohorts and partnerships; comparable as a structured Deep Tech / enterprise accelerator with corporate-startup matchmaking.
• Merck Accelerator: Merck's corporate accelerator supports early-stage startups in health, life sciences, and digital health — directly overlapping with arise's HealthTech vertical and deep-tech scope, though driven by a corporate sponsor rather than a state program.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play runs industry-vertical accelerators (including Health, Deep Tech, Smart Cities) with extensive corporate partner networks. Comparable in vertical-specific, partner-driven program design and international footprint.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Wayra is Telefónica's corporate accelerator operating multiple hubs including in Germany. Comparable as a corporate-affiliated startup accelerator with structured cohorts, though backed by a single large corporate rather than public funding.

Emerging players

• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): HTGF is Germany's leading seed-stage deep tech investor supporting tech startups from pre-seed through Series A. Comparable for its German Deep Tech focus and early-stage support model, with overlap on investments in similar verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theariseaccelerator

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 arise Accelerator