STARTPLATZ DE
The Batch #3 founders with the STARTPLATZ team at the kickoff
Batch #3 · Kickoff, 28 Oct 2026
The Batch #2 teams with their certificates at Demo Day
Batch #2 · Demo Day, 22 Jul 2026
The Batch #1 founders at the kickoff
Batch #1 · Kickoff, 30 Oct 2025
STARTPLATZ KI AcceleratorNRW Hub

STARTPLATZ AI Accelerator NRW

Scale your startup with the power of AI.
📅 Batch #3 starts in October 2026See the program
STARTPLATZ
300+Startups supported
800+M€ investment
28Accelerator batches
AI Academy
500+AI events
200+AI experts
100+AI managers

Events

Dates & recaps by batch

Kickoff, expert sessions, fireside chats and Demo Day: upcoming dates to sign up for, past ones with a recap.

All STARTPLATZ events →
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28Oct 2026 RecapKickoff Kick-off Batch #3 AI Accelerator Wed, 28.10.2026 · 10:00 View recap → 03Mar 2027 OpenDemo Day KI-Accelerator NRW · Demo Day: Demo Day – AI Accelerator Batch #3 Wed, 03.03.2027 · 18:00 Sign up now →
Our startups

The startups of the AI Accelerator

Ten teams per cohort, four months, one goal: scaling with AI.

1/12
Phronora
KI / Wissensmanagement

Phronora

Captures expert knowledge: an AI agent interviews experts by voice and turns the answers into searchable knowledge pages.

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Manufacturing & Industry 4.0

EEONALYY

EEONALYY develops AI-powered system diagnostics and verifiable data infrastructure, enabling industries to identify hidden risks, connect fragmented knowledge and make evidence-based decisions.

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KI / Handwerk

VeynoSmart

AI assistant for trade businesses: answers customer enquiries on the website and schedules appointments across the team.

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KI / Enterprise Software

artaios

AI agents for mid-sized companies: staff build them without code, and the agents work in Outlook, Teams and SharePoint.

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KI / Social Media Marketing

companycore

AI software for social media marketing: plans content, writes copy and creates visuals, published after approval.

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KI / Mobility

Nextmo

Identifies a bike's brand, model and components from a smartphone photo, for leasing companies and refurbishers.

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LegalTech / Compliance

Justima

AI monitoring for legal and compliance teams: shows the legal changes relevant to their company, with sources.

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KI / IT-Demand-Management

requAIre

Helps companies assess IT projects before building or buying and turn them into clear requirements.

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PropTech / KI

immorivo

Collects, checks and shares property documents for real estate agents in one place.

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PropTech / KI

Realto

AI for real estate agents: answers enquiries, qualifies leads and books viewings.

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KI / Marketing

staaff

AI employees for B2B content marketing, starting with LinkedIn ghostwriting.

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E-Commerce / Marktplatz

Youro

Marketplace for products from small European brands, made in the EU.

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‹ Swipe for the next startups ›

All accelerator startups in the directory →

AI Accelerator NRW · 16 weeks

The program

Three phases – and every week in between, the founder session. Hover over the phases for details.

01FoundationWeeks 1–4

Arrive, measure, set the focus.

  • Technology readiness check-up
  • KPI definition & growth unlock workshop
  • Mentor madness – find your mentors
  • Kick-off with the startup community
  • Start of the weekly founder session
02ImplementationWeeks 5–12

Build, integrate, grow.

  • Specialised growth workshops
  • Micro-residency with international AI experts
  • Expert sessions & fireside chats
  • Hands-on AI integration into your processes
  • Fundraising & pitch training
03ScaleWeeks 13–16

Investors, expansion, demo day.

  • VC office hours with top investors
  • Demo day preparation & pitch perfection
  • International expansion support
  • Demo day – present your growth
Expert sessions & fireside chats

Practitioners with scars. No theory.

Operators and investors who have already built exactly what you are working on – curated anew for every batch. Fireside chats, VC office hours, sales and pitch sessions.

See all experts →
SBFireside ChatSushel BijganathCo-Founder & CEO, Octonomy

From prototype to an AI product customers pay for.

MMVC Office HourMarkus MerzInvestment Manager, Capnamic

How a fund actually looks at deals.

Max LüpertzExpert SessionMax LüpertzPresales Rockstars

B2B sales: demos that sell.

Janis SchörnerExpert SessionJanis Schörnerordio

AI-driven performance marketing in B2B SaaS.

Dennis FinkExpert SessionDennis FinkxLifeSciences

Pitch perfect: deck & investor communication.

Weekly founder session

14× per batch · every week all teams at the table: north star metric, progress, blockers. No lectures, but a steady rhythm.

Workshop program

15 workshops in 3 tracks · AI & technology, growth & marketing, finance & pitch – hands-on, tailored to the teams of the batch.

Network

Corporate partners, investors, tech partners

Plus international AI experts at defined points in the program and local specialists throughout the four months.

See all partners →
ECODYNAMICS GmbHKölnBusiness WirtschaftsförderungBEST GRUPPEGesa Gröning – Medien für SieHubspot for StartupsStartup Unit Wirtschaftsförderung Landeshauptstadt DüsseldorfTechniker Krankenkasse01 Digitale Age GmbH – Growth & Coding Booster für Dein Tech-StartUpAWSDECODEDeelDigitale Wirtschaft NRW
For companies

Become a partner or sponsor

Access to ten AI startups per batch, visibility at the demo day and in the community – we develop the right model together.

Send a request →
Alumni

Success stories from 28 batches

Cognigy

Conversational AI
Global AI leader950+ M$ exit

deepset

NLP & LLM platform
From 3 to 80 employees45 M$ investment

Ingestro

B2B enterprise SaaS
From 2 to 26 employees4.6 M€ investment

Prematch

Sports tech
From 4 to 55 employees6.5 M€ investment

taxy.io

Tax tech & AI
From 3 to 44 employees6 M€ investment

RIIICO

Manufacturing SaaS
From 4 to 34 employees2.5 M$ investment

Dermanostic

Digital health
From 4 to 45 employees5+ M€ investment

Lumoview

Computer vision
AI pioneer in healthcare5.5 M€ investment
Voices

What founders and mentors say about the AI Accelerator

Founders, mentors and partners on their time in the programme.

„Die Entwicklung zu sehen, die sie während des Programms machen, ist schon echt Wahnsinn.“
Max LüpertzMentor Presales Rockstars
„Der Accelerator hat uns dabei geholfen uns zu fokussieren und Sales Prozesse zu etablieren“
Carl HartmannFounder Mandelbaum

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does participation cost?

Nothing. The program is funded by NRW; there is no equity stake.

Do we already need AI expertise in the team?

No. What matters is a validated business model and the will to use AI as a lever – the expertise comes from the program and the network.

Do we have to be in Cologne?

The founder sessions, kick-off and demo day take place in Cologne; much in between runs remotely.

What happens after the demo day?

You remain part of the alumni community with access to the network, investors and spaces.

Batch #3 · start October 2026

Still have questions about the AI Accelerator?

Write to us – we will get back to you within a few days.