About NXTGN
Applied Deep Tech for the
Next Generation Mittelstand
Baden-Württemberg’s future as Europe’s most innovative region is being put to the test by global change. But what if we manage to overcome today’s challenges and emerge stronger from the multiple crises we face?
With NXTGN, we aim to make a meaningful contribution by connecting science, industry and the startup ecosystem through our innovation platform.
Learn more about how we do this in practice and download our Delta Report '24 (6 MB) here.
exist startup factories
NXTGN is official Startup Factory of the German Federal Government
The EXIST lighthouse competition Startup Factories was launched by the German government to take the German start-up ecosystem to a new level in the next decade and significantly increase the number and quality of knowledge-based spin-offs.
On July 10, 2025, ten EXIST Startup Factories were awarded prizes in Berlin by Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy. The award winners are spread across the whole of Germany and impressed with their very different concepts. However, they all stand for closely networked cooperation between science and research on the one hand and established players in the private sector, the start-up ecosystem and investors on the other.
Through the scaling of innovations and their private-sector management, the factories represent a real boost for the German start-up ecosystem and were inspired by role models such as UnternehmerTUM (Munich), which are already developing international appeal.
Our consortium
Powered by a Strong Consortium from Baden-Württemberg
The consortium partners are represented by KIT Gründerschmiede the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research and Traces of the University of Stuttgart, hei_INNOVATION of the Heidelberg University, Entrepreneurs Campus of the University of Ulm, the Generator of Stuttgart Media University, Campus Founders and IPAI. NXTGN Management GmbH serves as the legal and organizational lead of the NXTGN Startup Factory.
Perspectives on NXTGN
What our Partners are saying about NXTGN
To win the future, we need not just today’s industry leaders but also tomorrow’s. Startup Factories are where the next generation of startups is born, and where today’s ideas become the scaleups of the future. Our goal: to unleash the untapped potential of academic and research-based spin-offs.
Katherina Reiche
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy
With the NXTGN Startup Factory, we are writing a new
chapter in our country’s innovation story. In Baden-Württemberg, we don’t think small when it comes to future technologies. We think in systems. We unite cutting-edge research, bold founders, and responsible companies to create sustainable prosperity and quality of life for future
generations.
Winfried Kretschmann
Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg
Startups are key drivers of innovation, knowledge transfer and
economic momentum in Baden-Württemberg. By connecting the Startup Factory with the INSPIRE BW Hubs, we are building a strong, statewide ecosystem that fosters talent, accelerates startups, and secures Baden-Württemberg’s future as a leading hub for innovation.
Petra Olschowski
Minister of Science, Research and Arts for the State of Baden-Württemberg
With NXTGN, we translate scientific excellence into targeted economic
value. What makes this model particularly promising is its close integration with the German
Mittelstand.
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism for the State of Baden-Württemberg
We are one of the most innovative regions in the world. To stay ahead, we must create the best possible conditions for those who will build the small and medium-sized enterprises of tomorrow. That’s why I’m part of the NXTGN Startup Factory.
Curt Michael Stoll
Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board and owner of FESTO, shareholder of NXTGN Management GmbH
In recent years, it has become clear that many startups lack a central point of contact that brings together the potential of science and business. I’m pleased that the Startup Factories initiative addresses exactly this need.
Dr. Helmut Schelling
Founder of Vector Informatik & partner at NXTGN Management GmbH
The NXTGN Startup Factory is a flagship project for KIT and for Germany as a hub of innovation. By collaborating closely with leading universities and companies, we are building a shared platform for deep tech spin-offs and the ‘Next Generation Mittelstand’. With a focus on deep tech innovation, we are working together to deliver strong momentum for Germany’s innovation and global competitiveness.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hirth
Vice President for Transfer and International Affairs KIT
Successful startups emerge when the right people come together at the right time with the right ideas. Contributing to that process is incredibly rewarding. It also teaches me something new every time.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Brem
Vice Rector for Transfer and International Affairs Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research University of Stuttgart
The universities, universities of applied sciences, and private-sector partners [involved in NXTGN] have joined forces to create strong momentum at the intersection of cutting-edge research, an innovative startup culture, and responsible entrepreneurship — impulses that sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of both the region and the country, while driving social progress.
Prof. Dr. Katja Patzel-Mattern
Vice Rector for Innovation and Transfer, Heidelberg University
With NXTGN, we are closing a strategic gap: accelerating the path from research to application and strengthening technology-driven startups emerging from the scientific community. This is transfer in action—rooted in the region, ready for the world.
Prof. Dr. Michael Kühl
Vice President for Cooperations at the University of Ulm
A strong network is essential because it’s more than just the sum of its parts. No one can do everything alone; you need to know who to turn to when it counts.
Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal
Vice Rector for Innovation Management Stuttgart Media University
We aim to strengthen the startup ecosystem in Baden-Württemberg—through collaboration across cities and regions.
Moritz Gräter
CEO of IPAI
NXTGN is not built around a single institution, but around shared infrastructure, long-term alignment, and entrepreneurial logic. This coordinated effort across Baden-Württemberg forms a hub of innovation, continuously expanding its reach. Seeing ecosystems collaborate, each with its own strengths, is a rare and powerful signal for a large, strong ecosystem – in the Southwest and all of Germany.
Oliver Hanisch
CEO Campus Founders Heilbronn
OUR GOALS as startup factory
By 2030, we aim to make a meaningful contribution to the transformation
Participants
Deep Tech Spin-offs
Collaborative projects
brokered venture capital
new jobs
Locations
At home in THE LÄND
Our head office is currently ARENA2036 in Stuttgart - the research campus for startups, industry and academia. Further locations will be added in the future by our partners within the consortium. This will enable us to strengthen the startup ecosystem across different regions.
Our team
At NXTGN we are team players
As a large, colourful team, we are constantly working on the transformation to a sustainable society.
Are you motivated to grow with us? Then take a look at our job advertisement. We look forward to receiving your application!
1+1=3
Where it all started
The consortium behind NXTGN brings together a strong group of committed partners working to elevate the startup ecosystem in The LÄND and significantly increase both the number and quality of knowledge-based spin-offs. At the operational core of the NXTGN Startup Factory is the former Gründermotor initiative, launched in 2018 as a public-private partnership between the original Gründermotor state initiative and Gründermotor GmbH, now NXTGN Management GmbH.
