Founders‘ Garage. The name says it all: The event on December 6th is intended for promising startups in the hardware business. Initiated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM and Cube GmbH, the event gives the participating startups an invaluable opportunity to meet potential investors and leading actors from science and politics to let minds meet and make new contacts over a good cup of coffee. A high-profile panel, including Gerit Rössler (Berlin Partner), Claire Siegert (Fraunhofer Ventures), and Teshia Treuhaft (Senic) and hosted by Jonas Pauly (INAM), will speak about Berlin as the home of a new hardware ecosystem. The Demo sessions are a chance to meet successful startup entrepreneurs like Jörg Bienert of Aiso-Lab and speak about their entry into the hardware scene.

Special Tech Tours invite the young entrepreneurs to take a look behind the curtain and see the research work being done at Fraunhofer IZM. The tours will focus on giving the attendees a close-up look at the equipment and time to speak and share ideas with the Institute’s researchers. One of the startups will soon have the great opportunity to construct its own prototypes at Fraunhofer IZM. This is made possible by a particular highlight of the Founders‘ Garage: Three-minute public pitches in which selected startups can showcase their ideas. The prospects for them are enticing: The concept that convinces the jury will become reality at Fraunhofer IZM. The jury includes Alexander Kölpin of WestTech Ventures and Tobias Schirmer of JOIN Capital. The first prize takes the winner directly to Start-a-Factory, a novel laboratory facility at the Institute where startups working in the field of highly miniaturized electronics and sensor technology can turn their ideas into working prototypes in the space of only a few weeks. Robin Tech of AtomLeap will also attend as keynote speaker and draw the audience’s attention to the Internet of Things. “The Founders‘ Garage is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for startups to get networking and learn more about the technical opportunities available here at the Institute“, says Ulf Oestermann, researcher at Fraunhofer IZM, director of Start-a-Factory, and one of the inventive minds – alongside Christian Tegge, COO at Cube – behind the idea of the Founders‘ Garage.