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TRIP to accelerate
We speed up your Innovation
Transform the future
with the TRIP accelerator program
Get on Board
to accelerate your innovation
Investment Readyness
We make you VC fit

TRIP to accelerate

We speed up your innovation

What we offer

With the Thuringian Regional Innovation Program TRIP we bring your startup directly to the next level. In our accelerator program you benefit from 6 months of expertise, workshops, budget and networking with investors, SMEs, innovators and corporates. In that way TRIP brings you towards investment readyness.  For particularly scalable projects, additional 3 months of the Final TRIP phase with the focus on VC financing are planned. The final highlight of the program is a pitch at the Investor Days Thuringia – a unique opportunity to present your business concept in front of around 600 players of the international startup community, investors and innovators.

We are always curious to discover exciting innovations, visions, crazy products or business models and to develop them together with you.

We love innovation! That’s why we launched TRIP in 2019. Our goal is to create the best conditions for the startup community in Thuringia, to accelerate innovations and to generate synergy and cooperation among like-minded people.

TRIP is a program of the Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research Thuringia (STIFT) within the Project ThEx innovativ. Since 1993, the STIFT has been promoting science, research and technology along the entire educational and economic development chain. In individual cases, the STIFT  invests itself in promising Thuringian startups as an early stage and side investor.

With this background  TRIP has set itself the goal to move the startup ecosystem in Thuringia. For that purpose our interdisciplinary team of 5 people develops contemporary products since 2011 in order to accelerate startups.

Our
Mission

We look
for

Whether you are in the pre-startup phase, have already founded a company or are researching, TRIP accelerates every innovation!

We are looking for

  • Founders who want to take their startup to the next level
  • Intrapreneurs and Future Founders who are pursuing an innovative idea within a company
  • Researchers who want to develop entrepreneurial concepts from research ideas
  • Individuals who want to make their innovative ideas investment ready!

This batch 22/23 stood under the sign of Industry 4.0. Together with the TRIP partner Mehnert GmbH, we offered you additional modules for the field of automation and robotics.

As a hub of industrial collaboration, Mehnert Lab offers the perfect infrastructure for the development of innovative solutions. TRIP participants will have exclusive access to the Mehnert Lab Factory to develop technologies and test them live. The teams also benefit from the on-site coworking space, networking with industry experts and Lab partners, and access to real market and customer problems.

TRIP goes Industry 4.0

Our Mission

We love innovation! That’s why we launched TRIP in 2019. Our goal is to create the best conditions for the startup community in Thuringia, to accelerate innovations and to generate synergy and cooperation among like-minded people.

TRIP is a program of the Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research Thuringia (STIFT) within the Project ThEx innovativ. Since 1993, the STIFT has been promoting science, research and technology along the entire educational and economic development chain. In individual cases, the STIFT  invests itself in promising Thuringian startups as an early stage and side investor.

With this background  TRIP has set itself the goal to move the startup ecosystem in Thuringia. For that purpose our interdisciplinary team of 5 people develops contemporary products since 2011 in order to accelerate startups.

What to expect?

Individual
Coaching

In individual coachings we take a close look at your business model, question the processes, decisions and identify together with you the next steps for your startup.

Monthly
Workshops

Our 10 workshops give you theoretical and practical insights which are important for the success of your startup. The workshop series covers all relevant topics from strategic reflection to investor relations. Discover the workshops in the TRIP schedule.

Prototyping Budget

We give you up to 4.000 euro start budget just because we love your business model. Whether prototype development, market research or customer interviews, you will surely find the right way to use it for your startup.

mentoring by SMEs

With TRIP, we are strengthening Thuringia’s start-up community and networking with established companies is accelerating enormously. Look forward to speed mentoring with representatives of established SMEs in partnership with the Wissensfabrik.

Access to the international community & events

TRIP makes you a part of the international community. We network you with industry experts, investors, startups and SMEs both in Germany and in the world. You also get exclusive access to events, e.g. Hanover Fair, Investor Days Thuringia, InnoMatch, innovation award “Innovationspreis Thüringen” and much more.

Do you want to change the future of the automotive industry or reshape other innovation-driven industries with your technology or innovative business idea? Then get on board and become part of the next TRIP Class!

The program is open to all industries and is aimed at anyone who wants to disrupt the status quo of the markets with new ideas, products and processes and thus drive technology change and sustainable growth.

Whether you are in the pre-startup phase or have already founded a company, we will accelerate your innovation!

Get on Board!

TRIP Timeline

04. Sept. - 15. Oct.

Application Period

08. Nov.

Kick-off - Start Your TRIP

Nov. - March
Phase I

Phase I, Coachings, Workshops, Meet-Ups

06. March

Demo-Day

March - June
Phase II

Phase II, Coachings, Workshops, Meet-Ups

05. - 06. Jun

Investor Days Thuringia 2024

Upcoming Events

TRIP is an initiative of the Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research Thuringia (STIFT) within the Project ThEx innovativ. Together with innovators, investors and established companies, we want to redesign the startup ecosystem in Thuringia. 

The TRIP Community is an essential part of the program. Our community experts contribute their know-how to the class in the form of workshops, are part of regular feedback opportunities and also pave the way for participants to access industry-specific networks.

TRIP Community

TRIP is an initiative of STIFT within the framework of the project ThEx innovativ and is supported by the Free State of Thuringia with funds from the European Social Fund Plus
part of Stift