DOE's EPIC Startup Pitch Competition for Energy Innovators

🚀 Empowering Faculty to Build the Next Generation of Innovators The iStartKIOT MXincubator Foundation at Knowledge Institute of Technology (KIOT) is organizing a Faculty Development Program on “Empowering Faculty to Guide Students in Innovation, Hackathons & Startups.” This program aims to equip faculty members with the knowledge, tools, and mentoring approaches required to guide students in innovation challenges, hackathons, and startup development. 📅 12 & 13 March 2026 ⏰ 09:30 AM – 04:30 PM 📍 iStart Incubator, KIOT We are glad to have insights from Gurushankar Selvam and Dr.Thirukkuralkani K N, who will share their experience in building innovation and startup ecosystem. Looking forward to building a strong innovation culture within academia and enabling faculty to become catalysts for student entrepreneurship. #Innovation #Startups #FacultyDevelopment #Hackathons #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #StartupTN #InnovationMentor #KIOT EDII TN | Gobinath Thangamuthu | Sekar Arun (Ph.D)

Open innovation is not optional in aerospace. Through the Takeoff Accelerator, Plug and Play is working with startups bringing new technologies across the aerospace value chain. Over the past four years, the program has screened more than 700 startups, accelerated 33, and invested over €9 million to help bring new solutions to market faster.

📣 Startups, take note! 📣 Massachusetts Innovation Network is now accepting applications for The 2026 Eddies, the oldest and longest-running innovation-fueling program in the region! Celebrating its 40th year, the program has supported over 3,800 startups. Notable winners include iRobot, Zipcar, Vistaprint, HubSpot, Keurig, Carbonite, Insulet, E-Ink, MassChallenge, MathWorks, Cambridge Nanotech, and many more. The program is open to Mass-based startups that have developed a product or technology disrupting their market/industry. More information: https://lnkd.in/eZm3eYwB

BAJ Accelerator & Cornell Tech : A Journey of Innovation and Entrepreneurship! BAJ Accelerator is proud to be in partnership with Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, a co-founding organization that stands at the forefront of tech innovation. This collaboration has sparked an entrepreneurial journey like no other, blending academic research with real-world startup acceleration. BAJ Accelerator has been committed to "accelerating the acceleration of technology", offering high-touch relationships for funding and growth. Our partnership with Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute amplifies this mission, fostering radical experimentation at the intersection of research, education, and entrepreneurship. This alliance has empowered countless startups, fueling their innovative ideas and launching them into successful ventures. Together, we're creating a world where startups can transform their visions into reality, backed by expert guidance, strategic growth support, and an extensive network of resources. Source: https://lnkd.in/gnqsfMGn #deeptech #security #fintech #robotics #computervision #biotech Application submission for BAJ May 2026 Program is open. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eGGv5GHE

🚀 Building startups is no longer enough — we need to engineer ecosystems for innovation. In a recent scientific article, Professor Antonio Maffei of KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden), explores a powerful emerging model: venture builders for smart manufacturing tech startups. 🔍 What makes this research stand out? It highlights how venture builders go beyond traditional incubation by actively co-creating, scaling, and industrializing startups — especially in complex sectors like advanced manufacturing. 💡 Key takeaways: Venture builders act as system integrators, combining technology, capital, and expertise They reduce risk and accelerate time-to-market for deep-tech startups Smart manufacturing requires structured, repeatable innovation processes Collaboration between industry, academia, and investors is essential 🏭 In a world where Industry 4.0 is reshaping production, this model could be the missing link between research breakthroughs and real-world impact. The message is clear: 👉 The future of innovation lies not just in ideas, but in how we systematically build them into scalable ventures. 🔗 Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/eyxFnp8g 📚 Reference: Andrea de Giorgio, Antonio Maffei. Venture Builders for Smart Manufacturing Tech Startups: A Comprehensive Literature Survey of an Emerging Trend. Procedia Computer Science, 277 (2026): 3606–3615. DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2026.02.395

🚀 Successfully Completed: Faculty Development Program on Innovation, Hackathons & Startups We are happy to share that the two-day Faculty Development Program on “Empowering Faculty to Guide Students in Innovation, Hackathons & Startups” was successfully conducted at the Knowledge Institute of Technology through the iStartKIOT MXincubator Foundation. The program focused on empowering faculty members with the knowledge, tools, and mentoring approaches required to guide students in innovation competitions, hackathons, and startup development. 🎯 Key Highlights • Understanding the innovation and startup ecosystem • Identifying strong problem statements for hackathons and contests • Converting ideas into viable products • Developing a startup mindset among students • Strategies for effective faculty mentorship in innovation We were privileged to have insightful sessions from: Gurushankar Selvam, Project Lead, StartupTN Dr.Thirukkuralkani K N, Director, Tectzo Solutions Pvt. Ltd. & Head of Incubation, SREC SPARK Their sessions provided valuable insights into the innovation ecosystem, startup enablement, and mentoring strategies for faculty. #Innovation #FacultyDevelopment #Startups #Hackathons #Entrepreneurship

A Monaco-based startup has become the first company incubated at MonacoTech to be selected for funding under Horizon Europe, the European Union's principal research and innovation programme. https://lnkd.in/diKqeMgz

Great Year for VTT Innovative Start-ups In 2025, six VTT-originating startups secured a combined €445 million in equity funding. Notably, each of these funding rounds exceeded €10 million. 👇 https://lnkd.in/gg22T4Yh

In-focus Accel, Prosus to back frontier tech startups ********************************************** Accel and Prosus have selected six startups for the first cohort of their Atoms X programme, marking a joint push into frontier technologies that require longer gestation periods and deeper scientific innovation.   The cohort, drawn from more than 2,000 applications, focuses on what the firms describe as “LeapTech”, companies combining scientific research with engineering to build new infrastructure across sectors such as climate, aerospace, and healthcare.   Key takeaways: Under the partnership, Prosus will match Accel’s investment in each startup, providing founders with what the firms call “capital certainty” to pursue complex ideas without near-term commercial pressure. The selected startups span a wide range of technologies. Praan is developing systems to optimise indoor air quality to near-mountain conditions. The launch builds on Accel’s broader Accel Atoms initiative, started in 2021, which was designed as a founder-first program backing companies at the idea or pre-seed stage with early capital, structured mentorship, and access to Accel’s global network.