December 10, 2025. The independent program – supported by technology partners Infineon and Intel – bridges the gap between startups and corporates to help European deep tech founders get from “Pre to B” faster – bringing breakthrough innovations to fruition.
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Ignite Next today announced the launch of its new European scale-up program for deep tech innovation, designed to bridge the gap between early-stage founders and industrial-scale success.
Ignite Next was created by the team behind the renowned Intel Ignite program and is now independently operated. It introduces a new collaborative model that brings together global technology leaders like Infineon and Intel to support the continent’s most ambitious deep-tech founders.
Ignite Next positions itself not as a traditional accelerator, but as the missing link between startups and industry – a hands-on, non-dilutive program that helps founders scale IP-intensive breakthrough technologies from pre-seed stage to Series B and beyond.
Thanks to its independent structure, the team can collaborate even more intensively with multiple partners across a broad spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, from semiconductors, photonics, advanced manufacturing, robotics and AI to quantum computing.
A new model for European deep-tech scale-ups
European deep-tech start-ups face a persistent challenge: they have a strong scientific foundation and early funding, but limited industrial collaboration and scale-up support. Ignite Next bridges this gap between innovation and market success, giving founders faster access to the commercial market through direct access to relevant industry expertise and decision makers from strategic partners.
“We are building the bridge that Europe’s deep-tech founders have long needed,” said Markus Bohl, CEO and co-founder of Ignite Next. “Ignite Next brings together world-class technology partners and founders to turn scientific breakthroughs into successful businesses – helping start-ups move faster from Pre to B, from inventions with potential to companies with global impact.”
Ignite Next’s non-dilutive, founder-centric structure ensures that startups can scale without sacrificing ownership, while its high-touch approach – guided by more than 300 experienced industry mentors – gives founders direct access to technical expertise, market insights and investor preparation support.
Dr. Daniel Schall, CEO of Black Semiconductor, commented: “Ignite Next enables deep-tech founders to move faster and build strong momentum by combining real technical expertise with hands-on leadership experience, providing founder-level insight, focus and connections.”
Nicolas Autret, Partner at Walden Catalyst, added: “Only 6% of global AI funding and 5% of quantum investment goes to European companies – this is the gap that the Draghi report warned about. Ignite Next is tackling exactly this problem by helping the founders of European deep tech companies to grow faster without giving up equity. This is exactly the kind of expertise and collaboration that Europe needs to remain competitive on the global stage.”
Ignite Next builds on a proven concept characterized by technical depth, mentoring from experienced experts and a focus on tangible commercial outcomes – and is now further strengthened by its independent, multi-partner structure.
“We’re retaining everything that made Ignite successful – the technical depth, selectivity and focus on commercial impact – but with the ability to offer even more relevance through our complementary, multi-partner structure,” said Alois Eder, CTO and co-founder. “Independence means we can connect an even wider and stronger network of experts with our start-ups, providing broader and deeper technology coverage, better market access and stronger outcomes for Europe’s innovation sectors.”
Each cohort is highly selective, with typically over 300 applications for just ten places. The start-ups are usually put forward for the program by leading venture capital investors and are selected based on their potential to become Europe’s next scale-up success stories.
Alumni of the Ignite model include Black Semiconductor, Proxima Fusion, Corintis, Quantum Diamonds, Cerabyte and Space Forge – each of these companies demonstrating Europe’s outstanding capabilities in cutting-edge technologies.
Dr. Francesco Sciortino, CEO of Proxima Fusion, added: “The Ignite Next team has been instrumental in helping Proxima make the leap from lab to tangible success. The team has always supported us with technical advice and tips on building the business, as well as access to the real industry.”
Ignite Next is supported by its key technology partners Infineon and Intel, who provide strategic industry expertise, access to infrastructure and technologies, and technical and commercial advice. As technology continues to evolve faster and across industries, these partnerships enable companies to gain early access to disruptive innovations, insights into emerging trends and opportunities to influence technology roadmaps.
“At Infineon, we are committed to empowering Europe’s deep tech startups,” said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG. “With Ignite Next, we are bringing together leading technology partners to support the continent’s most ambitious founders and reinforce Europe’s importance as a world-class innovation hub. Together, we are turning the European start-ups of today into the global tech champions of tomorrow.”
More corporate and institutional partners will join in the coming months, further strengthening Ignite Next’s value proposition for founders. All partnerships are long-term, providing startups with sustainable support while strengthening the enduring commitment to the deep tech ecosystem and supply chain resilience in Europe.
Although the pan-European program is closely connected to the 45 most important deep tech hotspots in Europe, Ignite Next has made a conscious decision to locate the program’s headquarters in Dresden, in the heart of Silicon Saxony. The region is not only home to a third of Europe’s chip production, but also to the TU Dresden, the university with the most patents in Germany. Ignite Next thus opens up unique cooperation opportunities for start-ups and investors alike within one of the most important, dynamic and fastest growing semiconductor ecosystems on the continent.
Dirk Panter, Saxon State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection: “It is a testament to the strength and importance of the ecosystem in (Silicon) Saxony that an internationally renowned program with world-leading partners from the high-tech industry is based and operated from Dresden. We are delighted to welcome Ignite Next and its deep tech startups to the heart of the European semiconductor industry – and are convinced that this is the right place to build and scale global leaders in deep tech.”
The location underlines the pan-European focus of the program: it aims to bring together industrial, academic and venture networks to scale European innovation globally.
Although Europe remains the focus, Ignite Next welcomes startups from all over the world. Each three-month cohort provides intensive technical mentoring, commercial validation and investor engagement, helping start-ups achieve faster product-market fit, market maturity and Series A and Series B funding.
Michiel Scheffer, President of the European Innovation Council, commented: “I am delighted that Ignite Next is specifically designed to help European deep-tech start-ups reach the breakthrough stage. This is exactly what the EIC and I personally advocate: We need to build scale-ups for key European technologies that aim to become global leaders in their field. In Europe, we have the talent, the intellectual property and the opportunities to achieve this if we can provide the right funding and industrial support. I am convinced that Ignite Next will play an important role in this.”
Ignite Next is Europe’s scale-up program for deep-tech innovation, founded by the former Intel Ignite leadership team and now operated independently. The program supports early-stage, high-impact start-ups developing breakthrough technologies in semiconductors, physical AI, advanced computing and other emerging fields. Ignite Next is non-dilutive and founder-centric, partnering with leading technology companies like Infineon and Intel to connect startups with world-class technical and business expertise to turn breakthrough innovations into breakthrough successes.
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👉 https://ignitenext.com
👉 www.infineon.com/de
Photo: pixabay
