It was a blast! Thank you so much for the great event!
Your Seed and Series A Funding Booster Event
If you believe your startup is among the top innovators within EELISA European University and you seek to secure seed or Series A funding, then you should definitely apply for “EELISA Next Level”, which will take place at ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator in Nuremberg, Germany, on 22 and 23 March 2024. EELISA Next Level is designed to be your seed and Series A funding booster, offering you both: pitch competition and networking event. Our network comprises top European incubators such as Station F in Paris, the largest startup campus in the world, or ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, the fastest growing tech incubator in Germany (see the full list below) with their respective mentors, highly successful startups, and networks of investors.
Our Jury of Investors
- Ariane Coletta, Investment Manager, Müller-Medien (Nürnberg)
- Dr. Michael Hoeck, Venture Partner, Earlybird Venture Capital (Munich)
- Julia Lang, Investment Professional, Tengelmann Ventures (Munich)
- Katja Ruhnke, CEO and Angel Investor, CK-Venture Capital (Munich)
- Eva-Juliane Stark, General Legal Counsel, Cavalry (Berlin)
- Konstantin Urban, Founding Partner, G-Fund (Munich)
Agenda
22nd March
| Time (CET) | Topic | Speakers |
| 14:00-14:30 | Welcome and Introduction | David Schkade (EELISA), Kathrin Möslein (FAU), Judit Klein (ZOLLHOF) |
| 14:30-15:30 | EELISA Next Level Investor Pitches: Part I | Lisa Drescher (moderator), Acalta, DriveByCloud, EyeCheckup, F-50, Hergele Mobility, and the jury of investors |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee break | Everybody |
| 16:00-17:00 | EELISA Next Level Investor Pitches: Part II | Lisa Drescher (moderator), Hydrolyca, Hyperever, INTA, MotorSkins, Olivia, and the jury of investors |
| 17:00-17:15 | Coffee break | Everybody |
| 17:15-18:15 | EELISA Next Level Investor Pitches: Part III | Lisa Drescher (moderator), PCB Arts, Rayscape, Syntonym, Thermophoton, traplinked, and the jury of investors |
| 18:15-18:45 | Coffee break | Everybody |
| 18:45-19:00 | EELISA Next Level Startup Awards | Lisa Drescher (moderator) |
| 19:00-21:30 | EELISA Next Level Networking Dinner | Everybody |
23rd March
| Time (CET) | Topic | Speakers |
| 9:00-9:45 | Funding Climate in 2024 and Dos and Don‘ts of Fundraising (with Q&A) | Nicolas Sievers / Dennis Kirpensteijn (ZOLLHOF) |
| 9:45-10:30 | How to Get Seed and Series A Funding: Sharing Some Learnings and Experiences (with Q&A), Part I | Daniel Pelikan (traplinked) |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee break | Everybody |
| 11:00-11:45 | How to Get Seed and Series A Funding: Sharing Some Learnings and Experiences (with Q&A), Part II | Thomas Abend (VITAS) |
| 11:45-12:30 | How to Convince Investors: Some Insights From the Investors‘ Perspective (with Q&A) | Konstantin Urban (G-Fund) |
| 12:30 | Goodbye | Everybody |
Information for the participating startups
Benefits
EELISA Next Level will not only give you the opportunity to pitch in front of investors, receive valuable feedback, and win the EELISA Next Level Startup Awards, but you will also participate in an exciting program that will give you the opportunity to expand your network, meet investors, learn from more experienced Series B and C startups, and help you to secure your seed or Series A funding to take your startup to the next level.
Eligibility
EELISA Next Level is open to all digital, tech, and deep tech startups (and spinoffs)…
... seeking seed or Series A funding
…who have already mastered the pre-seed phase of their entrepreneurship journey and are now seeking seed or Series A funding (approximately 500k – 5 million €)
... with EELISA affiliation
…from all EELISA institutions including startups founded by at least one alumnus or alumna of an EELISA institution and startups from the following incubators connected to EELISA institutions: actúaupm (UPM), BME U[S]3 (BME), Chimie Paris Innov (PSL), Incubateur Descartes (ENPC), Incubateur Paris-Dauphine (PSL), Innovation Labs (UPB), ITU Cekirdek (ITU), ITU Ginova (ITU), PC Up (PSL), Polo Tecnologico (SNS), Station F (ENPC), and ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator (FAU).
Evaluation Criteria
for the application
The applications will be evaluated by a pre-selection jury composed of representatives from each EELISA member according to the following criteria:
- Quality of the business model
- Level of the market potential
- Quality and complementarity of the team
- Scalability of the business model
- Track record and prospects of success
for the pitch competition
At EELISA Next Level the jury for the pitch competition will be composed of six investors. The jury will evaluate the startups according to the following criteria:
- Quality of the business model
- Level of the market potential
- Quality and complementarity of the team
- Scalability of the business model
- Track record and prospects of success
- Quality of the pitch and responses in discussion
Funding
In case of being selected as a finalist for EELISA Next Level by the pre-selection jury, please contact your local EELISA office to ask about the possibility of receiving travel and subsistence support to attend the event. For those finalists who have to travel to EELISA Next Level from EELISA institutions other than FAU and who cannot receive funding from their local EELISA office, EELISA at FAU can offer a limited number of grants of 700 € per team member affiliated to UPM, ITU, UPB, SNS, SSSA, or one of the incubators connected to these institutions and 500 € per team member affiliated to PSL, ENPC, BME, or one of the incubators connected to these institutions with a maximum of two grants (i.e., 1,400 € or 1,000 €) per startup team. Startups from the FAU innovation ecosystem can only receive a grant of 350 € per team member with a maximum of two grants (700 €) per startup team if their startup is located outside the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. You will know before the event if you can receive one of these grants which will only be paid after your on-site participation at EELISA Next Level from 22 to 23 March 2024.
UPM affiliationPSL affiliationENPC affiliationFAU affiliationSSSA affiliationSNS affiliationBME affiliationUNSTPB affiliationITU affiliation
