Joachim Herz Foundation funds DEEP Pioneers at ESMT Berlin

Supported by the Joachim Herz Foundation, DEEP is now launching the program DEEP Pioneers to assist research institutions and teams build market- and investment-ready startup teams. The pilot phase is set to run for one year.

Deep-tech startups are crucial to the future of Germany’s economy. Germany produces many groundbreaking scientific achievements. However, turning these into successful startups often proves difficult, because founding teams frequently lack essential business skills and entrepreneurial competencies. This skills gap is a major bottleneck in the country’s innovation ecosystem. DEEP Pioneers addresses this issue by offering targeted support to research institutions and scientific units, helping them develop strong founding teams for their technologies and research outcomes.

“There is excellent research in Germany, but experienced founders often can’t access it because there are not enough connection points. Many investors see spin-off projects as not worth investing in because the founding teams lack key members. ,” says Thorsten Lambertus, managing director at DEEP. “To change that, we bring the right people together and systematize the process, from co-founder matching to the development of high-performance startup teams.”

To achieve this, the institute closely collaborates with selected research groups, institutions, and their technology transfer offices (TTOs), continuously identifying technology-driven venture projects and connecting them with suitable entrepreneurial talent and capital providers. Throughout the entire process, DEEP’s experts offer intensive guidance and development. The program thus forms an essential interface between science, entrepreneurship, and the capital market.

About ESMT Berlin

ESMT Berlin is a leading global business school with its campus in the heart of Berlin. Founded by 25 global companies, ESMT offers master, MBA, and PhD programs, as well as executive education on its campus in Berlin, in locations around the world, online, and in online blended format. Focusing on leadership, innovation, and analytics, its diverse faculty publishes outstanding research in top academic journals. Additionally, the international business school provides an interdisciplinary platform for discourse between politics, business, and academia. ESMT is a non-profit private institution of higher education with the right to grant PhDs and is accredited by AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, and ZEvA. It is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all its activities and communities.