Building reusable Nyx capsules to ferry cargo to the ISS and future commercial space stations.
Munich, Germany
Startup
Growth
/germany/startup/the-exploration-company
No investors have been linked yet.
PARP-backed accelerator attracting international startups to Poland, run by Space3ac in Gdansk. Offers up to EUR 65,000 equity-free funding plus soft-landing support (incorporation, legal/tax, accommodation, visas). Focus on smart cities, space, and logistics. Scope: International.
Deep tech fund founded 2017 investing in AI, space, and fintech from Central Europe.
Founded 2015. World's first port and maritime industry accelerator based in Rotterdam (now also Antwerp and Singapore). Three-month program with 100+ mentors and a Shakedown demo day; alumni include We4Sea and CargoLedger. Scope: International.
The Siemens Technology Accelerator (STA) is a unique corporate accelerator program run by Siemens AG since 2001, aimed at spinning out non-core technologies from Siemens’ R&D into independent startups. Based in Munich, STA essentially identifies promising internal innovations (often developed at Siemens Corporate Technology labs) that don’t fit Siemens’ core business, and forms new ventures around them. STA provides seed funding, co-founding management, and access to Siemens’ infrastructure to these ventures, effectively acting as a venture builder. Over its history, the Siemens Technology Accelerator has spun out more than 12 companies across sectors like energy, industrial automation, healthcare, and materials. Notable spin-offs include MetisMotion (advanced actuators), Magazino (warehouse robotics – which STA helped early on), and Epiqo (a digital twin software). One high-profile case is Rethink Robotics GmbH: in 2020, STA helped relaunch assets of Rethink Robotics (the US cobot pioneer) in a joint venture, integrating it with Siemens technology. The typical STA project starts with identifying a tech with market potential. STA then recruits external entrepreneurs or Siemens intrapreneurs to lead the startup, develops a business plan, secures intellectual property rights (license or assign IP from Siemens to the newco), and provides initial funding (often low millions of euros). Siemens often remains a minority shareholder and provides pilot customers or manufacturing help. The time from project inception to an independent company launch is around 18–24 months. STA’s model addresses a common big-corporate problem: great inventions that don’t make it to market. By essentially incubating startups from within, Siemens both creates value from dormant IP and fosters innovation culture. Many STA spin-outs go on to raise venture capital or get acquired. For example, Ionity (an EV charging network) was seeded by Siemens’ STA and later became a major joint venture with automakers. The Siemens Technology Accelerator operates with a small specialized team and has won awards for corporate venturing. It serves as a best-practice example of how large industrial firms can proactively spin off new ventures rather than let R&D sit on a shelf. In essence, STA extends Siemens’ innovation beyond its core by unleashing startups that bring cutting-edge tech (like novel sensors, new materials, etc.) to the broader market.
Opened 2018 with Dieter Schwarz Foundation support. Runs an Incubator for idea validation and a 12-week Accelerator for investor readiness; notable mobility and AI startups. Support: training, mentorship, foundation grants. Scope: Regional (Heilbronn-Franken).
Digital innovation hub founded in 2017 for the Rhineland region offering structured accelerator programs, mentorship, networking, and investor access to digital startups. Focus on digital transformation with alumni in cybersecurity and enterprise software. Scope: Local (Bonn/Rhineland).