Startups
Organised by the House of Startups (HoST) and designed especially for mature startups, the first edition of the Luxembourg Acceleration Bootcamp (LAB) brought together local and international startups for its four-day programme focusing on growth acceleration, fundraising, and European expansion.
Following an application process, a select group of mature startups were chosen to attend the LAB. More than 50 participants representing around 40 startups attended the bootcamp from both Luxembourg and around the globe, thanks to the work of Luxembourg Trade & Investments Offices. Thanks to their collaboration, the LAB welcomed startups and organisations from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Canada, and the United States.
The LAB took place from 20 to 23 May at the House of Startups and at ICT Spring. On the first day, the question of how to finance startups in or from Luxembourg was addressed by some of Luxembourg’s best experts and entrepreneurs through workshops and keynotes featuring Nicolas Valaize (House of Startups), Jean-Michel Ludwig (Luxinnovation), Larissa Best (LBAN), Jerome Wittamer (Expon Capital), and Markus Willms (European Investment Bank). The second Bootcamp Day addressed the equally important question of ‘How do I expand my business to the European Markets?’ Many different angles were addressed, including cultural, by speakers such as PwC’s Daniela Cedola and Catherine Frideres, JobToday’s Polina Frolova-Montano, Talkwalker’s Christophe Folschette, Mathias Schmitt from Digital Devotion Group (DDG), as well as Prof. Dr. Matthias Baum from the University of Kaiserslautern, and Tatjana von Bonkewitz from Hofstede Insights.
In the meantime, the LAB’s selected startups also had access to ICT Spring, Luxembourg’s global tech conference, as well as the b2fair® Business Meetings, an international matchmaking event powered by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and its Enterprise Europe Network.
‘We could not be happier with the outcome of the LAB’s first edition. The number of applications received to attend the programme was even more than expected and it really showed the importance of these kinds of initiatives. We must also admit that we are amazingly surprised with the success the LAB had with international startups. Their presence was a plus-value for Luxembourgish startups attending the LAB and seeing them connecting made us really proud,’ says Karin Schintgen, CEO at the House of Startups.
After the first edition’s success, the House of Startups is looking forward to building on this momentum and a second edition of the LAB will soon enter the preparation phase.
Find out more about HoST online: www.host.lu.
