24 startups selected for Fit 4 Start#17

The names of the startups that will take part in the 17^th edition of the Fit 4 Start programme in early 2027 were officially announced at Luxembourg Venture Days 2026, the annual event where startups, investors and innovation stakeholders come together to pitch, make connections and raise funds.

The 17^th edition of Fit 4 Start reflects continued growth, supported by growing international appeal. The record number of applications received in 2025 (495) was exceeded for this edition of the flagship startup acceleration programme, which will run in the first half of 2027. Following the launch of the call for applications on 10 June, the programme’s international appeal was clearly confirmed: 556 applications were received from 44 countries. Outside Luxembourg, the countries with the most applications were France, the United States, Ukraine, India and the United Arab Emirates.

On 14 and 15 October, 73 shortlisted startups presented their projects to the juries as part of Luxembourg Venture Days. The event brought together more than 1,000 investors, including 150 representatives of venture capital funds, and more than 1,300 entrepreneurs to address a central question: how to finance the growth of high-potential companies in Europe.

Four tracks

The pitches covered the programme’s four categories: digital technologies, health technologies, space and, for the first time, defence.

“The introduction of the defence sector to the Fit 4 Start cohort is in line with Luxembourg’s defence industry strategy and the announcement of the Defence Campus. The government aims to create an innovation ecosystem capable of responding to today’s sovereignty challenges,” says Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation.

The names of the 24 selected startups* were then revealed at a lively closing ceremony: 10 in digital technologies, 5 in health technologies, 5 in space technologies and 4 in the defence sector:

Have a look on the selected startups here! 

“A programme such as Fit 4 Start, which has built an international reputation over the years, provides an ideal framework for accelerating the development of promising startups in the defence technology sector. It contributes to the emergence of dual-use solutions that will be crucial to our future,” says Mr Grotz.

Six months of support and dedicated funding

Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of the Economy, the Fit 4 Start acceleration programme is managed by Luxinnovation in collaboration with Technoport, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), the Luxembourg City Incubator, the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity, LuxProvide and the Directorate of Defence. To date, the programme has attracted more than 3,500 applications from around the world through its various calls.

Fit 4 Start provides specialised support over six months, as well as individual funding of €50,000 from the Ministry of the Economy for companies incorporated in Luxembourg. Startups that complete the programme, raise private capital and employ at least two people may receive up to an additional €100,000 in state aid.

Over 11 years, Fit 4 Start has welcomed more than 55% of its entrepreneurs from abroad and supported the emergence of several promising companies that are now firmly established in Luxembourg and internationally:

• Salonkee (cohort 6 – more than €35 million raised), an online booking solution for beauty services, including beauty salons, hairdressers, stylists and massage studios;
• Circu Li-ion (now R3 Robotics, cohort 12 – €21.5 million), specialising in the automated dismantling and upcycling of vehicle batteries and electrical systems;
• Emma Cloud (cohort 10 – €21 million), an AI-powered multi-cloud management platform that simplifies hybrid cloud infrastructures through a single operations interface;
• Sonia Solutions (cohort 14 – €12 million), specialising in the development of an AI-powered medical assistant for dental and medical practices;
• Helical (cohort 15 – €11 million), developing AI-driven virtual laboratories to accelerate pharmaceutical discovery and research;
• Passbolt (cohort 3 – €10 million), an open-source password management platform.

 *The 24 announced startups were selected on the basis of the information provided in their applications. Their official entry into the Fit 4 Start #17 programme remains subject to the successful completion of a final due diligence stage in the coming weeks.