Post by Start2 Group

Big news for NRW’s startup ecosystem: Scale-up.NRW is entering its next chapter. The Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW (MWIKE) has renewed the mandate for Scale-up.NRW through 2029, continuing one of NRW’s key programmes for high-growth startups. The impact is measurable: companies from the Scale-up.NRW community reach valuations above $100 million around 55% faster than the industry benchmark. In 2024, four out of nine newly emerged scale-ups in NRW came from the programme community. As NRW’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Mona Neubaur, puts it: scale-ups build bridges between startups, small to medium-sized enterprises, and industry. With the continuation of Scale-up.NRW, the state is investing not only in individual companies, but in a stronger and more visible scale-up community for North Rhine-Westphalia. That matters because NRW already has a strong foundation: 658 new startups in 2024, a 33% increase, and companies such as DeepL, vivenu, NiCE Cognigy, Black Semiconductor, cylib and Greenlyte Carbon Technologies scaling from the region. What Scale-up.NRW adds is the connective layer: bringing together ambitious founders, experienced operators, investors, corporates and ecosystem partners across NRW’s polycentric startup and industry landscape. In the new phase, the programme will focus on three strategic pillars: ✅ Access to Capital ↳ curated access to international investors and alternative financing options ✅ Knowledge Transfer ↳ peer-to-peer formats with experienced scaling founders and experts ✅ Community ↳ stronger connections across NRW’s industrial, research and startup hubs The programme will continue to be delivered by Start2 Group and digihub - Digital Innovation Hub Düsseldorf/Rheinland GmbH. Marius Rosenberg, Programme Lead Scale-up.NRW, points to what often makes the biggest difference on the road to scaling: strong networks, honest peer exchange and access to people who have done it before. Nadine Thees, Managing Director of digihub - Digital Innovation Hub Düsseldorf/Rheinland GmbH, adds another key perspective: when scale-ups meet corporates, speed meets depth, and that is where lasting innovation can happen. Applications open in July, with the next cohort kicking off in September 2026. For ambitious startups from North Rhine-Westphalia ready to scale, now is the moment to get involved. ✍ Apply today: www.scale-up.nrw/programm .... Dr.Johannes Velling