4/28/2026
ONE DAY FOR AN ENTIRE SPRIND UNIVERSE
A look into Europe's DeepTech future: VENTURE SPRIND 2026 took place on April 14 at the Futurium in Berlin
Not only is the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation SPRIND growing rapidly, its largest event is also following suit: 700 visitors, including 225 start-ups, 274 investors and more than 130 other people from the network, accepted the invitation to the Futurium in Berlin on April 14.
In addition to keynote speeches by Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, Peter Leibinger, President of the Federation of German Industries, Martin Blessing, Special Envoy for Investment, and SPRIND Director Rafael Laguna, the exhibitors, i.e. teams supported by SPRIND, had the opportunity to meet investors and other teams. Several founders also discussed their projects with Minister Dorothee Bär during her tour.
VENTURE SPRIND UNIVERSE
Following the successful events of previous years, SPRIND launched the VENTURE SPRIND UNIVERSE
as its flagship event format for the first time this year,
with seven thematic planets
forming the backbone of the program.
MATERIA – Next-Gen Materials ALGORA – Artificial Intelligence COMPUTA – Compute Infrastructure STELLA – Aerospace & Resilience ENERGIA – Future Energy VITALA – Advanced Medicine FACTURA – Industrial Innovation
Innovators, investors and networkers came together on each planet to discuss specific challenges, goals and opportunities.
In addition, interactive sessions served as the core of the program – not in the form of classic pitches, but in a 45-minute dialog-oriented format. This often led to in-depth discussions on specific technologies and markets. The focus was on genuine unique selling points (USPs), market dynamics and current challenges. The active involvement of investors led to a structured and intensive exchange of knowledge from which all sides benefited.
Voices on the event
If VENTURE SPRIND didn’t already exist, we’d have to invent it. Because it’s absolutely wonderful to have so many people passionate about the future gathered here in one place. Well over 100 teams have come together here—this is where innovation happens, this is where the future takes shape. And above all, we’re looking forward to the future, which is why the BMFTR is very happy to support this initiative.
DOROTHEE BÄR, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE
VENTURE SPRIND is fast emerging as one of Germany’s key deep tech gatherings, with roundtables that are truly opening minds and driving collaboration to scale sovereign breakthrough technologies.
MAXI PETHÖ-SCHRAMM, HV CAPITAL
What sets VENTURE SPRIND apart is the focus on radicality over incrementalism. As early-stage investors, we enjoy being part of an ecosystem that prioritizes fundamental technological shifts to unlock substantial commercial opportunities. The quality of founders I met in Berlin made it clear that the pipeline for transformative Deep Tech in Europe is stronger than ever.
TORBEN SCHREITER PARTNER, EXTANTIA
VENTURE SPRIND is a huge highlight for us. It’s our second time here, and we always come back with a lot of connections. We have met some investors who are interested in us, and we have also gotten some valuable feedback from peers and other participants at the event. It’s always great to be here.
MAIKE KAUFMANN, POLYBOT
We were able to present our technology in a 45 minute session, which was pretty interesting, because we were able to dive really deep in the technology and explain what our solution is. It’s great for us because this allowed us to get in touch with several investors and talk about the real challenges that we are solving with our technology which is typically not possible when we do just a ten minute pitch.
ALEXANDER ACKER, EXALSIUS
We had a huge experience here. It was great to network especially with investors but also finding corporation partners. So it was very important for us to participate here and present ourselves. We also had the opportunity to meet the ministry.
IRENE SELVANATHAN, NEUROSPACE
Amazing time at SPRIND – brilliant community of engineers and builders working on the frontier.
GAL TREGER, AUDACITY VC
VENTURE SPRIND continues to establish itself
All teams participating in VENTURE SPRIND 2026 are featured in the official event booklet, presenting their project, motivation, and current status.
Thanks to the high number of participants and the innovative new formats, VENTURE SPRIND was once again able to position itself as a platform for substantial exchange in the deep tech sector. The stronger focus on collaboration and depth of content instead of classic start-up pitches was well received. The feedback from the event will then immediately flow into the next event – because SPRIND will once again bring potential breakthrough innovations together with suitable investors in 2027.
