Guides
Cross-industry corporate accelerators in Germany: APX, DB mindbox, hubraum, Wayra, Plug and Play Stuttgart
Five corporate-backed accelerators that take startups across multiple sectors, in exchange for pilot access, equity, or media-for-equity.
Key takeaways
APX - the Springer + Porsche pre-seed
Berlin-based, €50,000 for ~5% equity. 3-month programme + warm intros to APX's downstream investor network. Multi-sector. Cleanest pure-equity deal in this group - no media barter, no commercial pilot obligation.
DB mindbox - Deutsche Bahn pilots
100-day intensive in Berlin. Equity-free; €25k cash per call. The real value is the chance to pilot inside Deutsche Bahn's operations - mobility, maintenance AI, ticketing, sustainability. Best fit for startups whose customer is DB-sized infrastructure operators.
hubraum - Deutsche Telekom infrastructure
Berlin HQ + Kraków satellite. Specialises in 5G, IoT, AI. Equity-free programmes + selective seed investments. The unique offer is access to Telekom's network infrastructure (5G testbed, real antennas) for pilot deployments - essentially impossible to get elsewhere.
Wayra Germany - Telefónica corporate accelerator
Munich-based. 4-month programme: one month pre-acceleration, three months venture development with Telefónica/O2 business units. Equity-based terms negotiated per deal. Target: startups with launched products and early revenue in 5G, IoT, AI, Cybersecurity, Fintech.
Plug and Play Stuttgart - automotive + manufacturing
Stuttgart hub of the global Plug and Play network. Equity-free programme; the value is the Stuttgart automotive ecosystem (Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, ZF) and the global Silicon Valley network. Best fit for post-product-market-fit mobility, manufacturing, insurtech, and sustainability startups.
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