Enhance your selection chances by coming up with:

an idea that

is highly technically or technologically innovative
responds to a clear customer need
is backed by the outline of a business model
has at least one clear and strong differentiator
is ready to compete in a defined and sufficiently large market

a core team that

is committed and willing to bear the entrepreneurial risk
is capable of pushing technological boundaries
embraces external coaching
is ready to go global
can show a finished proof-of-concept of the technology, including a sketch of the required actions regarding freedom to operate (FPO) and intellectual property rights (IPR)
envisions the possibility of a break-even within two to three years
aims at a sales figure of at least 1 million euro within three years and 10 million euro in the long term

Those last two points address the financial viability of your startup. So, you might think that they’re more important than the others. Actually, the opposite is true. If two proposals are equally strong, imec.istart will choose the one that excels in technological innovation and business orientation.

Furthermore, projects with a high societal impact are always eligible, even if they don’t score particularly high on the last two financial criteria.

FAQ imec.istart Belgium

FAQ imec.istart The Netherlands

FAQ imec.istart Italy

On demand webinar

How can the imec.istart program grow your tech startup?

Want to apply?