Gateway Factory

Rhineland startups to the moon! 🚀 –—— 🌕 What if the next deep-tech breakthrough wasn’t happening in Silicon Valley but right here in the Rhineland? At Gateway Factory, we believe that innovation knows no borders, but it does need the right ecosystem. That’s why we build a launchpad for #deeptech startups tackling the world’s most pressing challenges in personal #health, #sustainable #infrastructure & #mobility, future #computing & #engineering, and future #regulatory demands. We‘ll offer: 🌕 Access to cutting-edge production technologies 🌕 Mentorship from industry experts 🌕 Funding & pilot projects 🌕 International market connections We’re not just another innovation hub, we’re a gateway to global impact. Together with top universities like RWTH Aachen University, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universität zu Köln, TH Köln, Rheinische Hochschule Köln and Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln our partners at Start2 Group, we’re turning bold ideas into scalable, world-changing businesses. Ready to take off?  Join us on a mission to turn startups into shooting stars! 🚀💡

What a night, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲! 🪐 The Virtual Pitch Night was not just our first big event after the official Gateway Factory kick-off, it marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for deep tech innovation in Europe. And honestly: each and every one of you made it unforgettable. A huge 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to: 👩🏼🚀 our brilliant jury Georg, Miriam, Viktoria and Birte for your sharp questions, inspiring feedback, and contagious energy! 🎤 our speakers Emily and Tim for who kept us entertained and inspired by telling us more about deep tech, Deep Tech Momentum and Gateway Factory 🎧our wonderful moderator Marina for not only giving her heart to make this event happen, but also for guiding us through space with passion and a lot of humor 🚀 all ten startups who pitched and showed us that the future is being built right now: Neutron Star Systems Ningaloo Biosystems GmbH The Oater alteva Cellbricks Therapeutics Medabsy BÆTA Carbon Solutions RayVen Co-reactive and ORiS - Orbital Recharge in Space! ✨ every single guest, supporter, and friend who tuned in and cheered from mission control Plus a very special thanks to our emergency team Franziska and Andreas, who jumped in at the last moment to save the mission, close critical gaps, and make sure everything was ready for lift-off despite unexpected challenges! 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸… 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭! 🥁 Special congratulations to our winning team Cellbricks Therapeutics 🏆🎫!  You truly earned the Golden Ticket! Your pitch was truly out of this world! We wish you an incredible time at Deep Tech Momentum. May it be full of new alliances, bright opportunities, and cosmic success. And that’s not all. Not only they are the jury winner, but also celebrated by our audience: The Community Prize also goes to Alexander Leutner and Cellbricks Therapeutics 🤝 for truly capturing the hearts (and votes!) of our viewers! We’re honest, when we say: this night meant a lot to us, and it’s only the beginning. Let's keep building, dreaming, and reaching for the stars. Together. 🚀

👩🏼🚀 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚:  We proudly present the top 10 startups boarding for the Virtual Pitch Night! These visionary teams are not just aiming for the stars, they’re building rockets. Say "hi" to: Neutron Star Systems Ningaloo Biosystems GmbH The Oater alteva Cellbricks Therapeutics Medabsy BÆTA Carbon Solutions RayVen Co-reactive and ORiS - Orbital Recharge in Space! Curious what innovations are fueling their liftoff? Join our Ground Control Marina Plietsch and our Jury-Crew Miriam Mertens, Birte Kattelmann-Jagdt, Viktoria Delius-Trillsch and Georg Reifferscheid on April 28 and find out yourself while witnessing the next generation of deep tech rockets pitch their way to the moon! 🎟️ Secure your boarding pass now: https://lnkd.in/eESix83e 𝘗𝘴𝘴𝘴𝘴𝘵... You can also look forward to exclusive insights by Emily Eisenblätter about the Deep Tech Momentum and inspiring input by Tim Hiddemann on the future of Deep Tech.

Exciting news from RWTH Aachen University! The Materials Lab Incubator just launched their first Spark Fund application phase for groundbreaking sustainable materials innovations. Are you a PhD student, postdoc, or researcher with a 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀? Then you should take a look at the new Spark Fund. The 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 offers: ✨ Up to €100k funding for an 8-month development phase ✨ Access to fully equipped S1 laboratories ✨ Tailored mentoring program The three focus areas include: 1. From sustainable raw materials to high-value materials and active ingredients 2. Platform technologies for sustainable material innovations and/or scalable, biocompatible production technologies 3. Sustainable materials and coatings for the biological transformation of industries ⭐️ The best part? You'll be connected with life science investors from day one, setting you up for long-term success! Ready to turn your research into impact? Find more information via The Materials Lab Incubator or the Institute of Biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University.

Virtual Pitch Night and Chill? 😏 Swap your Monday night drama series for something with real plot twists, like bold ideas, a pitch battle and one startup launching to t̶h̶e̶ m̶o̶o̶n̶ Deep Tech Momentum with our golden ticket. 🚀 The best part: it’s also 100% introvert approved! 📷 No camera needed 🔇 Mute-friendly All in all: pure inspiration in space environment 📅 April 28 | 🕡 6:30 PM | 🖥️ Online Join us as deep tech founders pitch their big ideas and battle for the golden ticket to Deep Tech Momentum. Save your seat to binge-watch 10 brilliant pitches with our stellar jury Birte Kattelmann-Jagdt, Miriam Mertens, Viktoria Delius-Trillsch and Georg Reifferscheid... ...𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯 🍿! ↓ Get your free ticket here: https://lnkd.in/eESix83e

🤝 Visibility for a Growing DeepTech Ecosystem We were honored to be invited by the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW (MWIKE) to present the mission and vision of the Gateway Factory. This invitation marks an important moment of visibility. Not just for our Managing Directors Tim Hiddemann and Tanja Zirnstein, but for the thriving DeepTech ecosystem growing in the Rhineland and beyond! In our exchange with representatives of the Ministry Johannes Velling and Josef Steffens, we shared how the Gateway Factory will support groundbreaking startups in health, sustainable infrastructure, computing, and regulatory tech and how we’re creating bridges between top-tier research, industry, and scalable business models. A special focus was placed on our European ambition: together with our partners from RWTH Aachen University, the Universität zu Köln, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, and the Start2 Group, we are building a launchpad for deep-tech founders with global potential. We were pleased to be joined by Marius Rosenberg, Christian Schwens, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Riesener, Prof. Kai Thürbach and Heinz Möllenkamp. Their presence underlined the strong foundation of academic excellence that powers our mission. ✨ It was a moment that confirmed: 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. That‘s why we’re proud to be part of the movement that is turning the Rhineland into a key driver of European innovation. We truely believe in this more than ever: 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲. ‼️

Missed the moon landing in 1969?  Don’t worry: Here’s your second chance! 🌕 Only 1 week to go until our Virtual Pitch Night takes off! Secure your boarding pass now and join us for a stellar journey as Europe’s most promising deep tech startups pitch their way to the moon. ✨ Expect bold visions, brilliant minds, and groundbreaking innovation. Whether you're a founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this is your mission control moment on April 28, 6:30 PM. Save your seat now and be part of the liftoff: https://lnkd.in/gD7f-2k6 We really can’t wait to see the pitches and our stellar jury in action: Viktoria Delius-Trillsch, Georg Reifferscheid, Birte Kattelmann-Jagdt and Miriam Mertens – what a crew! 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯… soon we’ll reveal which bold startups are ready for liftoff. Stay tuned – the mission is just getting started! 👩🏼🚀

👩🏼🚀–––✉️ One small step for your inbox,  one giant leap into the deep tech universe. If you’ve been wondering how to stay up to date on Europe’s rising deep tech stars, access insider views from the Gateway Factory cosmos, and be the first to hear about upcoming launches (aka: events, partnerships, and programs😎), your wait is finally over. We’re excited to share something new from the Gateway Factory crew: our very own newsletter, our mission log! 📩 What to expect? • Stories from founders building bold things • Invitations to pitch events, networking nights & community happenings • Sneak peeks behind the scenes of what we’re working on • Updates from our partners and the broader ecosystem …and yes, a little cosmic flair along the way…✨ We’re building something 𝗯𝗶𝗴. And if you’re into deep tech, startup energy, and believe in Europe’s innovation power, this is your chance to join our journey. 🤝 Know someone who should be part of the deep tech galaxy too? Feel free to share the link or the QR code with your team, your community, or that one friend who always talks about launching the next big thing. Let’s grow this ecosystem together. ____ Tim Hiddemann, Tanja Zirnstein, Leon Schneider, Max Rahmsdorf, Julius Freytag, Tanja Bettermann, Leonie Kern, Leah S., RWTH Innovation, Gateway Exzellenz Start-up Center der Universität zu Köln , Gateway TH Köln, Gateway Gründungsservice Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, CEDUS - Center for Entrepreneurship Düsseldorf

Letzte Plätze vor Ostern! Am 29.04.2025 laden wir Unternehmensjurist:innen zu unserem Event "The Legal Tech Experience" ins Soho House Berlin ein – ein exklusives Dinner-Event und spannende Panel-Diskussion mit Stefanie Thuiner, Simone Hamberger, LL.M., Dominic Krohne, Robert Kilian und Flavio Trillo rund um die Zukunft der Legal Tech Branche. Netzwerken, diskutieren, genießen – in besonderer Atmosphäre. Wir haben noch wenige Plätze verfügbar - schreibt mir bei Interesse gerne eine kurze Nachricht. KI Bundesverband Gateway Factory neo:law orka

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. 🌌 📻 Back when she was my age, my grandma was intercepting and translating German radio transmissions. 🪂 My grandpa, meanwhile, was testing experimental aircraft for the Soviet Air Force—catapulted out of new planes as a parachutist. Today, I’m grateful we run simulations before launching anything into the sky. 😅 Now, in 2025, I find myself in ground control—not to fly the mission, but to moderate the Gateway Factory 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 on April 28—our first event since the kickoff. We received nearly 50 incredible applications from deep tech startups across Europe—and yes, our space-themed campaign even attracted real space tech 🚀. Together with our 🧑🚀 astronaut crew—Viktoria Delius-Trillsch, Birte Kattelmann-Jagdt, Miriam Mertens, and Georg Reifferscheid—we’ll be guiding the startups through a serious mission to choose the winner🥇. The prize? A golden ticket to pitch in front of 300+ investors at Deep Tech Momentum 🎟️. Huge thanks to Martin Schilling, Luisa Marchiori, Emily Eisenblätter, Julian J. Martin and the whole team for keeping this rocket fueled! 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. --> [𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀] To the stars ✨, to deep tech 🛰️—and to serious momentum. Big Shoutout to Leah S. for creating this fantastic campaign - basically building our space ship, as well as Tanja Zirnstein, Tim Hiddemann, Marius Rosenberg, Marc Kley, Marita Mehlstäubl, Frederik Lindner, Malte Brettel, Andrea Greven, Michael Riesener, Christian Schwens, Christina Mertsch, Yany Muhammad-Knittel, Marijan Kojic, Ingo Stefes, Steffi Haag, Björn Schmitt and many many more for the great support and facilitation!