Falling Walls Venture is a global platform to showcase the entrepreneurial potential in science. We provide an exclusive stage for selected pioneering start-ups who have successfully turned science into business, creating entrepreneurial solutions for today’s most pressing challenges.

Each year, innovative science-based start-ups from all over the world take part in the Falling Walls Venture competition and get the chance to become the “Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Science Start-Ups”.

The Falling Walls Venture Pitches constitute the first day of the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023, which will take place between 7-9 November 2023 in Berlin.

The Falling Walls Science Summit 2023 agenda includes: 

7 November: Falling Walls Pitches

A day of live pitches in the following categories: Emerging Talents (Falling Walls Lab) for the next generation of outstanding innovators. Science Start-Ups (Falling Walls Venture) for the science start-up community. Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) for inspiring science engagers.

8 November: Falling Walls Circle – Challenges and Foresight

Falling Walls Circle is a format to connect science and society. Researchers, policymakers, and business leaders, and society discuss the biggest challenges we face and the foresight that scientific breakthroughs can offer.

9 November: Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year

On the anniversary of the historic fall of the Berlin Wall, the grand finale provides a stage for outstanding research presented in inspiring presentations. For the 15th time, “the brightest minds on the planet“ (BBC) will showcase their work.

As a start-up, you get the chance to:

• Win a trip to Berlin and participate in the Falling Walls Science Summit from 7 to 9 November.
• Pitch your work to a distinguished jury, global leaders and a selected audience during the Falling Walls Venture Pitches on 7 November.
• Become the “Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023” in the category Science Start-Ups.
• Present your work in front of an audience of global leaders at the Falling Walls Breakthrough Day on 9 November.
• Expand your network with investors and business partners.
• Extend your global reach and be spotlighted across our online platforms.
• Get coached on pitching.

• Boost your spin-off and your institution’s entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Amplify the reach and visibility of your institution.
• Join our network of leaders from science, industry and politics, and meet entrepreneurs and innovators from across the world.
• Get the chance to join the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023 in person.

• Falling Walls Venture is open to start-ups that are based on scientific research.
• Falling Walls Venture is open to all scientific disciplines (e.g. biotech, data & AI, cleantech, new materials, engineering, healthcare, food & agriculture).
• Each start-up must be endorsed by a nominating institution. This can be a university,a research institution, or another type of organization, like an accelerator or incubator.
• The company must be founded (incorporated) by the time you apply and cannot be older than 5 years (i.e. founded on or after 1 January 2018).
• Start-ups should already have a prototype/proof of concept and primary funding.

1. NOMINATIONS. For nominating institutions: nominate one or more start-ups as the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 Science Start-Ups (Category: ‘Science Start-Ups’).

For start-ups: ask your university, research institution, or another organization, like an accelerator or incubator, to nominate your start-up as the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 Science Start-Ups (Category : ‘Science Start-Ups’).

2. APPLICATIONS. For start-ups only: after you have been nominated, you will receive further details on the necessary application materials. 

The application will consist of:

·       an application form you need to fill in (you can see a preview here)

·       your pitch deck (PDF)

·       your pitch video (check the guidelines here)

3. FINALISTS. All applications will be  reviewed and evaluated. Should you make it to the next round, you will qualify as a Falling Walls Finalist. Finalists will be announced in the middle of July 2023.

4. WINNERS. Our Advisory Board will screen the applications of all Finalists and select the 25 most promising start-ups, which will become Falling Walls Venture Winners. Divided into three Clusters according to their industry sector, they will be invited to the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, where they will pitch their work to a distinguished Jury and selected audience on 7 November. Winners will be announced in the middle of August.

5. FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR 2023 SCIENCE START-UPS. After the live pitches, the Jury will select one Cluster Winner for each Cluster and, among them, one “Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 Science Start-Ups”.  The selected start-up will present again on the big stage of the Falling Walls Breakthrough Day on 9 November, alongside other “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023” laureates.

The evaluation criteria are:

• Level of innovation
• Scope of impact
• Commercial potential
• Business planning and presentation skills

Start-ups and start-up representatives who have already participated in the Falling Walls Venture Pitches in Berlin are not eligible to participate again.

Please contact the Falling Walls Venture team in Berlin at venture@falling-walls.com.