The Slovenia Times

Ljubljana uni incubator joins DeepTech Alliance

Science & Technology

Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI) has joined DeepTech Alliance (DTA), which matches the best European deep tech startups with companies and investors to provide them with capital and market opportunities outside of their home countries.

LUI is the first such organisation from the broader region to join DTA. It is the ninth member of what is a collaboration of deep tech startup incubators associated with Europe's leading technical universities.

Its goal is to improve the performance of the most technologically advanced and globally ambitious startups by providing them with comprehensive support, LUI director Jakob Gajšek told reporters on 21 February.

DTA members actively develop their ecosystems and identify the best startups to link them up with partner corporates and investors.

"LUI's joining DeepTech Alliance is a huge acknowledgement of our work and of the development of the whole ecosystem at the University of Ljubljana and Slovenia," Gajšek said.

"It's also an excellent opportunity for deep tech startups in Slovenia and nearby countries to make it to the top league, where they belong," he added. Through membership of the forum LUI will give Slovenian deep tech startups access to leading European corporations.

Deep tech companies exploit advanced technologies such as AI, autonomous systems, robotics, biotechnology, medical devices and clean technology.

The University of Ljubljana and LUI have been giving out awards for best innovations for 12 years in a bid to encourage students and researchers to commercially exploit their innovations.

The Rector Award has prompted the creation of several companies which continue to do their business successfully to this day, Rector Gregor Majdič said.

As an additional encouragement the university and the LUI launched an innovation fund in 2020 to support university research teams to raise their technology readiness levels.

According to its website, LUI alumni include some of the best-known companies in the country such as Zemanta, RedOrbit, Beeping, Doctrina, Influee, Juicy Marbles, Mesi, Visionect.

Its startups employ hundreds of people and have raised over US$50 million in venture capital.

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