Rockstart news

24 MAY, 2019

Rockstart offers equity back guarantee following publication of impressive program ratings

Europe's premier startup accelerator Rockstart has delivered high-quality programs for several years offering unparalleled access to capital, market, community, and expertise to the program participants. For complete transparency for the founders that want to consider Rockstart and to facilitate their decision making to apply to our programs in the future, we are proud to share the ratings of the programs executed so far. Between 2017 and 2019, Rockstart has launched and run 10 accelerator pr...

Read release

April 2019

15 Apr

Rockstart is closing in on a €15m fund to invest in AgriFood startups

Rockstart is almost ready to close its first fund of €15 million for its AgriFood domain accelerator and fund. Staying true to its commitment to support and empower startups and provide unparalleled access to capital, Rockstart AgriFood now offers (follow-on) investments in participating startups up until Series B.

Rockstart nadert sluiting van een €15m fonds voor investering in AgriFood startups

Rockstart staat op het punt een eerste fonds van €15 miljoen af te sluiten voor zijn AgriFood accelerator. Rockstart AgriFood blijft hiermee trouw aan zijn doelstelling om startups te ondersteunen en ze ongekende toegang te verlenen tot kapitaal en nu ook tot vervolginvesteringen voor deelnemende startups tot en met Series B.

Europas førende startup-accelerator åbner program i Danmark med fokus på agri- og foodtech

Med en fond på op mod 15 mio. Euro i ryggen åbner Europas førende startup-accelerator, Rockstart, nu et helt nyt accelerator-program med fokus agri- og foodtech startups – såkaldt AgriFood. Programmet er åbent for startups fra hele verden, men får base i Danmark. Kapitalen kommer fra bl.a. fra cornerstone investorerne Vækstfonden og hollandske De Hoge Dennen Capital. Rockstart AgriFood tilfører viden og netværk samt kapital helt frem til serie B.

March 2019

21 Mar

Rockstart leads the way with a new accelerator model with follow-on capital

Rockstart, one of Europe’s first accelerators, has upgraded its model to offer longer-term support for startups. Starting later this year, the company will add investments up until Series B to its initial offer of seed-stage funding and acceleration programs. By 2020, the new model will be implemented across all four of Rockstart’s core domains: AgriFood, Energy, Health, and Emerging Tech.

November 2018

29 Nov

Meet the second batch of startups from Europe's first AI accelerator

Rockstart has selected the startups for its 2nd AI accelerator program located in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. Talented women and men from eight different countries will spend the next 180 days building and refining their products, talking to mentors, and connecting to potential investors and customers. The first AI program is already showing how successful it was, with three alumni raising a total of €1.2 million within the first 6 months after the program ended and a vast range of technology...

26 Nov

Smart Energy Demo Day 2018: the Next Level

In a packed house, Rockstart presented its latest accelerator batch of nine startups in smart energy. Halfway through the accelerator program, these startups have demonstrated to be more mature, scalable, and investible than previous ventures. This batch of startups are engaging faster with industry players, growing their revenues quickly, and raising more interest from investors. The nine startups took the stage to present their business and investment requirements to investors, mentors, an...

May 2018

09 May

Rockstart announces startups in Web & Mobile 2018 program

Rockstart has announced a new batch of ten startups in this year's Web & Mobile program in Amsterdam. Coming from eight different countries, the teams are working on products ranging from a new way of publishing books to corporate ride-sharing to communications systems for websites.

April 2018

17 Apr

Rockstart looks for startups to tackle global food loss in partnership with A.P. Moller - Maersk

FoodTrack by Maersk is a new partnership between Rockstart, one of Europe’s first multi-vertical startup accelerators, and A.P. Moller - Maersk, a global end-to-end operator in the food value chain. The programme aims to cease global food loss.

04 Apr

Rockstart, YES!Delft, and InnoEnergy join forces to launch EnergyXL

In what could be the strongest joint acceleration proposition in Europe, EnergyXL unites Rockstart, YES!Delft, and InnoEnergy to make a difference. We’re working together on preparing sustainable solution-oriented startups to take on climate change and advance the energy transition.

March 2018

16 Mar

Rockstart holds the Demo Day of Europe's first AI accelerator

Rockstart has held the Demo Day of Europe's first AI acceleration program that will come to an end with the AI Summit on May 23. The startups took the stage to show off their progress and fundraising roadmap to an audience of investors, mentors, and other members of the Rockstart AI ecosystem.

Rockstart heeft Demo Day van de eerste AI-accelerator van Europa

Rockstart heeft de Demo Day gehouden van Europa's eerste Artificial Intelligence accelerator programma, dat op 23 mei eindigt met de AI Summit. De startups betraden het podium om hun voortgang en roadmap voor funding te laten zien aan een publiek van investeerders, mentoren en andere leden van het Rockstart AI ecosysteem.

February 2018

21 Feb

Innovatie door empowerment: Maak kennis met de startups van Rockstart Digital Health 2018

Vijfentwintig getalenteerde mannen en vrouwen brengen het grootste deel van de komende zes maanden door in de Health Valley, waar ze werken aan hun producten die gericht zijn op het verbeteren van alle aspecten van de gezondheidszorg. Van een nieuwe generatie rollators tot vroege diagnoses van oogziekten, de teams komen in verschillende stadia van bedrijfs volwassenheid en weerspiegelen enkele van de belangrijkste trends in gezondheidsinnovatie.

Innovation through empowerment: Meet the Digital Health 2018 startups

Twenty-five talented men and women will spend most of the next six months in the Health Valley, working on their products that are aimed at improving all aspects of healthcare. From the new generation of walkers to early diagnoses of eye diseases, the teams come in different stages of business maturity and reflect some of the most important trends in health innovation.

January 2018

18 Jan

Rockstart Digital Health partners with Briskr, IKONE, and In4Care to spark the Health Valley ecosystem

Startups joining Rockstart’s Digital Health program will get Briskr’s business support in Health Valley and direct access to IKONE’s patient experts. In4Care will organize a matchmaking event for 400 health organizations in Belgium and Rockstart’s Digital Health alumni.

November 2017

28 Nov

Rockstart maakt startups van Europa’s eerste Artificial Intelligence accelerator bekend

Teams vanuit Singapore, India, de VS, Zuid-Afrika en Italië zijn naar Nederland gekomen om te werken aan hun projecten.

08 Nov

Meet the inaugural batch of startups in Europe's first AI accelerator

The startups selected for the AI accelerator will receive €20,000 cash and €80,000 of in-kind funding, office space in Den Bosch for the duration of the program, support from mentors from relevant industries, as well as more than 50 perks and deals worth some €600,000.

August 2017

02 Aug

Launchtrack AI, een pre-accelerator programma voor technische ondernemers, opent in Amsterdam

Het aandelen-vrije programma draait tussen 29 augustus en 28 september 2017 in Amsterdam. Het streven is om startende ondernemers te bij te staan bij het valideren van zakelijke kansen voor hun technologieën, en om de beste begeleiding te geven om ervoor te zorgen dat hun producten daadwerkelijke problemen oplossen en levensvatbare bedrijven worden.

Launchtrack AI, a pre-acceleration program for technical founders, opens in Amsterdam

Rockstart's new pre-acceleration program is dedicated to supporting talented individuals with deep technical knowledge. The equity-free program will run from August 29 to September 28, 2017. It aims to empower first-time founders, guide them through validating business opportunities for their technologies and give the best guidance to ensure that their products solve real-world problems and become viable businesses. The founders and teams participating in Launchtrack AI will have a chance to ...

July 2017

19 Jul

Rockstart teams up with NVIDIA, Atlassian, Volksbank, and others for Europe’s first AI accelerator

NVIDIA, the leader in GPU-powered deep learning, has offered Rockstart startups professional guidance at every step of their journey. Atlassian has committed to sharing its knowledge around engineering best practices and providing startups with any guidance that they require.

June 2017

07 Jun

Rockstart opens applications for Europe’s first AI accelerator with a guaranteed €200,000 investment for one alum

AI startups working in any industry have until mid-July to apply for Rockstart AI acceleration program that will start in October 2017. The ten best startups chosen for the program will get access to the market, capital, community, and expertise through Rockstart's extensive network of investors, mentors, partners, and alumni.

May 2017

17 May

Rockstart Colombia lanza su primer programa de Web & Mobile accelerator

Rockstart Colombia aceptará solicitudes hasta el 2 de julio de 2017 y el programa comenzará en octubre de 2017 en Bogotá. Invitamos a las startups de todas las regiones a aplicar a este programa que busca brindar ayuda en su plan de negocios para prepararse para el escalamiento internacional, brindando a las seleccionadas la mentoría, espacio de trabajo, y conectarlos con nuestras redes a nivel global.

Rockstart Colombia launches its first Web & Mobile accelerator program

Rockstart Colombia will be accepting applications until July 2nd, 2017 and the program begins in October 2017 in Bogotá. Founders from all over the world are invited to apply to this program that helps startups fine-tune their businesses and prepare for international scaling through mentoring, workspace and access to capital.

April 2017

19 Apr

Rockstart Presents 2017 Batch of Smart Energy Startups

From Australia to Nigeria, the fresh Smart Energy startups in Rockstart's program are working on building a digital, decentralized, and decarbonized energy system.

13 Apr

Microsoft, Shell, Gasunie, and Volksbank team up with Rockstart to expand the Smart Energy ecosystem

The investor ranks of Engie, ČEZ group, DOEN Participaties BV, and informal investors have now been joined by Shell Technology Ventures. Gasunie, de Volksbank, and Microsoft are providing sponsorship and numerous in-kind and engagement investments to support the Smart Energy accelerator.

ABOUT ROCKSTART

Launched in 2011, Rockstart has accelerated over 150 startups across four core domains that have raised a total of over €87 million and generated more than 700 jobs. Passionate about driving positive change with teams from all over the world, Rockstart plans to support and invest in more than 200 startups in its core domains over the next five years, providing follow-on capital and unparalleled access to the market along the way. To do that, the accelerator partners with large players in respective industries to connect startups to their first customers and foster collaborative innovation.