Innovation needs financing to exist. Yet 80% of start-ups fail, and only one idea in 58 becomes a commercial success. This observation lies at the heart of Axis 4 of the KTUR² “Financing” project, which aims to structure a trinational financing ecosystem linking capital and innovation in the Upper Rhine.
In this cross-border region, innovation potential is high, but investment opportunities are unevenly distributed. On the one hand, strong ideas struggle to find financing. On the other, capital exists, but without access to viable projects. KTUR²’s ambition is therefore clear: to connect the right players across the three countries and bridge the financing gap to accelerate technology transfer and bring innovations to market.
As Dennis Steininger put it at the KTUR launch conference,
The working group is deploying several flagship actions:
- Mapping of financing instruments (public and private) in the region;
- Organization of roundtables between investors, public institutions and innovation players;
- Creation of a trinational “speed dating” event, enabling targeted meetings between start-ups and financiers;
- Development of a roadmap towards a trinational innovation fund, inspired by European models such as those of the Bodensee and Meuse-Rhine regions.
The first editions of the KTUR Investor Speed-Dating, on June 25 in Kaiserslautern and November 4 in Landau, will enable project promoters to meet public and private investors directly, in a spirit of concrete impact and cross-border cooperation.
By building a coordinated financing network, KTUR² aims to reduce risks, strengthen cooperation and sustainably support the growth of start-ups in the Upper Rhine region.
