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hessian.AI · AI Startup Rising
Accelerator RISING — Application
From AI Startup to AI Scale-up: Accelerator RISING is hessian.AI's four-month program for advanced AI startups from Germany that build their own AI models — focused on sales scaling and internationalization, with the cohort trip to Slush in Helsinki as its centrepiece. Apply now!
You may complete this form in English or German.Duration
4 months
Oct 2026 – Jan 2027
Cohort
5 AI startups
scale-up phase, based in Germany
Prize
10,000 €
per team — plus the cohort trip to Slush, Helsinki (18–19 Nov)
Deadline
13 Sep 2026
23:59 (CEST)
what the program offers
10,000 € prize money per team — free use (travel, equipment, …).
Cohort trip to Slush, Helsinki (18–19 Nov) — with a preparation workshop and structured follow-up.
Optional participation in further European top events (e.g. DLD Munich, TechChill Riga) — funded from the prize money.
Two exclusive workshops on sales and investment for AI scale-ups.
Coaches, mentors, investors and corporates from the hessian.AI network.
Community formats with the Ignition & LAISF teams, AI compute infrastructure in Darmstadt, and PR support.
Tip: we recommend applying startups also register for the Slush 100 competition (for startups founded 2023 or later, under €10M raised, Seed stage or earlier) — application deadline 7 September 2026, independent of this application. Note Slush's condition: you can submit without a ticket, but to be selected for the Top 100 you need a Startup Pass purchased by 7 September, and your company profile on the Slush Platform is verified manually first (allow two business days). Our accelerator decisions only follow on 22 September, so a Slush 100 entry is a step you take independently of us. Teams accepted into the program receive a free Slush ticket from us; if you already hold a Startup Pass by then, we'll settle that with you instead.
key dates
Info session / Q&A for applicants (online, free, 45 min)Register on Eventbrite ↗
9 Sep 2026, 13:00 (CEST)
Application deadline
13 Sep 2026, 23:59 (CEST)
Internal selection
14–16 Sep 2026
Invitation to the pitch session (or rejection)
by 16 Sep 2026
Pitch session before the jury (online, 10 teams)— invited teams receive the details with the invitation; pitch decks are due 17 Sep
21 Sep 2026, 14:30–16:30 (CEST)
Final decision — 5 teams
by 22 Sep 2026
Kick-off (online)
1 Oct 2026
Coach kick-off sessions: investment & sales (online)
1–13 Oct 2026
Community day Frankfurt with the Ignition & LAISF cohorts: programme plenum, founder-coaching session, networking lunch, investment session “Positioning & Pitch”, evening networking
13 Oct 2026, from 10:00
Sales workshop (cohort session, online)provisional— date announced soon
October 2026
1:1 investor-readiness deep dives per team (Slush preparation)
late Oct – early Nov 2026
Slush preparation workshop (all ticket teams)provisional
early/mid Nov 2026
Slush, Helsinki (cohort trip)— plan for the full “Slush Week” — side events start 17 Nov
18–19 Nov 2026
Slush debrief: term sheets, data room, investor follow-up (optional session)
early Dec 2026
Check-out (online)
end of Jan 2027
what you'll provide
Startup & contact details — name, website, the basics.
Your team — 1 to 4 people with their roles.
Your pitch — 3 short written sections.
Two short declarations — eligibility & privacy.
Before you send: submitting is final — afterwards you can't edit, re-open, or view your application (there's no account to log back into). While you fill it in, your progress is saved as a draft in this browser, so take your time and review everything before you submit.
Questions about the program or your fit? Talk to the AISR team before applying — aisr@hessian.ai.
Applications are closed
The deadline was 13 September 2026, 23:59 (CEST). We can no longer accept new applications for this round.
If you submitted before the deadline but never clicked the confirmation link in your e-mail, that link still works — please confirm, otherwise your application does not count. Questions: aisr@hessian.ai.