NBT Elevates Incubation with Visionaries

• The next batch of NBT's Visionaries incubation program is to start in September 2023
• The application deadline is August 20th
• The target group is potential founders who want to shape a sustainable future with technological innovations 

Berlin, August 10, 2023 – Next Big Thing AG (NBT), a Berlin-based venture studio for the Machine Economy, has been successfully co-founding ventures since 2017. In September, the next batch for the newly established Visionaries incubation program starts, for which six ambitious impact founders will be selected.

Visionaries is NBT’s venture-building program. The goal is to find impact founders who want to create tech startups focused on IoT, AI & sensor technologies for a sustainable and livable future. “With Visionaries, we want to create a long-term ecosystem for impact-oriented and emerging founders who want to change and make the world more sustainable with technology,” says Dr. Corinna Sinzig, Director of Venture Development at NBT.

The program includes two opportunities for potential founders: the four-week Impact Challenge (preliminary to idea generation and refinement) and the 100-day Visionaries Program (from idea to Minimum Viable Product). The program is looking for industry experts and serial entrepreneurs who have the right ideas and the motivation to change the world with technology. NBT acts as a technical co-founder, helping to develop the idea into a concept. In addition, the next step is to provide founders with technological know-how as well as resources to accelerate concept validation.

The Impact Challenge takes place before each batch as a part-time program - it can be run separately from the complete Visionaries program, but still opens up the opportunity to qualify for the 100-day program. This unique offering allows those interested in starting a business to explore their own entrepreneurial potential completely free of charge, without giving up their current commitments. "Current participants include employees from well-known consulting agencies as well as from Germany's hidden champions. This composition makes it clear that there are numerous budding founders and valuable ideas within companies. However, they often lack the opportunity to develop their full potential in this environment," says Dr. Corinna Sinzig. The current Impact Challenge has 20 participants who will present their ideas in mid-August. For the next round, Impact Challenge prospects can apply again starting in January 2024. 

The 100-day Visionaries Program, which potential founders can also apply for independently of the Impact Challenge, goes one step further: it is the starting point for prototyping and validating tech venture ideas - with the goal of subsequently building a company together. Unlike the Impact Challenge, founders must participate full-time in the program. They can reach up to 700,000 euros in cash and in-kind contributions. Furthermore, Visionaries supports with 30 experts in various areas from hardware to AI to navigate the tech environment even without deep technological knowledge. This starts with selecting the right tech stack through the Minimum Viable Product to building a scalable product infrastructure that can grow with the newly founded company. This approach increases the chances of a successful spin-off by 30%.

Unlike conventional founder and incubation programs, Visionaries relies on its own core team of technology and venture developers. In addition, the company is involved as a co-founder in all growth phases of the portfolio company. NBT not only brings technical expertise but also implementation competence: the team has extensive experience in industrial sectors, investments, and entrepreneurship - and immerses themselves in potential founding ideas. In addition, aspiring founders benefit from an existing network, low-risk founding, and a fixed salary. 

Potential founders who are interested in joining the Visionaries Program can apply here until August 20th. 

Visionaries is the venture-building platform of Next Big Thing AG for impact innovations. Driven by the vision of developing technological solutions that make the world more livable, Visionaries offers formats for aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs as well as experts with the common goal of creating a strong and sustainable ecosystem for those who want to shape a sustainable future.

Founded in 2017 in Berlin, Next Big Thing (NBT) is a venture studio for the Machine Economy that co-founds deep-tech ventures with aspiring founders to deliver real-world impact. With its comprehensive portfolio of startups in IoT, AI, and DLT, NBT provides long-term support for B2B companies, including the full range of development toolkits, innovation strategies, mentoring for entrepreneurs and startups, as well as technical expertise and smart financing to future-proof Germany's position as an innovation location in Europe.