The history of futureSAX

Successful commitment to innovation and growth in Saxony since 2000

futureSAX is the cross-industry innovation agency with a holistic network that promotes innovation in Saxony and makes it visible. The innovation platform is the central point of contact for the whole of Saxony and connects players from science and industry, supports growth and start-up companies in their search for capital and offers a wide range of events and competitions. The innovation conference is an annual highlight for all those interested in innovation.

In1999, the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport (SMWA) launched the "futureSAX" business plan competition in the IT sector for the first time. The aim was to find innovative ideas that could be further developed and promoted. As early as 2000, the competition was opened up to all sectors, so that the Saxon State Prize for Entrepreneurship was organized and supported for the first time with futureSAX - now a registered trademark. In the years that followed, futureSAX developed into the "Innovation Platform of the Free State of Saxony" and has since acted as a central institution in Saxony's innovation ecosystem, connecting founders, transfer players, established and innovative companies, investors and the NextGen. The central mission is now to comprehensively strengthen the innovative power in Saxony, which is driven and supported by a broad-based, Saxony-wide and cross-industry network of more than 12,000 players as well as almost 100 events per year, more than 1,200 matchings, the competitive procedures for the Saxon State Prizes for Founding, Transfer and Innovation and the InnoStartBonus start-up funding (with around 750 concepts p.a.). An essential part of this is strengthening the community and thus the culture of innovation and making Saxony's innovative strength visible.

General overview of futureSAX as the central innovation platform in the Free State of Saxony.

futureSAX factsheet (PDF, 345.1 KB)

The history of futureSAX

2023

2018 to 2022 - futureSAX - stabilized and further developed

2022 - Strengthening capital activities in the Free State of Bavaria

By strengthening the area of capital, including through the expansion of the business angel scene with numerous events and cooperation activities, as well as the Saxon Investor Day, the focus in 2022 will shift to the innovation region of Saxony as an attractive location for capital providers and highlight the best Saxon investment cases and deal flow. In doing so, futureSAX raises awareness for the exchange of experience and capital transfer from established entrepreneurs to innovative founders in order to strengthen the culture of innovation in Saxony. Other formats such as the Saxon Investors Roadshow or the futureSAX Matching create space to move from the visibility of innovative start-up ideas to direct deal flow and capital transfer in concrete discussions with investors.

2021 - Strengthening the transfer of science to the economy

In 2021, not only were all three state prizes for founding, transfer and innovation awarded, but the focus was also placed on transfer activities in the Free State. With impulse, networking and experience exchange opportunities, such as the Saxon Transfer Forum, where the Saxon transfer community comes together, futureSAX supported the exchange from science to industry as a central point of contact. With opportunities and measures such as validation funding or the Saxon Transfer Roadshow, which tours the whole of Saxony with the winners of the Transfer Prize, new impetus and impulses for lively, exemplary transfer processes are created.

2020 - new look for the 20th anniversary

The futureSAX brand and the Saxon Start-up Award are celebrating their 20th anniversary. This is an opportunity to present themselves in a new guise in order to do justice to the diversity of Saxon innovations across all target groups. In addition, the activities relating to entrepreneurship in connection with young people will be combined in the independent NextGen area. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, various formats are being held in a digital format and the highlight - the futureSAX innovation conference - is being held as a two-part series. In addition, the focus was on strengthening the transfer area - the Saxon Transfer Roadshow and the Saxon Transfer Forum were held for the first time.

2019 - Consistency & growth

For the 20th time, futureSAX awarded the winner of the Saxon Innovation Prize on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Saxon Founder Award and the Saxon Transfer Award as well as around 40 events and numerous measures rounded off the year. A new addition was the organization of the competitive procedure within the framework of the new start-up funding of the Free State - InnoStartBonus, as well as the support of the selected funding recipients. Two calls with a total of 40 founders were the result of the two-year pilot project. The Saxon Mentoring Network continues to grow. For the first time, all mentors had the opportunity to exchange ideas with each other as part of the newly established mentoring day. The first own video formats, such as "Innovation meets investment", were created in order to better share the diverse experiences within the start-up and innovation ecosystem in addition to the text interviews.

2018 - futureSAX GmbH: the startup of the Free State of Saxony

The innovation platform of the Free State of Saxony becomes futureSAX GmbH. What began in 1999 as a business plan competition for the IT sector has successfully established itself as a project under the umbrella of the Ministry of Economic Affairs as a cross-industry and cross-technology interface for founders, companies, investors and knowledge and technology transfer players in Saxony. The Free State of Saxony and Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH (WFS) are the shareholders of the new GmbH. The managing director of futureSAX GmbH will be Marina Heimann, who has been the project manager for many years. The new futureSAX GmbH team is looking forward to continuing, further developing and expanding the established formats and comprehensive network work in the long term.

2013 to 2017 - futureSAX becomes an innovation platform

2017 - Exchange of experience as a source of inspiration

In 2017, the Saxon Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport carried out the diverse activities of futureSAX on its own initiative with the aim of creating a sustainable structure and thus further strengthening the impact for Saxony. The Saxon Mentoring Network is created, which gives young and established companies the opportunity to exchange experiences and relevant topics relating to the growth process with other entrepreneurs and knowledge carriers outside of specialist advice and coaching. In addition to the futureSAX ideas competition (now the Saxon Founder Award) and the Saxon Innovation Award, the Saxon Transfer Award is also being created. A total of more than 100 applications once again illustrate the potential and commitment in the innovation state of Saxony.

2016 - Rediscover Saxony as a land of innovation

The platform (homepage) will be expanded with additional functions due to the increased requirements: futureSAX innovation radar (overview of innovative founders and entrepreneurs from the futureSAX network), joint event calendar, overview of the futureSAX partner networks and optimization of the internal login area. The repertoire of event formats will also be further expanded through the futureSAX innovation exchange (cooperation requests between science and business).

2015 -international visibility and the next generation

In spring, the futureSAX Start-up Corner will take place for the first time at the Hannover Messe to help Saxon start-ups enter the market and raise their profile. The successful debut in Germany was followed by a second edition in the USA at SEMICON West. In the fall, the interface to the next generation - young people - will be launched via a cooperation - "futureSAX meets Jugend forscht" with the aim of strengthening the young spirit of innovation and invention in the Free State of Saxony. In addition, futureSAX is launching another company network with the meeting of the futureSAX start-up network partners in order to establish a central point of contact for the Saxon start-up scene.

2014 - Transfer of knowledge, technology and capital

futureSAX launches its communication via various social media channels. In spring, the first futureSAX alumni breakfast is held to connect companies and start-ups from previous competitions and encourage an exchange of experiences. The first futureSAX investor roadshow and the development of the investor network will follow in the fall to connect capital-seeking innovators with potential investors. In addition, the futureSAX know-how network (now the Saxon Transfer Network) is created as a central point of contact for transfer activities in Saxony.

2013 - Strengthening the start-up ecosystem through companies

futureSAX is commissioned for the first time to organize the "Saxon Innovation Prize", which has been awarded by the Free State of Saxony since 1992. In addition, the futureSAX Innovation Forum was introduced as a biannual, interactive specialist forum and the foundations were laid for the futureSAX Alumni Circle, which comprises the nominees of the futureSAX competitions. The annual highlight will be the futureSAX Innovation Conference (formerly Innovation Summit), which will also include the awards ceremony for the competitions and an exhibition of the competition participants (showcase).

2000 to 2012 - a start-up network is created

2000 - 2012 - From start-up competition to start-up network

2012 - Founding and growing through innovation

This year, futureSAX is coming up with two major innovations: The new concept "Founding and growing through innovation" replaces the classic business plan competition. And for the first time, there is the futureSAX ideas competition (now the Saxon Founders' Prize) with four specially created competition categories that are open to all sectors and geared towards the application markets. In addition, futureSAX invites you to the innovation forums "Trends for the economy" and "Creating scope for innovation". Other highlights of the year include the final award ceremony and the Innovation Summit.

<p <h3>
2011 - 1st Innovationssummit in the foundercity of Dresden

The most important futureSAX events of the year are very popular. These include the 3rd Venture Capital Forum in Dresden as well as the "planet@2021" future forum with IBM and Datev and the "High-Tech mit Feuer und Flamme" forum. A new event will also be launched: the Saxon Innovationsgipfel taking place in Dresden for the first time.

2010 -futureSAX becomes an award winner itself: "Selected Landmark 2010" in the Land of Ideas

The universitysonderprize awarded at futureSAX has been given a new name: Initiativpreis. Other major innovations include the introduction of a start-up lunch with the Minister of Economic Affairs and a start-up early stage. The spectrum of events ranges from the start-up pitch with the high-tech start-up fund to the "Plan2020" forum and the "Spielregeln - Wie wir miteinander umgehen sollten" forum. In 2010, futureSAX itself achieved a particular success: the network was named a "Selected Landmark 2010" in the Land of Ideas.

2009 - An award for successfuloriented founders

With the newly introduced HHL FoundersAward, the futureSAX business plan competition will become even more attractive. Among the most important events of the year are the 2nd Venture Capital Forum as well as the forum "Recognizing Opportunities - Restructuring and Growth through Innovation" and the Vodafone forum "Deciding Safely".

<p <h3>2008 - Expansion of the competition to include network meetings

A venture capital forum is held for the first time and two forums for companies: "Companies in transition" and "(Economic) espionage - the future has begun". The newly initiated company talks also met with great interest. The start of a network expansion.

2007 - Optimization of the business plan competition

The three-phase business plan competition model is optimized: for the first time, a jury session is held in the individual categories as part of Phase II. In addition, an Innovationsforum and an Eigenkapitalforum will be held for the first time.

2006 - Founding and growing in Saxony

The next important step follows in 2006 with the establishment of the futureSAX growth prize for older start-ups.

The futureSAX IT business plan competition was launched in 1999 and awarded for the first time in 2000.</h3 <p>This immediately established itself under the samenabrand as a start-up competition for good ideas with three phases.

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The history of futureSAX

Successful commitment to innovation and growth in Saxony since 2000

The history of futureSAX

2023

2018 to 2022 - futureSAX - stabilized and further developed

2022 - Strengthening capital activities in the Free State of Bavaria

2021 - Strengthening the transfer of science to the economy

2020 - new look for the 20th anniversary

2019 - Consistency & growth

2018 - futureSAX GmbH: the startup of the Free State of Saxony

2013 to 2017 - futureSAX becomes an innovation platform

2017 - Exchange of experience as a source of inspiration

2016 - Rediscover Saxony as a land of innovation

2015 -international visibility and the next generation

2014 - Transfer of knowledge, technology and capital

2013 - Strengthening the start-up ecosystem through companies

2000 to 2012 - a start-up network is created

2000 - 2012 - From start-up competition to start-up network

2012 - Founding and growing through innovation

2010 -futureSAX becomes an award winner itself: "Selected Landmark 2010" in the Land of Ideas

2009 - An award for successful­ori­en­ted founders

2007 - Optimization of the business plan competition

2006 - Founding and growing in Saxony

The futureSAX IT business plan competition was launched in 1999 and awarded for the first time in 2000.</h3 <p>This immediately established itself under the same­na­brand as a start-up competition for good ideas with three phases.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

2009 - An award for successfuloriented founders

The futureSAX IT business plan competition was launched in 1999 and awarded for the first time in 2000.</h3 <p>This immediately established itself under the samenabrand as a start-up competition for good ideas with three phases.