futureSAX for start-ups

Where aspiring founders meet committed partners to turn an idea into a success story.

  2. futureSAX - Innovation platform of the Free State of Saxony
  4. Start-up

We support innovative start-ups in all phases of their development.

Foundation phase

We provide start-ups and young companies with targeted support in developing their business models and raising their profile: so that "Ready for Take Off" becomes a successful take-off.

Foundation phase

Growth phase

We offer advanced start-ups in the growth phase a variety of options to support them with the challenges of scaling: So that growth can be sustainable.

Growth phase
Looking for capital? Submit your pitch here

Our formats

Saxon Founder Award

The competition, which is open to all sectors and technologies, supports start-ups and young companies in further developing their idea or business concept and making it visible.

Founder Award

InnoStartBonus

With the InnoStartBonus, the Free State of Saxony supports Saxon founders with innovative business ideas in the phase before and at the beginning of their innovative business start-up. Start-ups from the sideline are also possible.

InnoStartBonus

futureSAX on Tour

With futureSAX on Tour, we are on the road throughout Saxony's innovation ecosystem. At events organized by partners from our networks, we present the support options and services offered by the innovation platform.

on tour

The next Saxon Start-up Forum

November 5, 2026

Start. Finance. Scale.

Registrate

Our goals for strengthening the start-up culture in Saxony.

Ignite entrepreneurial spirit & raise awareness of start-up culture

We strengthen the willingness to start a business in rural areas, especially among scientists and researchers, with a focus on diversity and the NextGen (young people)

Qualifying founders to develop and grow

We are working to reduce the drop-out rate of start-ups by helping to build the necessary skills for scaling, including investor readiness.

Strengthening and developing framework conditions in Saxony

We are working to facilitate access to capital, raise Saxony's profile as an attractive location for investment, facilitate access to space and real laboratories and channel networking needs to ministries and partners.

Network & community building within the target group

We are working to increase awareness of start-ups in Saxony both within the Saxon innovation ecosystem and outside of it.

Alle News

Your central point of contact for the Saxon innovation ecosystem

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Miriam Pietag

Project Manager

Idea Phase & NextGen

+49 152 245 225 77

LinkedIn profile

To profile

The combination of psychological, sociological and analytical principles with research and practice has inspired the qualified educationalist and media psychologist since the beginning of her studies at Chemnitz University of Technology. As a working student at Onkel Sax, Miriam was already intensively involved with the ‘NextGen’. The desire to not only understand and explain media use, but also to be able to derive target group-specific media offers from it, subsequently led her to a marketing agency in Dresden. As a marketing and project manager, she was involved in the planning, implementation and management of campaigns and cross-media marketing projects as well as the development of didactic and educational concepts for knowledge transfer.

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Juliane Waidhas

Project Manager

Idea Phase & InnoStartBonus

+49 162 286 03 85

To profile

Juliane Waidhas's career has been shaped by her enthusiasm for business development, innovation, and collaboration between different stakeholders. During her master's degree in Business Administration at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, she specialized in Market-Oriented Corporate Management. She gained professional experience in areas including consulting, business development, and project management. A particularly formative experience was leading the project CROSS INNOVATION MADE IN SAXONY II, in which she connected creative professionals with medium-sized businesses to unlock new ideas, business models, and innovation potential. She is especially motivated by the opportunity to bring people together, foster exchange, and actively support forward-looking initiatives. In her personal life, she expresses her creative side through painting and sewing, and finds a valuable counterbalance to her everyday work life in jogging, hiking, and cycling.