Willkommen bei futureSAX - der Innovationsplattform des Freistaates Sachsen.

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. Reasons

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

30.10.2025

Start. Finance. Scale.

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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.

Start-ups InnoStartBonus

Record number of applications for the 14th InnoStartBonus call

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17 Oct 2025

The 14th InnoStartBonus funding call ends with 91 start-up ideas submitted across Saxony - the next call is already underway.

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Alle News

Your central point of contact for the Saxon innovation ecosystem

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Anika Lorenz

Project Manager

Idea Phase & InnoStartBonus

+49 162 286 03 85

To profile

How can geoscientific processes, such as earthquakes, be simulated on a computer with the help of physical formulae? This question and her fascination for the Erzgebirge mining region led Anika Lorenz to study geophysics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.  She then started her career in Lower Saxony, where she worked as a Technical Data Analyst in the inspection industry for a leading global technology company. When this company was looking for a manager for the newly established site in Saxony, she accepted the challenge and spent more than three years setting up the new office with an international team in Radebeul. Impressed by the innovative spirit and can-do mentality of the Saxons, the Zwickau native wants to support founders across all sectors in realising their visions.
<p>In her free time, Anika enjoys hiking in Saxon Switzerland and volunteers for the Aidshilfe Dresden organisation and as an election campaigner.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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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.