32 Hours. A Real Challenge.
Your Path to a Startup.
Two Editions. Pick your Topic.
GreenTech & Sustainability
SpaceTech & Aerospace
Timeline
Day 1 – Thursday
Day 2 – Friday
From Build Days to Your Own Startup
Build Days
A 32-hour hackathon. You show up Thursday morning, get a real challenge brief, find or form a team, and have until Friday evening to develop and pitch their solution. Mentors and tools available both days, food handled, sleep optional.
Selection
The jury watches the Friday pitches and decides which teams to invite into the Build Labs. The strongest teams hear from us at the awards on Friday evening, with a written invitation following within a few days. From there, you have time to talk it through with your team and decide whether to accept.
Build Labs
A structured incubation program dedicated to further develop the solution you developed at the hackathon. Each team gets two mentors, workshops along the way, and access to the LAUNCH network. Workshops happen weekly, the rest of the time is yours.
Pitch Day
At the end of Build Labs, teams pitch a refined version of their solution to mentors, partners, founders, and the wider LAUNCH ecosystem. Real audience, real feedback, and prize money for the top teams.
What’s next
Whatever makes sense for your team. Some may continue into the LAUNCH Winter Batch. Some may apply for EXIST funding. Some teams may go on to directly found a company. Some may take what they learned and go back to their studies.
Frequently asked questions
No. You get the challenge at the kickoff. The Build Days exist for exactly this: show up, try things, build.
Mainly students from universities in the Rhein-Main region, any semester, any field. If you’re not currently enrolled (recently graduated, on a break, or just starting work) you can still apply. We’re deliberately not building homogeneous teams.
The whole program takes place in English.
No you don't. No pitch deck in advance, no business plan. Just curiosity and the willingness to build something.
Everything you need on site: participation, food, drinks, mentoring, tools. Just show up.
The hackathon runs Thursday 10:00 to Friday 18:00, about 32 hours with a sleep break in between. If you get invited into the Build Labs, plan for six more weeks at roughly four to six hours per week. Your team and your mentors set the actual times.
You can apply on your own. We’ll match you on the day based on skills and preferences. If you want to come as a duo or trio, each person fills out the form individually, uses the same team name, and lists the others’ email addresses. That way we capture skills, dietary needs, and consents per person, not just for one of you.
Nothing. Participation, food, mentoring, and tools are all on us. Our partners make that possible.
