Following a selection and pitch process held in autumn 2025, 20 start-ups were shortlisted from a record number of 495 applications from nearly 65 different countries. Fifteen went on to complete the process. As in previous years, the projects supported fell into three categories: Digital, Health Technologies and Space.

In the digital category :

– Djooky (Ukraine, djookyawards.com): A fan-powered, AI-driven music discovery platform that turns listeners into active talent scouts.

– Crab Traceability Systems (Luxembourg — crab-ts.com): Real-time waste flow management.

– LeaseryT (Luxembourg — leaseryt.eu): A software platform that simplifies and automates the vehicle leasing process.

– MoveMe (Luxembourg — www.moveme.lu): A digital solution to help with moving house.

– Offinite (Luxembourg — business.offinite.com/en): Creating catalogues tailored to the mobile world.

– I am full (Luxembourg — paniam.cloud): Cloud-native access control solution.

– RoasterCup (Luxembourg — roastercup.com): An e-commerce solution for artisanal coffee roasters.

– Scratch (Luxembourg — www.scrioo.com): An AI-powered decision-support platform that provides personalised information on external developments, such as regulations or stakeholder news.

– Tenta Vision (Germany — www.tenta-vision.de): Real-time non-destructive materials analysis for predictive and smart manufacturing.

In the health technology sector:

– AutiHD (Luxembourg — www.autihd.com): Launch of Mindory, a task planner for people with ADHD and autism

– CalorAI (Luxembourg — landing.calorai.ai/trialed): Helping people lose weight and tackle obesity by turning WhatsApp into a personalised AI nutrition coach.

– Hale X (Luxembourg — hale-xcom): Transforming unstructured health data into real-time digital twins to improve medical monitoring.

– Lihoury Technology (Luxembourg — www.lihoury-technology.com/): AI-powered home cameras to monitor and analyse the movements of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

In the space sector:

– BabAI Orbital (Estonia — babayte.org): AI-powered ‘sense and evade’ module for drones and satellites to avoid collisions and threats

– Tumi Robotics Space (Luxembourg — tumirobotics.com/): On-board AI in robots for the exploration and analysis of extreme environments, including in space.

These 15 start-ups received six months of specialist support, as well as €50,000 in funding each from the Ministry of the Economy, provided they set up in Luxembourg. Those companies that also succeed in raising funds and employing at least two staff members may receive up to an additional €100,000 in state aid.

At the graduation ceremony hosted by an AI master of ceremonies, co-created by Luxinnovation and OpenZone, the Minister for the Economy Lex Delles pointed out that “the Fit 4 Start programme is one of the main components of the action plan for the development of start-ups, scale-ups and the entire ecosystem. It reinforces the crucial role of these young companies as a vital driver of innovation for our economy and a key element in the country’s efforts to strengthen its international competitiveness.”

For Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation, said: “This 16th cohort stands out not only for the high quality of its projects, but also for its impressive diversity, covering sectors ranging from healthcare and digital technology to space technology. “These start-ups demonstrate remarkable maturity and potential to tackle complex challenges with innovative solutions. We are convinced that they will make a significant contribution to the dynamism and competitiveness of our ecosystem.”

Call for applications extended to the defence sector

One cohort finishes, another begins. Lex Delles has launched the call for applications for the 17th edition of Fit 4 Start. There is a new addition this year: a Defence track, joining the existing Digital, Health Tech and Space tracks.

“The introduction of a dedicated defence division is a decision that forms part of Luxembourg’s Defence Industry Strategy and the announcement of the Defence Campus. Luxembourg aims to create an innovation ecosystem to address current sovereignty challenges,” says Lex Delles. “By encouraging the development of advanced technologies in the defence sector, we are strengthening the resilience of Luxembourg and Europe. Furthermore, we are opening up a new area of high-value-added economic growth. Fit 4 Start will provide the ideal framework to accelerate the development of promising start-ups in the Defence Tech sector, thereby fostering the emergence of dual-use solutions that will be crucial for our future.”

24 start-ups will be selected across the four sectors: 10 for the digital sector, 5 for the health technology sector, 5 for the space sector and 4 for the defence sector. The selected start-ups will be announced in October during the Luxembourg Venture Days following two days of pitch presentations.