Fit 4 Start Selection & Graduation Day 2018; Credit: Luxinnovation

On Thursday 4 October 2018, more than 300 young startups and leading players in the start-up ecosystem responded to Luxinnovation's invitation to attend the Fit 4 Start Selection & Graduation Day which was dedicated to inspiring young startups in the fields of ICT and health technologies.
 
Organised at Kinepolis Kirchberg, this event offered a lot of novelties and discoveries. Punctuated by sixty pitches, the day honoured entrepreneurs with innovative and promising projects, motivated to convince the jury and the 300 people of the public of all the interest of their ideas.
 
The Fit 4 Start programme, managed by Luxinnovation with the support of Luxembourg's Ministry of the Economy, in collaboration with Technoport and the Luxembourg City Incubator, continues its path of growth. "We are delighted with the evolution of the Fit 4 Start programme, which since its launch has grown and is attracting more and more promising companies. There is a real synergy that has been created between the programme and the Luxembourg ecosystem that allows participating start-ups to test their solutions in Luxembourg and to benefit from a privileged access to develop and grow in Europe", indicated Michele Gallo, Attaché - ICT Coordinator for the Ministry of the Economy.

This edition attracted a total of 226 applications from 38 different countries, proof that Luxembourg is appealing beyond its borders. "The success of the programme is based on four key factors: an optimal environment, a high value-added jury, a very responsive ecosystem and the confirmed support of the Ministry of the Economy," said Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation. "The growing number and quality of projects are good witnesses to the attractiveness and dynamism of our country's economy".

Based on feedback from previous editions, the Fit 4 Start programme is continually adapted to better meet the specific needs of start-ups. Previously accessible only to ICT projects, Fit 4 Start offered a stage to pitch to 15 startups active in health technologies. "This new pilot reflects the dynamism of the players in the sector and the growing impact of ICTs in the health sector, particularly through digital health," explained Françoise Liners, head of health technologies at the Ministry of Health. Economy. "The integration of ICT tools is leading to the development of mobile and connected health solutions that meet medical needs in an ever more personalized and patient-centred way."
 
15 elected from 226 candidates
 
In the end, 15 start-ups (10 from the ICT sector and 5 from the health technology sector) were selected and selected by the jury members to participate in the Fit 4 Start #7 edition. The new promotion consists of (in alphabetical order):
- ICT: BondWeaver, Credovita, Eiravato, Goldbaum, Loro, Morfin, OKO, Pycno Agriculture, Spoticle, StarTalers.
- Health technologies: Arspectra, ImmunifyMe, LuxAI, Molecular Plasma Group, SOVI Solutions.

All of these companies will join the 16-week coaching programme starting on 6 November 2018 and will receive €50,000 from the Ministry of the Economy.

This Selection & Graduation Day was also an opportunity to reward start-ups who successfully completed the Fit 4 Start #6 programme after four months of intensive coaching. As the rules of the competition specify, their appointment as graduates gives them access to an additional €100,000 subject to a capital raising of at least €50,000.
 
The 7 graduates of Fit 4 Start #6 are:
- Salonkee: innovative software dedicated to improving the competitiveness of hairdressers, masseurs and beauty salons.
- MyMedBot: virtual personal assistant who puts in place a preventive emergency plan for people with a life-threatening chronic disease so that they can live without fear.
- Metri: a service that allows businesses to save money and increase conversions by displaying advertisements based on the data collected.
- IntegerAI: computer automation to learn the behavior of the user through observation, which allows him to save time and focus more on what he likes to do.
- Univize: an online platform connecting prospective students with already experienced students to help them find the university that suits them best.
- Inkspired: a digital platform for writers and readers to read, write and publish books and creative stories.
- Machinations: a cloud solution to help game developers design digital gaming systems.