The people and institutions building this with us.
The challenges kickstart frontier labs. Advocates make them work.
Next Frontier AI & Next Frontier Robotics bring together the people and institutions whose reach, demand, alignment and capital turn a funded initiative into a functioning ecosystem. Ecosystem leaders surface the founders. Public institutions clear the path. Corporates anchor industrial demand. Investors close the rounds Europe has historically lost to the US.
Each archetype fills a structural gap that capital alone cannot.
How the advocates program works
What advocates do
Each of the four archetypes plays a distinct role at a different point in the pipeline - from surfacing the best teams in Europe to apply, to providing the political conditions to operate at scale, to anchoring the billion-euro follow-on rounds that transform lab seedlings into genuine frontier institutions. Together they form the ecosystem that no single institution, and no amount of public funding, can replicate alone.
How advocates are selected
Advocates are selected collectively by SPRIND’s AI & robotics core team based on eligibility criteria defined for each archetype. Onboarding takes no longer than two weeks from first contact. Advocates are featured publicly on this page, receive early access to program progress before public announcement, and participate in structured engagement formats tailored to their archetype. Each category is limited to a maximum of 30 advocates.
Interested in becoming an advocate?
If your profile matches one of these archetypes, reach out and apply to become an advocate:
- Ecosystem leaders: the connectors who ensure Europe's best builders hear about the program and who open doors to investors, institutions and partners throughout its lifecycle.
- Public Institutions: the political counterparts and universities who create the conditions to build at scale.
- Corporates: the industrial partners who provide demand, data and capital.
- Investors: the capital providers who fund the labs to frontier scale.
Ecosystem Leaders
Ecosystem Leaders
You are a researcher, founder, board director, open-source maintainer, or technical community builder with a genuine following in the European AI & Robotics community. You know who the serious builders are - the PhDs writing foundational code, the engineers at hyperscalers quietly preparing for something bigger, the researchers who have been thinking about European AI & Robotics infrastructure for years. What you have is reach and credibility that no institutional campaign can replicate.
Who qualifies
- Recognised contributor to the European or global AI technical community (active researcher, founder, member of a board of directors, open-source maintainer, community builder, or technical communicator with verifiable public presence)
- Demonstrable reach to or network within SPRIND’s AI target applicant population – whether into the builder community (frontier AI researchers, ML engineers, deep tech founders) or into adjacent networks of investors and public institutions with a stake in European AI
- No active commercial conflict of interest with SPRIND’s AI challenges or its funded teams
- Commitment to actively engage their network on behalf of the program – during the application window and at key milestones throughout the challenge.
What you bring
A single post, newsletter, or direct introduction from someone with real credibility travels further than any press release. Next Frontier AI needs you to surface the right teams before the application deadline – and, throughout the challenge, to open doors to investors and institutions that the program cannot reach through formal channels alone.
What you get
Named ambassador status on this page and in program communications. Early access to jury decisions, lab selection outcomes and technical directions before public announcement - positioning you as an authoritative voice in the conversation about Europe's AI future. Opportunities to co-host or speak at SPRIND’s AI team-building events and community gatherings across European cities.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TRUMPF SE + Co. KG. TRUMPF is a high-tech company that provides manufacturing solutions in the fields of machine tools, laser technology, and industrial electronics. Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SPRIND.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
Achim Berg, multiple Board Member and Former President of Bitkom and a leading voice in Europe’s digital landscape, He brings decades of experience at the intersection of technology, business, and innovation. From his leadership roles at Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Dell and Bertelsmann to his work as an private equity investor and advisor for leading enterprises, Berg has helped shape the digital transformation of entire industries.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
Former Engineering Head of Responsible AI at Meta – creator of the industry's first AI Red Team and key contributor to Llama's safety – now Associate Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
- AI Leader
- Spain
Founder and Managing Partner of goetzpartners, the Munich-based independent advisory firm for strategy, M&A and transformation, with decades of transaction experience across energy, telecoms and media in Europe.
- Entrepreneur
- Germany
Former CEO of the Bosch Group, one of the world's largest technology and engineering companies, which he led through its push into AIoT, mobility and industrial technology.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
“Europe should not just consume frontier AI, it should build it. That is why we started Next Frontier AI.”
Co-initiator of Next Frontier AI during his time as Deputy Director AI & Robotics at SPRIND. Computer scientist, three-time founder and CEO with multiple exits, he now backs frontier AI and deep tech founders at formation stage through Silvion Capital.
- Entrepreneur
- Germany
Former President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of thyssenkrupp and Voith; previously CTO and Managing Board member of Siemens.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
Former CEO of thyssenkrupp and member of the BDI presidium; now a supervisory and non-executive board member across major industrial groups including Volvo Group, Bosch and Imerys.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
Chair of the Supervisory Board of DHL Group and former State Secretary at the German Ministry of Defence; founding chair of the federal government's Digital Council and a leading voice on digital and AI strategy.
- AI Leader
- Germany
CEO of DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, and professor of computer science at Saarland University; one of Europe's leading figures in applied AI research.
- AI Leader
- Germany
Founder of micro-fund Prototype Capital and former Head of Remote at AngelList; a prolific European angel investor and a driving force behind the EU Inc initiative to make Europe better for startups.
- Investor
- Germany
Founding General Partner of BITKRAFT Ventures and an esports pioneer who founded ESL's parent Turtle Entertainment and co-founded G2 Esports; backs founders in gaming, esports and interactive technology worldwide.
- Entrepreneur
- Germany
Founder of EUTOP, Europe's largest owner-managed governmental-relations firm, and honorary professor at TU Munich; an authority on EU decision-making and interest representation.
- Entrepreneur
- Germany
Co-CEO of quantum architecture firm ParityQC, co-founder of AI Austria and selected among the Forbes 30 Under 30 for her activities in the investment field.
- AI Leader
- Austria
Industrial and technology leader, formerly a McKinsey director and a TRUMPF operating executive; now a supervisory and advisory board member across manufacturing and AI companies including TK Elevator, Thinkers.ai and freiheit.com
- Industry Leader
- Germany
CEO of the Photonics Systems Group and President of Photonics21, Europe's photonics technology platform; a physicist with 26 years in lasers and optics and former executive at TRUMPF, Schott and Mahr.
- Industry Leader
- Germany
Berlin-based angel investor and CEO of MH2 Capital; a 25-year telecom and private-equity operator turned backer of early-stage European software startups, and one of Germany's top angels supported by the European Investment Fund.
- Angel Investor
- Germany
Public Institutions
Public Institutions
How the advocate program works
You represent a national ministry, public agency, EU institution, publicly mandated research infrastructure body or university with an active mandate in AI, digital sovereignty or deep-tech innovation. You understand that building frontier AI companies in Europe is not purely a technical or financial challenge - it is a political one. The capital mobilisation, data access regulatory environment and procurement signals that serious AI labs need all require active alignment at national and EU level.
Who qualifies
- National government ministry, public agency, EU institution, national innovation agency, publicly mandated research infrastructure body or university
- Active mandate related to AI, digital sovereignty, innovation or deep-tech at national or EU level
- Headquartered within EU, EFTA or UK
- Designated representative with authority to engage in strategic partnerships on behalf of the institution
What you bring
The structural conditions for training and deploying powerful AI in Europe - accessible compute, usable public datasets, regulatory clarity, credible early procurement - cannot be created by the labs alone. You are the political counterpart to the technical teams. Without your alignment of national and EU instruments, the labs cannot be built at the pace and scale required.
What you get
Early visibility into the capabilities being developed across the funded labs, before public announcement. A concrete program to point to when making the case for European digital sovereignty - one that produces companies, products and pilots, not position papers. Structured bi-annual roundtables with lab teams and other public institution representatives to align on the policy and regulatory support the labs need.
Germany's national research centre for aeronautics, space, energy, transport and security, and a member of the Helmholtz Association; advances AI and autonomous systems across its fields.
- Research Center
- Germany
Germany's digital industry association, representing 2,200+ member companies across software, hardware, telecoms and services; the country's leading voice on digital policy and AI regulation
- Industry Association
- Germany
Europe's largest mechanical engineering association, representing 3,600+ member companies across Germany and Europe and driving adoption of AI, robotics and automation in industry.
- Industry Association
- Germany
Germany's leading research centre for applied artificial intelligence, founded in 1988 as a non-profit public-private partnership; runs labs nationwide spanning robotics, language technology and autonomous systems.
- Research Center
- Germany
ETH Zurich's central hub for AI, connecting 1,500+ researchers across 16 departments and leading national efforts like the Swiss AI Initiative for open-source foundation models.
- Research Center
- Switzerland
Europe's largest AI research consortium, uniting the Max Planck Society, the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen, the state of Baden-Württemberg and industry partners in machine learning, robotics and computer vision.
- Research
- Germany
Joint initiative of TU Munich and UnternehmerTUM running 12 domain-specific deep tech and life science incubators, supporting spin-offs from idea to seed funding – 600+ ventures backed to date.
- Incubator
- Germany
The German federal government's flagship technology strategy, led by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, driving leadership in six key technologies – AI, quantum, microelectronics, biotech, fusion and climate-neutral energy and mobility.
- Government
- Germany
Germany's largest AI association, connecting AI companies, startups and researchers; drives national and European AI policy and ecosystem building.
- Industry Association
- Germany
Germany's national robotics consortium, established in 2024 with federal funding and led by TU Munich; unites the country's leading robotics and AI research institutions to advance embodied AI as a German export strength.
- Research Network
- Germany
Munich Management Colloquium, an executive summit platform bridging European industry, deep tech and academia from lab to launch; convenes C-level leaders, researchers and policymakers across its Munich, Friedrichshafen and Heilbronn events.
- Conference
- Germany
Investors
Investors
You run or represent a serious investment firm with an active mandate in deep tech, AI or frontier technology. You have been watching European AI for years - the talent, the research, the repeated failure to translate it into globally competitive institutions. You understand that the structural problem has not been ideas; it has been the absence of billion-euro growth rounds at the right moment. Next Frontier AI is explicitly engineered to change that. Your early signal of intent is part of what makes it work.
Who qualifies
- Professional investment firm with AUM of at least €100M (venture/growth) or €500M (private equity, large family office, or sovereign wealth fund)
- Active investment mandate covering deep tech, AI, or frontier technology - not exclusively software/SaaS
- Realistic capacity and stated strategic interest in participating in rounds of €50M+ in European frontier AI companies
- Geographically active in Europe or with a documented European deep-tech investment thesis
What you bring
The most persistent structural failure in European deep tech has been the absence of follow-on capital at scale. Without investors committed to the €1 billion scale-up rounds for the winning labs, the initiative risks producing well-funded seedlings that then stall. Your early engagement fundamentally changes the probability distribution of outcomes.
What you get
A structurally de-risked entry point: the riskiest phase of company-building - team formation, early technical validation, governance structuring - is entirely publicly funded and selected by a rigorous, multi-stage jury. By the time you are invited in, you are evaluating two years of experiments, benchmarks, pilots and operational execution - not a story. Clean entry at the first institutional round, before valuations can go vertical. First-mover position in a nascent but critical asset class, before it is fully legible to the broader market.
European venture firm founded by Klaus Hommels, an early backer of Skype, Spotify and Revolut; invests from early to growth stage in technology with a focus on European sovereignty and resilience.
- Venture Capital
- Switzerland
Munich-based HV Capital, formerly Holtzbrinck Ventures and one of Europe's earliest VCs; invests from seed to growth with €2.8B under management and a portfolio including Zalando, Flix, SumUp and Isar Aerospace.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Global venture platform founded in 1982, investing from seed to growth across enterprise, deep tech and digital, with teams across the US, Europe and Africa.
- Venture Capital
- France
One of Europe's most established VCs, founded 1997 with €2B under management across Berlin, Munich and London, backing tech companies from early stage to growth – including unicorns like N26 and Isar Aerospace.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Germany's most active early-stage investor, a public-private seed fund backing hundreds of startups in deep tech, life sciences and digital from pre-seed to growth.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Munich-based venture firm investing in deep tech and life sciences across Europe, with roughly €1.2B in committed capital and an early bet on BioNTech among its exits.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Berlin-based thesis-driven early-stage firm backing pre-seed and seed founders in AI, SaaS and B2B software worldwide, with a portfolio including Revolut, Algolia and Anthropic.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Munich- and Berlin-based early-stage VC born out of UnternehmerTUM at TU Munich, with ~€400M under management, backing European B2B startups in enterprise software, deep tech and industrial technologies.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Berlin-based multi-strategy VC with offices across Europe, investing in deep tech, AI and breakthrough technologies while connecting corporates and founders through its pioneering VC-as-a-Service model.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Münster-based venture firm founded in 1999, backing early- to growth-stage companies in software, cybersecurity, deep tech, new materials and cleantech.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
European impact venture firm investing across space tech, climate, health, and biotech, backing founders from early stage through scale with a focus on measurable planetary and human impact.
- Impact VC
- Europe
Munich-based early-stage deep tech VC with ~€450M under management, backing European founders from pre-seed to Series A across space, quantum, energy, robotics and AI – with portfolio wins like Isar Aerospace and IQM Quantum.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Europe's most active super angel fund, writing first checks at angel, pre-seed and seed stage across 75+ startups per year and coaching every team hands-on.
- Angel Fund
- Germany
Vienna-based deep tech VC investing across Europe in early-stage companies built on unique, defensible technologies – from AI and quantum computing to robotics and medical technology.
- Venture Capital
- Austria
Berlin-based pioneer of the AI venture studio model, financing, incubating and scaling AI companies from the founding team up, and home of Berlin's AI Campus.
- Venture Capital
- Venture Studio
- Germany
Berlin- and Boston-based pre-seed firm backing European founders building hard tech at the idea stage, from AI infrastructure and robotics to semiconductors and space.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Strategic investment arm of Deutsche Telekom managing €2.3B across venture and growth technology funds; backs AI, cybersecurity and deep tech companies including ElevenLabs, Nscale and Quantum Systems.
- Corporate VC
- Germany
San Francisco-based venture firm investing at seed stage in deep tech and AI founders across the United States and Europe
- Venture Capital
- Global
Deep tech fund founded by the ex-Earlybird-X team, backing pre-seed and seed spin-offs from Europe's leading technical universities in AI, industrial tech and cleantech.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Amsterdam-based venture builder and capital platform; pairs a venture studio and 72-step build program with a global capital network to back deep tech founders in fintech, sport, climate, health and urban systems.
- Venture Capital
- Venture Studio
- Netherlands
Early-stage fund founded by operators who scaled MuleSoft and Databricks, backing pre-seed and seed startups across the UK and Europe in AI, data tooling and infrastructure software.
- Venture Capital
- United Kingdom
Early-stage VC backing ambitious founders from the DACH region and across Europe, investing from first institutional round to Series A in digital health, climate tech, deep tech and enterprise software.
- Venture Capital
- Germany
Swiss early-stage fund founded by Google Assistant co-creator Yariv Adan, backing pre-seed and seed founders building defensible AI companies rooted in proprietary data and deep domain expertise.
- Venture Capital
- Switzerland
Early-stage deep tech venture firm backing European founders from day zero across AI, batteries, robotics, semiconductors, materials science, and novel computing, with hands-on support through manufacturing, supply chain, and go-to-market.
- Venture Capital
- Europe
Corporates
Corporates
You lead or represent a large European enterprise with a genuine frontier AI use case - not a generic IT procurement need, but a real problem where next-generation AI capabilities would change what is possible in your industry. You are thinking about what it means to depend entirely on US and Chinese AI stacks for your most critical processes. And you are interested in a credible European alternative you can help shape from the start.
Who qualifies
- European-headquartered (or majority European operations), with annual revenue above €500M OR demonstrably strategic role in an AI-relevant sector
- Concrete industrial or commercial use case for frontier AI - not limited to generic IT procurement
- Capacity and willingness to engage in at least one of the following: structured multi-year pilot agreement with a funded lab; consideration of co-investment in scale-up rounds; or contribution of domain data or evaluation environments
- No direct competitive conflict with the primary business of SPRIND’s AI challenge teams
What you bring
Large European corporates occupy a position in this ecosystem that no other stakeholder can fill: simultaneously potential customers, co-investors, data contributors and domain experts. For the labs to become credible enterprises - not just well-funded research teams - they need exactly what you can provide.
What you get
Early and deep access to European frontier capabilities being built for enterprise use cases - before valuations reflect the full strategic value of that access. Direct influence over lab development through structured involvement in evaluation criteria, safety requirements and integration architectures. A strategic hedge against non-European lock-in, with equity exposure to potentially transformative assets at the most attractive entry point: after public de-risking, before valuations go vertical.
One of the world's largest engineering and technology companies, spanning mobility, industrial technology, consumer goods and energy, with a major push into AIoT and software-defined products.
- Industrial Technology
- Germany
The world's leading logistics company, moving goods and information across more than 200 countries and applying automation and AI across its global network.
- Logistics
- Global
Family-owned high-tech leader in machine tools and industrial lasers, whose laser technology underpins EUV chip manufacturing across the global semiconductor supply chain.
- Machine Tools & Lasers
- Germany
The digital and IT arm of the Schwarz Group (Lidl and Kaufland), operating the sovereign European cloud STACKIT and cybersecurity services for European industry and the public sector.
- Cloud & IT Services
- Germany
One of the world's largest reinsurers and risk carriers, combining deep risk expertise with data and AI to underwrite emerging technologies.
- Insurance
- Germany
Deutsche Telekom's enterprise IT and cloud arm, providing sovereign cloud, data-centre capacity and managed AI infrastructure to European industry and the public sector.
- Cloud & IT Services
- Germany
Family-owned global leader in industrial and process automation, supplying pneumatic and electric systems worldwide while investing in AI-driven robotics and bionics.
- Factory Automation
- Germany
A global leader in optics and photonics, with technologies spanning semiconductor manufacturing, medical and research microscopy, and precision measurement.
- Optics & Photonics
- Germany
Europe's largest software company and the global leader in enterprise resource planning, powering core business processes and, increasingly, enterprise AI worldwide.
- Enterprise Software
- Germany
One of the world's largest e-commerce and retail groups, operating platforms, logistics and financial services across dozens of markets.
- E-Commerce & Retail
- Germany
A global leader in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, pioneering data- and AI-driven approaches to drug discovery and personalised healthcare.
- Pharma
- Switzerland
A leading manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components, part of the Würth Group, supplying inductors, connectors, PCBs and wireless modules worldwide.
- Electronics
- Germany
A global technology group in hydropower, paper and drive and transmission technology, combining mechanical engineering with digital and automation solutions.
- Industrial Technology
- Germany
The defence and space division of Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace group, building military aircraft, satellites, secure communications and space systems.
- Defence Technology
- Europe
One of the world's leading professional services networks, providing audit, tax and advisory, including large-scale digital and AI transformation for industry.
- Professional Services
- Global
The innovation, strategy and transformation arm of Capgemini, one of the world's largest technology and consulting groups, helping organisations design and scale AI.
- Professional Services
- France
One of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers, supplying power, automotive, security and sensor chips central to electrification, industry and AI hardware.
- Semiconductors
- Germany
A global leader in aerospace, defence and digital security, delivering mission-critical systems and, increasingly, trusted AI for governments and industry.
- Aerospace
- France
A global security technology company in payments, currency, identity and digital security, safeguarding physical and digital transactions worldwide.
- Security Technology
- Germany
thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, one of the world's leading naval shipbuilders and submarine makers, listed independently in Frankfurt since 2025.
- Defence Technology
- Germany
A global leader in telecommunications and 5G network infrastructure, connecting operators and enterprises worldwide and building the backbone for AI at the network edge.
- Telecommunications
- Sweden
Europe's leading hosting provider and cloud enabler, part of United Internet, offering sovereign cloud infrastructure and digital services from Germany.
- Cloud & IT Services
- Germany
The world's leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, driving automation, digitalisation and safety across global mobility.
- Mobility Technology
- Germany
A leading European defence sensor house specialising in radar, optronics and electronic warfare, and a growing force in AI-enabled sensing for the Bundeswehr and NATO.
- Defence Technology
- Germany
The central institution of Germany's cooperative banking network and one of the country's largest banks, serving corporate and financial-institution clients.
- Banking
- Germany
Germany's largest public-sector insurance group, based in Munich, serving millions of customers across insurance and provision products.
- Insurance
- Germany
The German federal government's security technology group for secure identities, documents and digital sovereignty, from passports and ID cards to trusted digital infrastructure.
- Security Technology
- Germany