Kickoff Ventures · The Accelerator
Build your startup.
Grow with Kickoff.
Join a student accelerator in Eindhoven with mentoring, workshops and a Demo Day. Our first cohort supported ten startups; five pitched to the Brainport network and two received grants.
- Startups in cohort 1
- 10
- On the main stage
- 5
- Demo Day grants
- 2
- Awarded on stage
- €5K
Meet the Demo Day grant recipients
€2,500 each
€2,500 · The GateStacklink
Lucas Duys · Julius Brussee
An enterprise knowledge layer that turns scattered docs across Drive, Slack, Notion and GitHub into trustworthy, cited answers.
Read Stacklink's story
€2,500 · RoundOneNemean BioLabs
Domonkos Barkovits · Fumi Lesné Akiyama · Laurin Gschwenter
Biomimetic, biocide-free coatings that stop biofouling on industrial heat exchangers, without losing thermal efficiency.
Read Nemean BioLabs's story
Also on the main stage
AURA
Alberto Moro · Mattia Sferrazza
A cleaner, sugar-free alternative to energy drinks, built for students.
Read AURA's storyUniTold
David Atem Allain
Unfiltered university insights: high schoolers talk to real students, not marketing.
Volcycle
Sander Kuipers
High-quality recycling of solar panels, recovering silver and other critical materials.
After the programme
What our founders achieved.
Explore the customers, pilots and next steps from our first cohort.
Stacklink
Two pilot clients
and interest from more than thirty VCs.
Explore the storyAURA
350+ customers
past the first year of selling.
Explore the storyNemean BioLabs
Accepted into YES!Delft
to continue developing their startup.
Explore the story
What you actually get
Support for your
next step.
Work on your startup with mentors, join practical workshops and prepare your pitch. At Demo Day, meet the investors and partners who can support your next stage. Here is what the first cohort received.
- Pitch-deck workshops with OWOW
- A RoundOne workshop
- Direct pitch access at the Gerard & Anton DPDs
- The Lovable Hackathon
- Full access to the EWOR founder platform
- A direct line into HighTechXL, Graduate Ventures and EWOR
Cohort 02 · Planned for 2027
Your route through the programme.
January '27
Cohort applications open
February '27
Cohort selected
April '27
Build season
June '27
Demo Day
This is the season plan. Exact dates and application details will be published when confirmed.
See application status →Before you apply
A few useful answers.
Who is the accelerator for?
Student founders building a startup. The next open call is planned across Brabant. The first cohort brought together startups from different disciplines and backgrounds.
Do I need a particular membership tier?
No. Accelerator selection is based on your startup, with no minimum community membership tier. Joining the community does not automatically enrol you in the accelerator.
What support has Kickoff provided?
The first cohort received workshops, mentoring, access to the EWOR founder platform and opportunities to meet the Brainport startup network. The support listed above describes that cohort.
Does every startup receive a grant?
In the first cohort, ten startups took part, five pitched on the Demo Day main stage and two received a €2,500 grant each. A grant is not automatic with participation.
Can I get involved before applications open?
Yes. You can join the community and attend free founder talks while you work on your idea. Applications for the next cohort are planned for January 2027.
How the first season played out
Open call → Demo Day
01 · Jan – Mar
Applications
An open call across Brabant. No restrictions on discipline or background.
02 · March
Cohort selected
10 student startups selected for the first cohort.
03 · Apr – Jun
Build season
Mentorship and workshops, the EWOR platform, and a hackathon with Lovable.
04 · June
Demo Day
5 startups took the main stage. 2 walked away with a €2,500 grant.
Cohort 2
Applications open soon.
Applications are planned for January 2027 and are open across Brabant. You can join the community now. Accelerator selection is based on your startup, with no minimum membership tier.