“We prove what can be achieved in the startup sector when research institutions unite for a common mission.”

Europe is at a turning point: it is time that we draw significantly more societal return from excellent teaching and top-level research. One way for this is the transfer through spin-offs and thereby enabling talents to be successful as founders of startups.

The capital region already has quite a bit to show for this: the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center (K.I.E.Z.), which has long since established itself as an initiator for research-driven AI startups, links the innovative power of Berlin universities with the dynamic structures of the startup scene. Cross-institutional work and interdisciplinarity play a central role for success.

With UNITE, these successes will be further expanded in the coming years. Nearly 30 scientific institutions have joined forces to make a difference together with business and society. In addition to the future field of artificial intelligence, green technologies and health – areas in which the region is scientifically particularly strong – will play an important role. It is about positioning founding as a career option, making the best support easily accessible, and creating the right framework conditions for success.

In the interview, Laura Möller, Director of K.I.E.Z. and Managing Director of UNITE, talks about the structural upheavals the Berlin innovation system is undergoing, names success stories and provides impulses on how “AI made in Berlin” can become a European trademark for excellent, scientifically based startups.

Ms. Möller, with UNITE you are currently building what is likely the most ambitious startup center for science-based startups in Europe. What goals is UNITE pursuing?

We want to increase the number of science-based startups to 365 per year and initially place a clear focus on health, greentech, and AI. But we will only succeed if we also advance entrepreneurship education at universities and research institutions. From 2030, we want to reach 50,000 talents annually in Berlin-Brandenburg.

We want to inspire them to work in and on startups so they can take the entrepreneurial path – as an alternative to industry and academia. For this, changes in the curricula of all study programs are also necessary to position entrepreneurship as a career option and vehicle for self-efficacy. Digital offerings, challenge-based learning and the latest peer-to-peer learning approaches will play an important role to significantly scale the number of trained individuals.

We also have very good chances of achieving our goals because we have an excellent talent pool of over 250,000 students in the region. In addition, there are 30,000 scientists, millions of alumni, and talents from the local startup and scale-up scene.

UNITE sees itself as a catalyst for research-driven innovations. What specific role does K.I.E.Z. play in this? Is there a clear division of labor or more of an interlocking ecosystem?

The Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center (K.I.E.Z.) is an important pillar for UNITE. K.I.E.Z. is supported by Science & Startups, the association of the startup centers of the major Berlin universities and the Charité University Medicine. So we have already been proving for four years what can be achieved in the startup sector when research institutions unite for a common mission. In figures: together we have already supported over 120 AI startups in our programs and our companies have already raised more than 45 million euros in venture capital. For UNITE, we can potentially imagine this for the entire deep tech sector in Berlin and Brandenburg. The potential is enormous.

You often speak of "AI made in Berlin." What vision are you pursuing with that – and how does UNITE contribute to making this vision a reality?

AI is a global task, and of course it’s good when people around the world learn about what’s happening in the Berlin AI scene. At K.I.E.Z., we want to be known internationally above all for excellent science-based AI startups. But that doesn’t mean we can limit ourselves to Berlin. I believe that we need many more collaborations with other German and European ecosystems. That’s why we are already taking joint steps with our Bavarian AI colleagues and regularly seek exchange with partners from Europe.

K.I.E.Z. is an early-stage accelerator with a clear scientific DNA. Can you give us an example of how an AI spinoff could experience a real scaling boost through the program?

K.I.E.Z. is much more than just an accelerator. We offer programs for the entire startup lifecycle – from validation of scientific results in our Bridge-to-Market program, through incubation, which we conduct in cooperation with the startup centers of Science & Startups, to our accelerator, which AI teams that have already founded their company can apply for. Typically, AI startups enter our accelerator in an early growth phase, with growth goals that are very individual. This depends heavily on the industry and business model. Just recently, Sifted and the Financial Times published the list of the 100 fastest-growing startups in the DACH & CEE region in 2025. Among them: Aivy – one of our former accelerator startups.

Let’s talk about UNITE: How do you manage to bring together academic excellence, entrepreneurial courage, and technological implementation strength under one roof – especially in the often fragmented Berlin innovation space?

UNITE is developing, together with almost 30 scientific partners – who represent over 90% of the students and researchers in the region – and in close cooperation with partners from business and society, a leading center for innovations and science-based startups in Berlin-Brandenburg and in Europe. The number, diversity, and reputation of the participants from the ecosystem are so far unparalleled – not only in the region, but across Germany.

Of course, these partners also bring their diverse perspectives on our innovation ecosystem and therefore have different expectations of UNITE. At its core, however, it is about increasing the number and quality of science-based startups and sustainably advancing our region. On the one hand, we want to preserve the diversity and freedom of research and, at the same time, eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies. That’s why we have created a governance structure for UNITE that involves many stakeholders while also enabling us to act entrepreneurially and agilely. For this, we can also activate a significant investment from the partners in order to move forward quickly.

A key point on UNITE’s agenda is the promotion of female founders. What measures are you taking to increase diversity in this sector?

At UNITE, we will continue to expand the successfully established Female Founders Network. The EXIST WOMEN program will also be strategically integrated and strengthened in this context to significantly increase the number of science-oriented women interested in founding. In addition, we will introduce new partnerships and measures in the investment sector. A lot will happen in Berlin and Brandenburg in the coming years.

In general, we believe that in the areas of green tech and health, the potential to activate female founders is particularly high, since women more often start businesses in areas with a positive societal impact. UNITE offers a strong platform for this.

What opportunities, but also risks, do you currently see for the Berlin AI ecosystem – for example in terms of international competition, shortage of skilled workers, or political support?

The Berlin AI ecosystem is currently very well positioned. With BIFOLD and DFKI, we have two flagships of German AI research in the city. In addition, there is an enormous talent pool of 250,000 students and over 30,000 researchers at the universities and colleges. Berlin still lives off its reputation as Germany’s leading startup metropolis. Unfortunately, we have lost ground in recent years. The location conditions have changed: life here is no longer as affordable as it once was. Housing is scarce, visa and general bureaucratic processes for young founders are slow. These are issues that we at UNITE will address together with politics and private providers, because we have a clear focus and a strong voice. We believe that we will see substantial improvements here in the coming years.

A personal outlook: When you look back on UNITE in five years – what will be the measure of this project’s success?

We began this interview with the goals of UNITE. Achieving these goals will be a measure of success. But we will also have expanded our national and international reputation as one of the leading deep tech ecosystems worldwide. Equally important will be that we have built up and expanded the business model of UNITE to the extent that UNITE stands on a stable economic foundation with a clear growth perspective. Because I am firmly convinced that a strategic startup and innovation promotion will be a central pillar for the economic prosperity of our capital region.

Thank you for the conversation.