Deadline Date: April 15, 2026
The SOCIA Accelerator offers a hybrid program designed to support social start-ups in implementing and scaling innovative solutions.
The program focuses on implementation, impact and further development of MVPs, real-world laboratory testing with practical partners from the social sector, and a hybrid participation model that allows both offline and online engagement.
The onboarding phase involves the selection of social start-ups from 50 non-profit organizations, with participants being informed by April 30, 2026, followed by thematic clustering and matching with suitable real-world laboratory partners, taking place from April 15 to 30, 2026.
The real-world laboratory and methods phase includes multiple flexible and needs-based online sessions, design thinking and prototyping inputs, and collaborative work in thematic clusters, culminating in the selection of 10 start-ups by an expert jury for participation in the on-site hackathon, scheduled between May 1 and June 30, 2026.
The prototyping and validation phase features the Social Innovation Hackathon from July 17 to 19, 2026, conducted in a hybrid format with coaching, pitch training, and learning sessions for up to 10 start-ups on-site, along with a social pitch competition called the Wacken Startup Battle, enabling participants to collaboratively develop solutions while continuing engagement with real-world laboratory partners and monthly status calls, running from July 1 to August 31, 2026.
The completion and scaling phase includes a hybrid final presentation, impact and scaling coaching, and continued access to the real-world laboratory network beyond the program, along with an experience festival in Vilsbiburg scheduled for September 25 to 27, 2026, with the phase lasting from September 1 to November 30, 2026.
The program is intended for social start-ups or social enterprises that aim to develop products or services for genuine social innovation, wish to test and refine their ideas in real-life environments, and are available to actively participate between May and September 2026.
Participation is hybrid and designed to be flexible for everyday life, offering access to a unique real-world laboratory spanning over 1000 square kilometers, freely accessible online program content, as well as pitch training, learning sessions, and coaching, along with two optional in-person event formats.
For more information, visit SOCIA.
