Deadline Date: May 17, 2026
The Summer School for Diverse Startups offers underrepresented founders a unique opportunity to grow their businesses, access expert mentorship, and connect with a vibrant startup ecosystem.
The program focuses on empowering founders from diverse backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, and socio-economic status, and supporting business ideas with strong growth potential.
Participants will benefit from hands-on workshops, individual 1:1 coaching with top experts, and access to one of the best startup ecosystems in Europe through community events and networking opportunities. The program features a public pitch event where startups compete for the Digital Award with prize money of €2,000 and tickets to the Web Summit in Lisbon.
Selected participants will also receive lifetime access to the SpinLab Academy e-learning platform with expert-led videos and a certificate from HHL Leipzig. The program is completely free thanks to sponsorship support, allowing founders to fully concentrate on their growth.
Applicants should have at least one team member from a diverse background, a concrete business idea, and availability to be onsite in Leipzig from 20–24 July 2026. The program will be conducted in English, though it can also be held in German if all selected teams are German-speaking.
For more information, visit SpinLab.
