Collaborate, invest, implement: automatica Start-Up Arena
Ecosystem for future industry leaders
The robotics and automation sector is booming, fueled by groundbreaking start-ups and increasing investor interest. However, networking precedes the implementation of any new and innovative product. Adequately turning potential into reality requires communication between start-ups, investors, and potential clients.
The perfect ecosystem? The Start-up Arena at automatica 2025. It’s where innovation meets opportunity, where ideas ignite, and where the future of automation, robotics, and photonics is being written in real-time.
Industry expertise, finance know-how, and entrepreneurship—the automatica Start-up Arena pulls an audience of diverse participants. It includes innovative newcomers, established industry players, and enablers from the financing sector such as analysts, venture capitalists, and asset managers. All of them use the platform to network, sound out potential, and establish cooperative ventures. Located in Hall B4, the arena’s open design encourages interaction and provides plenty of space for technological innovation and prototypes. An important feature: the central stage, a platform for presentations and pitches by startups and experts.
The Start-Up Arena’s stage will be a dynamic hub throughout automatica 2025, offering a focused program of pitching sessions, expert panels, keynotes, and networking events. June 24, 2025, will focus on industrial automation and robotics and June 25, 2025, will highlight photonics and investment. June 26, 2025, will center on smart manufacturing and, finally, June 27, 2025, will explore digital innovation.
Participants 2025
For more information on the participants, please visit our subject area.
Spotlight on photonics
In collaboration with PhotonHub Europe and Laser World of Photonics, the Start-Up Arena will host a half-day event on June 25, 2025, aiming to match investors with photonics start-ups. The event will start with a keynote outlining the opportunity photonics solutions can bring to the manufacturing industry followed by an expert panel discussing the latest technology areas. Finally, there will be a pitching competition among hand-picked European startups showcasing their products on stage.
Challenge: Europe's best robotics startup
Groundbreaking ideas. Future industry players. Experienced mentors. In brief: everything an exciting challenge needs. The Odense Investor Summit is an opportunity for innovative robotics and automation newcomers to pitch their ideas in front of an international jury of experts as they compete for the title of ‘Europe's best robotics start-up’. Who will get the title and receive EUR 5,000 in prize money? Find out at the live event on June 25, 2025, at 14:00 in the automatica Start-up Arena.
The event will bring together robotics innovators, industry leaders, and investors from across Europe. It’s a unique opportunity to connect, discover visionary technologies, and see the next generation of robotics in action. All competing start-ups have been carefully selected by a board of specialists in advance and will hold their presentations live on site. And after the award ceremony? We invite you to join more than 400 robotics enthusiasts at our great Odense afterparty.
Program
14:00–14:30: Welcome address by the Host, Lukas Ziegler
14:30–15:30: Pitches
15:30–16:00: Award ceremony
16:00–18:00: Odense afterparty
Expertise that pays off
The event is organized by FundingBox, Europe’s Largest Deep Tech Funding Ecosystem, Odense Robotics, Invest in Denmark, and Invest in Odense. Being one of the up-and-coming robotics competence centers in Europe, Odense looks back on many years of experience in start-up development and networking. The Start-up Arena leverages this concentration of expertise to offer its participants great networking opportunities at the pan-European level – along with the perfect environment to initiate beneficial business partnerships.
Invest in Odense
Invest in Odense plays a pivotal role in connecting businesses with investors, and fostering partnerships that drive growth and innovation. The organization assists newcomers in navigating the local ecosystem, identifying investment opportunities, and building valuable collaborations—at all stages from initial setup to expansion. With in-depth industrial and business knowledge, Invest in Odense bridges the gap between start-ups, investors, and established companies seeking capital growth.
Review:
Impressions of the Start-up Arena 2023
Cooperation partners
