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We welcome and support participants of all genders, sexual orientations, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities. Our incubator is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and accessible environment where diverse perspectives are valued and innovation can thrive.

Application period: 01.10.2025 – 10.12.2025

  • Start of the program: 29.01.2026
  • End of the program: 02.07.2026
  • Number of start-up teams supported: 7
  • Time required: It is expected that each founder works about 20 hours a week on the idea.
  • Location: Feedback days and co-working will mostly take place in Lüneburg.
  • Event Format: There will be fortnightly day-long live events in Luneburg or Hamburg and in between there are online feedback hours, also on Wednesdays.
  • Cost: Free
  • Group members: A maximum of 3 people per team can participate in the program.
  • Single Founders also have the opportunity to apply. 


For further questions contact us by mail at nicol.hartz@leuphana.de.

The application process in short:

1. Take a max. 2 min pitch video.
2. Fill in the application form and upload the video (one per team, submit by Dec 10, 2025).
3. Participate in the short survey that we send to you per email once you have completed the
application (one per team member, submission date will be provided in E-Mail).
4. Save the date: pencil in this slot, in case we invite you for a short video interview of max 30 mins: Dec 13 between 9am and 2pm.

 

The application process in long:

The application consists of three steps. In the first step, we ask you to fill out the application form below (which includes sending a max. 2 min pitch video to nicol.hartz@leuphana.de). The application deadline to fill out this form (incl. video) is the 10.12.2025. Once you have completed the application form, we will send you, in a second step, a link to an online survey. This survey is for evaluation purposes only, but needs to be filled out by every team member until the date we will provide in a personal E-Mail to you after you completed the first step of the application. Only if all team members have completed the survey, your team will be considered for HOLII 2026.

In the third step (which will only be relevant for a few teams), we invite pre-selected teams for a 30 min video interview. The interviews will take place on Dec 13 between 9am and 2 pm. But do not worry if you are not invited – we will only invite teams where we see further need for clarification but still the potential to take part in HOLII 2026.
You will receive feedback on your application by Dec 18, 2025.

For the second part of the application form you can already think of answers to the following questions: 

  • Which societal problem(s) do you address with your idea? (max. 250 words)

  • What is your impactful idea and how does it address the problem? (max. 250 words)

  • Why do you want to found an impact business with that idea? What is your motivation as individuals and as a team? (max. 250 words)

  • What makes your idea different from existing solutions? (max. 250 words)

  • To which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) does your idea contribute? (Please name one major SDG and max. 2 minor SDGs)

  • Do you plan to become financially self-sustainable with your idea? If yes, please describe your ideas on how you can generate revenue with your idea! (max. 250 words)

  • What are your next steps? (max. 250 words, you can use keywords)

  • What challenges are you currently facing? Where do you need support? (max. 250 words, you can use keywords)

  • What are your expectations for this application? (max. 250 words, you can use keywords)

For the pitch video we ask you to pitch your idea in maximum 120 seconds. The format is completely up to you. For us, the purpose is to get a more personal impression of you as the founding team.

Application form


Hinweis: Der Daten-Upload, kann etwas Zeit in Anspruch nehmen. Nach dem vollständigen Senden, öffnet sich ein Popup-Fenster.

We evaluate your application with regard to two overarching questions that are covered through eight concrete dimensions.

1. Is the idea relevant, innovative and scalable?
2. Do we trust the team to execute the idea well?

The concrete eight dimensions are:

  • Relevance and size of the addressed problem
  • Idea-problem-fit
  • Differentiation from existing alternatives
  • Business model quality 
  • Scalability of the idea
  • Team quality and team-ides-fit
  • Coherence of the founding motivation
  • Overall formal impression of the application