100 ideas for Lusatia - STAR*PARADE 2025 breaks applicant record

A new milestone for STAR*PARADE: a total of 100 applications have been received for this year's Lusatian ideas competition. This is an impressive confirmation of the event's growing importance for start-ups, founders and innovative projects in both Brandenburg and Saxony's Lusatia region.

"The high number of applications shows how strong the start-up potential is in Lusatia. We are delighted that STAR*PARADE is gaining more and more appeal as a platform for creative ideas, courageous founders and partners willing to invest," says Marcel Linge from the start-up consultancy Startup Lausitz on behalf of the entire STAR*PARADE organisation team.

First pitches on 12 September in Boxberg

From now on, the competition will enter the hot pitch phase: pitch events will take place at various locations throughout Lusatia until the end of October. The applications will present their ideas to a jury from the worlds of business, science and investors in the categories of students, crafts, services & trade, health & social affairs, cultural & creative industries, technology & digital and social entrepreneurship. The first pitches will take place on 12 September
Cottbus, 3 September 2025 at SKAN-Park Klitten in Boxberg.

The winners in the individual categories will be announced at a grand closing event on 5 November 2025. In addition to cash and non-cash prizes, there will be valuable contacts, personalised advice and the chance to win regional and international partners.

One thing is already clear: visitors and participants can look forward to a particularly diverse and high-calibre field of participants.

About the STAR*PARADE

STAR*PARADE is a further development of the Lusatian start-up competition (LEX) and has been organised since 2024 as a joint project by a large number of players in the Startup Lausitz start-up ecosystem - including Wirtschaftsförderung Cottbus, Gründungsberatung Startup Lausitz, European Digital Innovation Hub, Wirtschaftsinitiative Lausitz, IHK Cottbus, IHK Dresden, HWK Cottbus, HWK Dresden as well as the BTU projects Lausitz Science Park, Energy Innovation Centre and Founders' Service.

The stakeholders are involved in juries, as sponsors and in the organisation team. The common goal of all is to build a lively network of founders, supporters and funders in Lusatia.

Further information and all dates can be found at www.starparade.info