News
ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa: Five finalists have been selected
The finalists for the ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa have been selected. Fuzzware, SQUR, Complioty, RedCastle and Blindsight will compete against each other in the final on 28 October 2026 as part of the it-sa Expo & Congress in Nuremberg. This annual award recognises the most promising cybersecurity start-ups in the DACH region.
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Time for security innovations: Apply now for the ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa!
Cybersecurity startups from the DACH region can now apply for the ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa through July 12, 2026. The winning teams will receive prize money, networking opportunities with key players in the German cybersecurity market, and high visibility at Europe’s leading security trade fair.
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More start-ups in the cybersecurity sector
ATHENE, Europe’s largest cybersecurity research centre, together with the ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity – part of the German government’s Digital Hub Initiative – and Futury, one of Germany’s ten government-funded start-up incubators, are launching a strategic partnership to support research-based cybersecurity start-ups. Together, the partners aim to accelerate the transformation of cutting-edge scientific research into marketable businesses and to strengthen the Rhine-Main region as a leading hub for cybersecurity innovation.
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The winners of the ATHENE Startup Award UP25@it-sa have been announced
The ATHENE Startup Award UP25@it-sa was presented on October 8, 2025, as part of the it-sa Expo&Congress in Nuremberg. The Freiburg-based company Infrafon prevailed against four other finalists in the live pitch and received prize money of €7,500 for its innovative solution for secure access control in regulated environments.
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Finalisten ATHENE UP25@it-sa: Interview with NENNA.AI
The startup NENNA.AI is one of the five finalists in the running for this year's ATHENE Startup Award UP25@it-sa. We met with the startup, which offers an AI privacy infrastructure, for an interview.
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Contact
Clara Pfeuffer
ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity
ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity