JUNI Team-Up Challenge: Greentech Batch #1
Bring the IP, the industry know-how or the drive to build. In six weeks, you’ll find your co-founders and turn a Greentech idea into a validated concept, ready for the next step toward funding.
JUNI Team-Up Challenge: Greentech Batch #1
6 Weeks Program, Team-Up Challenge → Starting January 2027 / Limited
JUNI Mitte, Berlin
Coming Soon
Overview
Greentech needs founders, not just breakthroughs.
Europe’s climate transition depends on research that makes it out of the lab. Too often it doesn’t, because the science is ready before the team is. The first industry-focused batch of the JUNI Team-Up Challenge is built to change that.
For six weeks, scientists with their own Greentech idea or IP team up with experienced industry experts and venture builders. Together they turn a research topic into a validated concept that’s ready for the market and the first step toward funding routes like EXIST and BSS. JUNI’s network of Science and Business Partners backs you throughout.
The focus areas:
- Renewable energy
- Resource efficiency
- Climate-neutral production
- Sustainable mobility
- Food & agriculture
- Sustainable construction
Key facts
What you need to know.
Our first industry-focused batch is all about Greentech. Over six weeks this winter, scientists, industry experts and venture builders in Berlin-Brandenburg team up to turn climate-tech research into ventures that can get funded.
- Application deadline: November 26, 2026
- Program dates: January 11 – February 19, 2027 (6 weeks)
- Location: Berlin, in JUNI Mitte or at NLND in Neukölln
- Time commitment: ~10 hours / week
- Format: In person in weeks 1, 2 and 6, hybrid in between
Program details
6 weeks to a founding team.
From first match to Demo Day: find your co-founders, test your idea with real customers, and leave with a fundable Greentech concept and a clear path to EXIST or BSS.
Week 1-2
Co-founder matching & opportunity space
You’ll find the people you want to build with. Attendance is mandatory.
- Get to know every idea and IP in the cohort, and the people behind them.
- Test your co-founder fit in different team setups.
- Commit as a team and pick one Greentech opportunity to pursue.
- Draft your first problem statements.
Week 3-4
Customer validation
You’ll leave the lab and test your idea against the real market.
- Sharpen your problem statement and build your interview list.
- Run expert and customer interviews in your target market.
- Validate or kill your assumptions based on real evidence.
Week 5
Business model
You’ll take your first steps toward a business model and find out what it takes to get funded.
- Sketch your value proposition and get a first sense of your market.
- Explore possible business models and check IP feasibility.
- Map out your funding path toward EXIST or BSS.
Week 6
Pitch training, next steps & Demo Day
You’ll pitch your venture and leave with a clear plan for what comes next. Attendance is mandatory.
- Get individual pitch coaching and prepare your final pitch.
- Plan your next 90 days as a team.
- Pitch to JUNI’s network of science partners, companies and investors at Demo Day.
Selection
Who we're looking for.
Strong founding teams combine different strengths: the science, the market knowledge and the drive to build.
Which one are you?
The Science Lead.
You’re a scientist or researcher with your own Greentech idea or IP, and you want to find out if it can become a company.
The Industry Expert.
You know the Greentech sector from the inside. You bring market insight and hands-on experience, and you help your team test its idea against reality.
The Venture Builder.
You’re an entrepreneur, a business builder or an ambitious student with strong commercial drive, and you’re ready to co-found a Greentech venture.
Applications
Ready to take the plunge?
Applications close November 26, 2026. The Greentech Batch starts January 11, 2027.
Step 1: Apply
Submit your application by November 26.
Step 2: Interview
If you’re shortlisted, we’ll invite you to a short 20-minute interview.
Step 3: Decision
We select the cohort and let everyone know shortly after.
Coming Soon
Your program contact
Questions? Let's talk.
Not sure which profile fits you, or whether your idea falls into one of our six Greentech focus areas? Dialina is happy to help. As Program Manager of the JUNI Team-Up Challenge, she can walk you through the program, the application and how the team matching works. Reach out anytime.
