Fit 4 Start

Benefits & funding

• Up to €150,000 in equity-free grant funding from the Ministry of the Economy, paid in three instalments: €50,000, then €80,000, then a €20,000 final balance. Each instalment carries its own conditions.
• The €50,000 first instalment is released once the startup is incorporated in Luxembourg.
• Later instalments are milestone-based: graduates must raise at least €50,000 of private equity within 12 months, and those that raise funding and employ at least two people can access up to €100,000 on top of the first instalment.
• Six months of personalised coaching from international startup experts, combining group work, thematic expert sessions and feedback from the jury.
• Free co-working space for the six-month coaching phase.
• Access to Luxembourg’s national high-performance computing capacity.
• No equity is taken in exchange for the funding.

Eligibility

• Open to innovative projects and young startups from anywhere in the world; no nationality or residency condition applies at the application stage.
• The applicant team must have at least two people, with at least one working full time on the project.
• Participants must be 18 or older as of the programme start date.
• An incorporated company is not required to apply. If one exists, it must be no more than five years old at the call opening date and meet the EU small-enterprise criteria.
• For-profit ventures only, with innovative high-potential projects in digital, tech-driven or data-driven fields — internet of things, blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, cybersecurity, telecom, open-source and other emerging technologies — plus the dedicated health technologies, space and defence tracks.
• A minimum viable product is not required at application; healthtech applicants at preclinical proof-of-concept or MVP stage are preferred.
• Selected teams create a company in Luxembourg and obtain a business permit to receive the grant. At least one team member takes responsibility for building the Luxembourg operations, attends every coaching session, and must be physically present in Luxembourg for coaching and steering committee meetings.
• Pitching and the programme are conducted in English.

Application process

1. 1
   Wait for the next call to open, then submit the application through the Fit 4 Start call page on the Luxinnovation events platform before the deadline stated in that call.
2. 2
   A pre-selection committee reviews the applications and shortlists candidates.
3. 3
   Pre-selected teams pitch to an independent jury; in the two most recent editions the pitching took place at Luxembourg Venture Days in October.
4. 4
   The jury confirms the cohort, which is unveiled at Luxembourg Venture Days.
5. 5
   Selected teams incorporate in Luxembourg, obtain the business permit, and apply for the grant through MyGuichet.lu, which requires LuxTrust or eID authentication.
6. 6
   The six-month coaching phase follows, with reporting duties to a steering committee at each stage.

Program timeline

1. Call #17 launched, announced at the Fit 4 Start #16 graduation.

   10 June 2026

2. Application deadline for call #17, which received a record 556 applications.

   10 July 2026

3. Pre-selected teams pitch and the new cohort is unveiled at Luxembourg Venture Days.

   October 2026

4. Six months of coaching follow selection. The previous cohort, #16, started in January 2026 and graduated on 10 June 2026.

5. Next call

   no date published. The two most recent calls closed in August 2025 and July 2026.